The International Standards Organization (ISO) has
published a standard for software asset management to help
companies avoid legal action from using improperly licensed
software.
The new standard, called ISO/IEC 17990-1, has been jointly
published by the ISO and the International Electrotechnical
Commission.
IT supplier group Business Software Alliance (BSA), which
campaigns against illegal software, has welcomed the new standard.
The UK’s Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) is also expected
to support it.
Investors in Software, one of the organisations involved in the
development of the standard, said, “The underlying justification
for software asset management is the need to apply good governance
to software assets. Without it, organisations could be subjected to
significant risks, including legal and financial exposure.”
So far, ISO has published part 1 of the standard, which covers
processes and areas such as risk management and cost control.
The second part of the standard, covering tools, is expected
later this year.