Microsoft has launched a software asset management framework,
which it says can help users discover what software is running
throughout their companies.
Michael Beare, Director of License Compliance, Microsoft, said
the
SAM framework allows IT departments to manage their software
actively and assess which parts of the business need specific
applications. "[The framework] brings SAM down to a very practical
and very IT-oriented language that we feel is going to serve as a
bridge between the IT decision-maker and the CFO, because they will
be able to have discussions about asset management through a model
that the IT decision-maker is familiar with.
SAM
is an International Organization for Standardization standard
to help users obtain better value from a company's IT assets and
gain better control over software management.
Microsoft said its SAM framework can be used by IT departments
to measure its level of compliance with the ISO standard.