Compliance

Effective corporate governance for you and your software assets

With software vendors using audits as a component of revenue recovery, mitigating risk and maintaining effective governance are key priorities for all organisations.

Rather than waiting to discover any licensing anomalies as part of a vendor audit or true-up process, Computacenter’s services will not only facilitate a more proactive approach to compliance but also remove cost and complexity. Computacenter provide your organisation with the processes, tools and information it needs to defend or prevent an audit.

More information

Vendor audits rose by 20 per cent last year compared to the first half of 2007. In all, 34 per cent of members said they had undergone a software audit.

The Federation Against
Software Theft (FAST)

How can I prevent a vendor audit?
The first step is to get an accurate snapshot of your organisation’s compliance position. Computacenter’s Software Asset Appraisal and Licence Options Appraisal enable you to reconcile what is being used against what has actually been purchased. This will help to address any shortfalls in advance of a vendor audit and optimise the procurement of licences in the future.

An audit is already underway – what can I do?
There is still time to minimise the financial impact of any licensing shortfall that is discovered as part of an audit. One company cut their liability from £800,000 to £300,000 after Computacenter conducted a Software Asset Appraisal following a vendor audit.

How can I prove our organisation is compliant?
Vendors are now offering organisations the opportunity to self-certify. Computacenter’s SAM Accreditation Services are recognised by key vendors, including Microsoft, Adobe and Symantec.

This will provide you – and your vendors – with an accurate picture of your licensing status and eliminate the threat of audit. Accreditation services such as Software Asset Appraisal, enable you to demonstrate compliance and minimise the risk of an audit for up to a year.

How can I ensure we stay in control?
Your licensing position will be constantly evolving as your organisation and its workforce changes. Computacenter’s SAM Readiness Services will ensure that you have best practice processes in place to control the software asset lifecycle and provide ongoing visibility.

Alternatively, you can outsource Software Licence Management to a team of experts at Computacenter, who will review your licensing position on a continuous basis freeing up internal resources to focus on the differentiating elements of IT.