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Part 2 The optimal number of Software Asset Management (SAM) employees General estimation and benchmarks Based on industry benchmarks for large companies (5,000 to 10,000 employees), an approximate ratio is often used. Rule of thumb (rough estimate): In the upper midfield of company size, a ratio of 1 SAM employee per 2,000 to 4,000 employees is often  assumed, depending on the degree of automation. 👥 Minimal core team (with a high degree of automation and standardized processes): 2 full-time employees Realistic team (average complexity): 3 to 4 full-time employees 🧑💼 1 SAM manager (administrative management: strategy, leadership, audits, governance) 🕵 2 to 3 license managers + specialists (operational management: data collection, reporting, tool maintenance) If the company has a very high license complexity (many server licenses, global deployment) or a low degree of automation, the need may include 5 or more employees. Result A realistic and effective software asset management team in a midsize company is in the range of 3 to 4 dedicated employees. The exact number must be determined through an internal analysis of the license environment, compliance risks, and tools used, with the main goal being to avoid expensive license penalties and optimize software costs. #FinOps #ITGovernance #Governance #SAM #ITAM #ITSM #Costavoidance #Costsaving #SoftwareAssetMangment #EPolicy #costtracking #Compliance #SaaS #Azure #Cloud

Technology Business Management (TBM) bridges the gap between ITFM, FinOps, and Strategic Portfolio Management to help you unlock real value from every tech investment. Read Pete Wilson’s blog post on ITPro now to learn more: https://ibm.co/6044BK5z0

Managing network services and environments across multiple locations shouldn’t feel like a maze. Different ISPs, carriers, and service providers billing at different rates, with different terms and cycles, make spend tracking and renewals a constant headache. Add in aging POTS lines still being juiced on rates, and most organizations end up reacting to problems instead of planning around them. That’s where having the right partner makes all the difference. NAKA Tech helps organizations take control of their connectivity and asset ecosystem through our Lifecycle Management Service... offered at no cost. Our team helps: -Audit and consolidate all carrier and connectivity contracts -Co-terms renewals to align with your fiscal and technology refresh cycles -Match spend to your CapEx or OpEx model -Integrates lifecycle data with your existing platforms like Tanium or ServiceNow, ensuring alignment with ITAM (IT Asset Management), HAM (Hardware Asset Management), and SAM (Software Asset Management) frameworks -Assess support levels, licensing, and renewals. (finding cost savings you did not even know were there) This creates a unified view of your environment and provides each department with their view fit to their workflow. Giving your teams visibility into contract, asset, and spend data all in one place. The result is tighter governance, cleaner renewals, and a budget that flexes to your strategy, not to your vendors. All tied back into purchasing. If your organization is juggling multiple providers, outdated contracts, or scattered lifecycle data - it’s time to simplify and take control.

💭 Data centers don’t end at commissioning…that’s where they begin. In his latest blog, Reilly McClure shows how Sitetracker powers long-term operations and asset management across portfolios of critical infrastructure. If you’re responsible for uptime, lifecycle planning and vendor accountability, this is a must-read. Link in comments below. #managewhatscritical #assetmanagement #datacenters

Read the new blog written by our SACM Manager, Paul Le Grice, where he discusses how a well-governed Configuration Management Database (#CMDB) can transform service delivery, drive operational efficiency, & support continuous improvement. #ManagedServices

The License Overspend They were paying for 25% more licenses than they had users. For three years. Nobody noticed because nobody was connecting asset data to actual usage. Here's what happened: A multi-national organisation with more than 100,000 employees. Enterprise software licensing based on "named users." 15,000 licenses purchased. 11,250 actual users. The difference: approximately £1,500,000 – per year (even after volume discounts). You’re wondering how it happened - right? Simple. The purchasing team bought licenses based on projected headcount. The project was ambitious. The projections were optimistic. Actual adoption was... a different story. Here’s the reality: • The asset register showed 15,000 licenses (correct). • The CMDB showed the application installed (correct). • The service catalogue showed the service available (correct). • The license compliance team compared purchased vs. deployed. They matched (correct) What nobody tracked - actual usage. What they didn't see: "We're paying for 3,750 licenses that nobody is using. I've seen this pattern again and again sadly • Software bought for projects that got cancelled (but licenses kept renewing) • Applications purchased for departments that reorganized (but contracts kept running) • Tools bought during M&A that became redundant (but nobody thought to cancel them) Why does this happen? Because organisations treat asset management as procurement compliance, not financial governance. They track: "Do we have the right number of licenses?" They don't track: "Should we still have these licenses?" What changed: We connected three data sources: 1. Asset register (what we're paying for) 2. Identity management (who we actually have) 3. Usage monitoring (who's actually using it) Suddenly the gap was obvious. We didn't need better asset tracking. We needed to follow the money. Question: When was the last time you reconciled: • What you're paying for • What you've deployed • What people are actually using Not "are we compliant?" but "Are we wasting money?" I pretty much guarantee the answer’s … yes. #ITAssetManagement #ITAM #SoftwareLicensing #CIO #CloudFinOps #EnterpriseIT

Effective Software Asset Management goes beyond compliance — it helps organizations save costs, reduce audit risk and stay in control of complex software environments.. HCLSoftware is named a Representative Vendor in the 2024 Gartner® Market Guide for SAM Tools. With HCL BigFix Inventory, enterprises achieve: 🔸 Greater visibility: Discover and track over 100K software installations across the enterprise 🔸Faster compliance response: Reduce audit preparation from 2 weeks to just 5 minutes 🔸Reduced audit fines: Avoid penalties of up to $25M Read the Gartner® SAM Market Guide with our compliments: https://hclsw.co/ncb8kw #HCLBigFix #BigFixInventory #SAM #ITAssetManagement #Gartner

David Billouz It is critical that we integrate the true business value and inherent risk of our applications and services into our Configuration Management Database (CMDB). This comprehensive approach is foundational for informed decision-making, enabling us to effectively prioritize technical debt remediation and establish necessary oversight and guardrails. By factoring in all facets of business and service continuity—including regional, reputational, environmental, operational, and financial risks—we can distill the actual priority of our technology portfolio and use 'quantitative' data to drive strategic action.

CMDB to VMDB: Managing Value as a Core Digital Asset For years, organizations have relied on two pillars of IT management: 🧩 CMDB — the Configuration Management Database that shows how things work and connect. 💰 AMDB — the Asset Management Database that tells what things cost and who owns them. Together, they’ve provided visibility and control. But something’s still missing. 👉 Where is the data about value? Where do we track the real impact of our digital products and services? It’s time for a new kind of database — the VMDB: Value Management Database. 🚀 Why VMDB? Digital services are not just assets or configurations. They’re value enablers — designed to improve productivity, experience, and business outcomes. Yet most organizations still lack a structured way to capture, measure, and sustain that value. The VMDB fills this gap. It becomes the central system of record for value — connecting operational, financial, and business outcome data. If the CMDB answers how things work and the AMDB answers what they cost, then the VMDB answers what value they deliver — and how it evolves over time. 📊 What the VMDB Contains The VMDB records all value-related information: 🎯 Value Drivers and Expected Benefits from business cases 📈 Key Value Indicators (KVIs) — tracking proposed vs. realized value 🤝 Value Level Agreements (VLAs) — aligning expectations between stakeholders 🔁 Value Continuity Metrics — ensuring value is sustained over time 📚 A Value Register — the complete inventory of recognized value from all digital products and services Together, these form a living ecosystem of value data — measurable, transparent, and actionable. 🧭 Who Owns the VMDB? IT ensures data integrity and integration across systems. The business ensures relevance and meaning — defining what constitutes value. Together, they co-own Value Governance, ensuring the data is not just accurate but purposeful. 🔗 CMDB, AMDB, and VMDB Together These three databases form a new digital management triad: CMDB → How technology works. AMDB → What it costs. VMDB → What value it delivers. This triad finally connects service performance, financial accountability, and business outcomes — turning visibility into value. 💬 Why This Matters The VMDB brings structure to what was once intangible. It transforms “value” from a buzzword into a managed enterprise asset. By integrating the VMDB with your existing CMDB and AMDB, and linking it to your Value Register, you move from tracking costs and configurations to managing outcomes. It’s the next evolution in Enterprise Service Management — one that aligns IT and business around a single question: 👉 How much value are we really creating?

ITAM versus CMDB. Ever wondered what sets IT Asset Management (ITAM) apart from a Configuration Management Database (CMDB)? It’s a question that comes up often in IT operations, and understanding the difference can help drive better results for your business and your team. ITAM focuses on the business side — keeping track of what assets your organization owns, their lifecycle, their costs, and compliance. Think of ITAM as your guide for managing investments, contracts, and asset utilization with accuracy and accountability. CMDB, however, is all about the technical relationship between components. It records how servers, applications, and networks are connected and configured, helping IT teams ensure service reliability and support efficient change management. So, while ITAM tells you what you have and what it's worth, CMDB shows how it's all connected and running behind the scenes.The magic happens when ITAM and CMDB work together. Integrated, they give you a full picture—from the cost of an asset to its impact on your operations when things change. Curious how your organization bridges the gap between business and technical oversight? Share your thoughts below! #ITAM #CMDB #ITAssetManagement #ConfigurationManagement #ITSM