Most common questions we get during a Microsoft Audit:
- What are the primary points to negotiate with the supplier or their agent when an audit notice is received?
- What are the points to fight for?
- What are the points that are most important?
There are many, many moving parts involved in a Microsoft audit because of the many and varied products, license metrics, volume license programs, and Software Assurance considerations.
There is a central set of principles in responding to audits that have been blogged about and spoken about and presented about from many software asset management professionals. They involve communication protocols, date of delivery, settlement, negotiation, etc.; and these are well known; but to these, we can add or perhaps maybe just reemphasize some other points.
Ensure that the audit scope is explicit and written. The auditor will prefer to dictate schedules and priorities and it’s important that you, as a representative of the organization, control that process.
Scrutinize the findings. Understand that the findings, especially the initial findings, are going to require some adjustment and warn your teams not to take any action based on the initial findings.
Data from automated tools is only as good as the interpretation. The audit scripts and SAM tools gather the deployment information. The Microsoft license statement details the entitlements and the comparison between them is not simple arithmetic. There is a big chasm that exists between these two data points and it needs to be accurately and very effectively navigated.
Buyer Beware. Another point to mention is that your reseller (now referred to as a License Solutions Provider or “LSP”) may offer this service for free, but be aware that there is an incentive for them to complete a licensing transaction.