Similar to investing in the financial markets, mitigating software licensing risk is about gathering information. Here are 5 quick guidelines that will help:
- 1- Create a repository where vendor information is stored. Make certain that this includes a comprehensive database of what software is currently installed and where; how many competitive vendors are currently being used and all the paper work.
2- Identify any unsupported software. Costs for emergency updates or repairs to unsupported software can be very high.
3- If a new multi-core based licensing is available (such as with Oracle), you can re-evaluate your IT environment and consider consolidating existing installations to better align licensing with applications.
4- Align your IT procurement to coincide with software adoption cycles. By determining existing software needs with the roll out of new applications throughout the enterprise, the purchase can be aligned with usage; thereby reducing risk of over or under licensing.
5- Self audit twice a year to ensure that licensing remains current and compliant.