1st September 2009
According to the 2009 FAST survey, the number of organisations
being audited by their software vendor has increased by almost 50%
in the past 12 months
The number of organisations being audited by their software
vendor has increased by almost 50%, according to a survey by FAST
Ltd, a leading UK authority on Software Asset Management (SAM) and
IT Compliance, providing software, education, consulting and
managed services.
Nearly 30% said they had been audited or inspected by a software
publisher, against 20% in 2008. The figure supports recent evidence
of a change in the software compliance landscape, with audits on
the increase. Over the last 6-12 months, nearly 17% of FAST’s
respondents said they had faced an audit.
Independent UK research conducted by IDC in October 2008 cited
that 52% of all companies have been subject to a vendor audit or
review in the past 12 months, whilst 23% have been subject to three
or more audits or review during this timeframe.
These results show that with an estimated 60% of companies being
under-licensed and 40% over-licensed, the software industry is
really cracking down and highlighting the consequences for
organisations of not having effective SAM programmes in place.
Andy Pearce, Managing Director at FAST said that there continues
to be considerable risk associated with non-compliance. However the
threat of hefty fines or a detrimental effect on corporate
reputation shouldn’t be the sole driver for compliance.
“Our research shows that although nearly half (45.4%) of
organisations joined the FAST Compliance
Programme because they were ‘concerned with the legal
implications of not being IT compliant’ or that they ‘needed help
to get their software licensing in order’, detailed financial
control is also a key driver, especially given the current economic
climate.
“In uncertain times, what organisations must get from their IT
estate is predictability and reassurance, not unexpected,
unbudgeted costs. Similarly organisations want to ensure that
they are not spending money on software licensing unnecessarily, so
SAM and compliance become even more pertinent as organisations
attempt to rein in their costs during a recession. FAST is
here to raise awareness and help organisations become more
proactive in their licence management and compliance
activities.”
The FAST annual customer survey, which tracks FAST customers’
adoption of its software licensing compliance programme showed that
for FAST’s customers, the overwhelming main compliance priorities
are software licence compliance (27%) and software asset management
(24%).
The survey also demonstrated that customers’ compliance
activities are benefiting from strong executive support. In 2009,
more than three quarters (77%) of FAST customers said their
Board had been either supportive or very supportive of their
software compliance project.
Pearce continued: “These figures are extremely encouraging to
see as it has been a challenge for us and the industry to
demonstrate the benefits of having a successful SAM programme.
Understanding the consequences of not complying coupled with
gaining executive support for a compliance programme is very
important.”
Press enquiries, please contact:
Paula Elliott
C8 Consulting Ltd for FAST
0118 9001132
paula@c8consulting.co.uk