How Centennial Discovery helps organisations meet ISO 19770-1 requirements

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What is ISO 19770?

ISO / IEC 19770 is an international standard, launched in 2006, that was developed to help organisations put in place processes and procedures for effective Software Asset Management (SAM).

The standard is designed to help manage risk, meet corporate IT governance requirements and generally improve the cost-effectiveness and availability of business software across the enterprise.

There are two parts to the standard:

• ISO/IEC 19770-1 focuses on the importance of the effective management of software assets (Part 1 was published on 9 May 2006)
• ISO / IEC 19770-2 defines the data requirements to support ISO 19770-1 (Part 2 has not been released).

The common misconception is that ISO / IEC 19770-1 is just about audit and software compliance. Although these are important components, the standard for SAM now embraces every aspect of a business and the way in which software and IT management processes and procedures are effectively managed by senior management.

Why do we need a standard?

First and foremost, many organisations have not taken the time to step back and review their increase in software spend over recent years.  If they did, many would be surprised to learn that they now spend more each year on software than they do on hardware or even high-ticket items such as company cars.

Yet while no responsible company would allow its cars on the road without ensuring they were taxed, insured and serviced, it’s difficult to say the same for an organisation’s software inventory.

According to industry analysts such as Gartner, the average company is over-licensed on around 30 percent of their inventory and typically at least 30 percent under-licensed in other areas. And while this may sound nicely balanced, rest assured the software vendors and licensing watchdogs won’t agree! That’s why 2006 has seen record fines for non-compliance and the use of unlicensed software.

But it’s not all about compliance. Every year, organisations waste millions in purchasing additional licenses that they didn’t need – whether because they fail to re-deploy existing applications, don’t take advantage of bulk / enterprise licenses or fail to go through the proper procurement channels.

As such, the ISO 19770-1 standard for Software Asset Management is concerned with the entire lifecycle of the applications in use on your network, from purchasing to disposal. The standard sets out six key areas of best practices designed to help all types of organisations save money, reduce compliance risks and increase operational efficiencies in software management.

Another benefit of the standard is that it provides a clear set of guidelines for all parties with an interest in software management – whether it is the end user, the vendor, the supplying VAR or an industry watchdog such as the BSA, SIIA or FAST. With the 19770-1 standard now formally endorsed and published by the International Standards Organisation (ISO), all parties in the chain have a common set of rules to work from, which should make it easier for everyone to set and meet software management expectations.

How can Discovery help me meet the requirements of ISO 19770-1?

In total, there are 27 distinct processes which make up the ISO 19770-1 framework for the ongoing effective management of software assets. While some of these elements are solely concerned with procedures that can only be managed manually, there are a number of requirements which can be met with significantly less effort if a suitable asset discovery tool is used.

The ability to accurately identify the software installed and in use (and it is important to understand the distinction between the two) on PCs and servers across the organisation is critical to meeting the standard’s requirements for ongoing software management.

In the following section, we have mapped out examples of how Discovery helps with a number of key areas from the ISO 19770-1 SAM standard and how this award-winning audit solution is critical to gathering the right ‘IT intelligence’ required to ensure your organisation makes the right decisions when managing software assets.