Conducting internal software audits are important for a business and will help it stay ahead of things regarding software, because they are what keep things up to date and properly licensed. Read on to learn more in depth about software audits and just how significant they can be.
Why You Need a Software Audit and How to Do It
Software audits are conducted for the purpose of making sure your business’ software is properly functioning, meeting standard criteria, and legal. If your company’s software meets standard criteria, this means that it has been verified that sufficient licenses have been obtained to cover the software that your business is using. Therefore, there is important information gained by conducting a software audit. This information can then ultimately make or break your business.
Why the Audit is Important
As previously stated, one key reason to perform a software audit is to ensure that the licenses you have are current. Therefore, you will want to maximize your current license position and reduce the number of inactive licenses you carry. An audit will allow you to reduce your licenses under compliance. An audit is also important because it is a cost-saving method for you to remove software you no longer use, and it can help you identify which programs you will need to reclaim in the future.
How to Perform the Audit
If you have not conducted a software audit previously, you may want to consult with your IT staff (or an outside IT company) and explain why you want it performed. There are five steps to follow when you conduct the audit:
- Determine which applications you want to be audited. Run a report on your current usage with a usage tool.
- Check the report you’ve created and determine the non-usage software. You then can arrange for the removal of unused software with the help of an installation team. Document which application you’ve removed and the machine you’ve taken it from along with the date you performed the removal.
- Determine which users have not used the applications for more than 60 days. Verify whether or not the application will be needed in the future. If the software isn’t needed, then arrange to have it removed permanently. Then add any responses you receive to the audit report.
- Determine by the usage report if the correct versions of the applications are being used. Also, sometimes it may be cheaper to use a smaller version, if only portions of an application are being utilized.
- Install and run a report from a SCCM tool and establish your updated compliance figures. Determine the savings you’ve created and present them to your company.
How Often Should You Conduct an Audit?
Internal auditing should be a continuous process. If your resources are thin, you may want to stretch them out to once a year. These audits are important as a way for you to stay compliant and a step ahead of auditors. As a business owner, you must understand that software publishers are the owners of their products. As such, they can ask for you to account for how you are managing their software at any time. Being ready for this request will help eliminate risks and keep your business moving smoothly.
For assistance with your software audit contact Computer Works today.
