The recession is having an impact on the way companieshandle their software licences as job cuts and increasing vendor audits squeezefirms.
The findings of research carried out by Dynamic Markets for resellerTrustmarque Solutions backed up anecdotal experiences that dealers have seen onthe ground with customers.
Cherry Taylor, researcher at Dynamic Markets, said itsSoftware Asset Management: Impact of the Recession research helped to have aclearer picture of the current situation.
“The impact of staff being laid off is directly having animpact and these companies are under pressure and in some cases overcompensating and panic buying licences in this very turbulent time,” she said.
The research found that 35% of those companies quizzed hadseen more audits from vendors, 83% of those asked had to admit they were notconfident that their software licensing was accurate and a quarter thoughtformer employees had blown the whistle to spark vendor audits.
“Challenging software licences is challenging at any timeand is much more so right now,” she added.
Tony Fisher, managing director at SAM Partners, warned thatthe risks to those that failed to control their software assets were increasingas vendors ramped up audits to try and reclaim revenue.
“Anyone who doesn’t have a solid grasp on licensing iscaught between the devil and the deep blue sea either having to put their handsin their pocket to pay for licences or opting to keep their heads down andnoticing the vendor’s won’t notice you,” he said.
He added that although software asset management (SAM) wasstill seen by many as a soft benefit it would save money in the long-run as itsexperience of customer audits showed that often many were over licensed in somedepartments.
He said that the research showed a growing interest in SAMand the findings were encouraging because they highlighted an opportunity inthe market as well as indicating increasing understanding about the need to geton top of software estate management.
The findings come in the same week that the BusinessSoftware Alliance reveled that UKsoftware piracy rates had climbed back up to 27% and the Software IndustryResearch Board held a major SAM conference.
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