My career has had me closely intertwined with Software Asset Management (SAM) and IT Asset Management (ITAM) since 2006. Over this stretch of 18 years, I have helped to pioneer and implement a SAM practice at two different resellers, including Connection starting in 2012. So while I might find myself squarely in my current role of Principal Consultant of our Licensing Optimization Practice, and not with a primary focus on SAM, I have always found a way to keep my finger on the pulse of SAM.
The fact is a lot has changed since those early SAM days. We’ve evolved from on-premises infrastructure to the cloud. Licensing has changed from per server to counting processors and cores. From a financial perspective, we’ve moved from CapEx to OpEx with this advent of subscription and cloud licensing—not to mention the ability to take your entire on-premises server infrastructure (or a portion of it) and lift it to any of the available hyperscalers like Azure, AWS, and GCP.
SAM technologies have been forced to adapt to this rapid rate of change. We’ve departed from the days of deploying tools with agents to scan for Office, Project, and Visio installs—the usual suspects, I might add—and then comparing this install base to legacy licenses and/or Software Assurance to establish a compliance position. While there is still an element of this within a SAM engagement, the focus is more heavily on cloud infrastructure. And while you might have invested in the best, most sophisticated SAM tool on the market—and there are a lot of great technologies in this space—it’s increasingly complex and requires a trusted advisor to help optimize and govern your software estate.
I’ll state this in a different way, so it sinks in: It is the PEOPLE behind the tools, turning the dials, that are the most important part of an effective SAM strategy, and this has not changed since the dawn of SAM.
Now that we have covered how important the people are in conjunction with the technology, let’s discuss how an effective SAM strategy must start with establishing a current IT estate or compliance position—to use industry terminology. Once this has been established, the focus can progress and branch off into many key areas, such as technology alignment, lifecycle management, and vendor management, to name a few. These are some of the vital pillars to achieve cost optimization, while also establishing an ironclad technology roadmap that drives productivity and enables organizations to achieve their technology goals. Just as an example, with vendor management, data-driven decisions can be made to maintain relationships and negotiate better terms to support organizational cost optimization efforts. Essentially, you’ll find yourself with a much better story to tell software publishers and much better tactical negotiation power.
I went to our in-house SAM expert, Seth Mitchell, who is a Senior Consultant within our SAM practice at Connection to get his take on the SAM evolution.
Here is what Seth had to say: “Under Satya Nadella’s leadership, Microsoft’s mission has been to empower every person on the planet to work more efficiently by opening the possibility to work at anytime from anywhere via any device. This ‘Cloud-First, Mobile-First’ initiative drove a critical mindset change in the SAM world that continues to adapt today. Governance and control of an IT estate with a hybrid and remote workforce has come with its challenges, and SAM technologies have had to adapt and progress. We’re not only seeing our clients leverage these tools to assess on-premises assets, like the days of old, but also to understand and measure cloud transition and ensuring quicker time-to-value to close gaps in deployment opportunity. Today, we supplement the classical SAM engagement with our trusted expertise to ensure compliance, optimize investments, and achieve efficiency. To see these tools adapt along with our clients’ progression has been interesting to watch over the last 10 years.”
So is SAM dead? Absolutely NOT. SAM is alive and well. SAM has evolved to not only include the compliance arithmetic it was born from, but also cloud preparedness, utilization, measurable ROI, and cost-optimization. SAM encompasses today’s prominent remote/hybrid work environments while also enhancing cybersecurity posture. AI even has an impact on SAM. By analyzing historical usage data and patterns, AI-driven SAM tools can proactively recommend adjustments to license agreements, allowing organizations to optimize their software spending with minimal touch. The future of SAM is marked by continuous change and increasing complexity. As technology evolves, so does the need for efficient, cost-effective, and compliant SAM practices. I am excited to have a front row seat to witness this technological evolution and to watch SAM play a key role in providing organizations with the proper visibility and controls.
Casey Lindsay
Casey Lindsay is a Strategic Software Consultant with Connection’s XLO Practice. Casey brings over 15 years of vast Microsoft experience helping Connections’ clients navigate all the complex decisions surrounding their Microsoft technology and investment strategies. When not tackling Microsoft decisions, Casey can be found outside spending time with his family traveling with their RV to create lasting memories doing things like hiking, kayaking, and paddleboarding.
