5 simple steps to get started with SAM

[Bryan Blackburn]

 In 2019, it is important for professionals to revisit their SAM strategies (and their SAM solutions) and set achievable goals for the year. But where should they start? In this post, we’ll walk through the five steps of getting started in SAM to identify meaningful ways SAM professionals can take back control over company-wide software assets:

• Step 1: Identify business needs
• Step 2: Consider upcoming events
• Step 3: Create your SAM goals
• Step 4: Establish SAM outcomes
• Step 5: Regularly revisit and readjust your SAM goals

Step 1: Identify business needs

The first step in SAM goal-setting in 2019 is to identify business needs associated with tracking, managing, and optimizing software across the business. As you start to think about how SAM can help you meet business objectives, here are a few thoughts to consider:

Tracking

• “I want to be able to track software effectively throughout the business and not be surprised by shadow IT expenses or applications that are flying under the radar.”

Managing

• “I want increased visibility into our software stack, software spend, and entitlements so that I can identify ways to save money and pinpoint applications that are either redundant or are no longer critical to meet our business objectives.”

• “I want to be able to see where software is going to be deployed and approve the costs before it happens.”

Optimizing

• “I want to use data analytics and usage information to optimize our software spend and invest appropriately in the applications we really use and need.”

Operationalizing

• “I want to be able to share data across IT and operationalize software data for consumption by our peers in APM, ITSM, Procurement, SecOps, and HR.”

Once you’ve considered your business needs, you can then take into account upcoming events that may trigger the need for an updated SAM strategy or SAM solution.

Step 2: Consider upcoming events

As we continue to help our customers implement SAM into their day-to-day operations, we’ve noticed that upcoming business events add pressure to SAM professionals who are asked to rationalize the software companies use and justify their software spend. Here are some of the common events SAM professionals face and some of the questions business executives want to be answered:

Event	Executive-level questions
Company-wide software inventory	• What applications are we using and how much are they costing us? • Are there areas where we can downsize our software stack or reduce redundant applications?
Software publisher audit	• Are we prepared for our upcoming audit? • What are our largest exposures? • Do we have all of the information needed to reduce the time and resources that accompany a software audit?
Moving to the cloud	• Can we safely transition from on-premise to the cloud? • How will our move to the cloud impact our daily operations? • Will we be able to manage our multi-cloud strategy from the same place?
Budget planning meeting	• How much are we currently spending and where can we save money? • Can we justify our past spend as we budget for future software expenses? • What IT changes have the largest cost impacts?
Merger or acquisition	• Can we successfully combine companies to ensure that every employee has the software they need to perform their jobs? • Can we successfully consolidate our business-critical applications to meet the needs of old and new employees?
Changes in personnel (growth or downsizing)	• Are we able to quickly and seamlessly provide new employees with software in the on-boarding process? • Can we effectively take back and reassign licenses when employees leave the company?

In addition to the events listed here, there are other events—like company-wide efforts toward digital transformation—that SAM professionals need to consider as they revisit their SAM strategies. If you are unable to answer any of the questions listed above, it may be time to create goals that will empower you with the data and information you need to impress your executives and showcase control over your software assets.

Step 3: Create your SAM goals

After you’ve considered your business needs and have taken a look at any upcoming events, you can get started in SAM. Here are some potential goals to help you get started:

Goal 1:	Gain a full picture of company-wide software, maintain license compliance, and track software usage
Goal 2:	Stay audit ready to make the auditing process smooth and less time consuming
Goal 3:	Make a seamless transition into the cloud as we move away from or reduce our on-premise software
Goal 4:	Use license intelligence to better plan for future budgets and optimize our software spend
Goal 5:	Manage software assets effectively during a merger or an acquisition
Goal 6:	Be able to onboard and offboard employees quickly and efficiently
Goal 7:	Leverage software data to support other IT and business-related initiatives and goals

These are only a few of the SAM goals you may have in 2019, but no goal would be complete without understanding the outcomes of these goals. In a previous post, we provide potential goals your business should consider in the new year.

Step 4: Establish SAM outcomes

As you build out your SAM goals, it’s important to outline the tangible outcomes. Remember that the outcomes must support your business needs and have a reasonable timeline. Let’s revisit the tracking, optimizing, and operationalizing software data we discussed earlier and how to determine if they are working.

Business Need		Tangible outcome
“I want to be able to track software effectively throughout the business and not be surprised by shadow IT expenses or applications that are flying under the radar.”		Our goal is to accurately track 90% of the software across our business by implementing a new SAM strategy within the next 6 months.
“I want increased visibility into our software stack, software spend, and entitlements so that I can identify ways to save money and pinpoint applications that are either redundant or are no longer critical to meet our business objectives.”		Our goal is to reduce software spend by 30% within the next year by limiting redundant applications and maintaining license compliance with each of our contracted publishers.
“I want to be able to see where software is going to be deployed and approve the costs before it happens.”		Our goal is to ensure every department gets the software they need quickly while reducing the number of unknown applications by 90% and have the ability to approve all software costs before they are deployed.
“I want to use data analytics and usage information to optimize our software spend and invest appropriately in the applications we really use and need.”		Our goal is to be able to justify 90% of our software spend at our next budgeting meeting by showcasing usage and license compliance for the software we use
“I want to be able to share data across IT and operationalize software data for consumption by our peers in APM, ITSM, Procurement, SecOps, and HR.”		Our goal is to consolidate to 4-6 strategic platforms across all IT  by utilizing a universal CMDB to increase communication and collaboration between departments with trustworthy data.

Again, the outcomes you define will vary depending on the goals you set for your SAM strategy. You may also consider adding the following outcomes for SAM in 2019:

• Build and maintain an accurate software inventory of used and discovered applications
• Reduced/eliminated true-up costs
• Consolidation of redundant software/overlapping services
• Automated processes and workflows

Step 5: Regularly revisit and adjust your SAM goals

The final step is one that takes place at every level of the business, in every department, and that is to revisit goals. Revisit your SAM goals on a regular basis and readjust your SAM goals as needed as your business needs change. Regularly revisiting your goals helps maintain visibility into your overall SAM strategy and will keep you accountable for the goals you’ve set for yourself.

For more information about ServiceNow SAM, please visit our product page.