Exploration of Software License Management Methods in Government Enterprises

Abstract

As organizations expand their information technology (IT) infrastructure, the task of properly managing third-party software licenses becomes increasingly challenging. To better manage this problem, it is critical to understand the underlying need for licenses, identify effective IT governance policies, and determine capable software discovery tools. Through a series of interviews with experts working in the fields of IT and asset management, the best practices and policies currently in effect were explored to determine how a large enterprise should approach software license management (SLM). Findings indicated that while technological solutions can assist with providing awareness of what exists on an organization’s network architecture, they are overall insufficient in improving SLM across multiple networks. Enterprises must consider those factors that increase the risk for individuals to use unauthorized software or circumvent license agreements. Through managing these risk factors and applying more radical methods such as introducing software auditing teams or delegating SLM responsibility altogether, enterprises may find themselves more readily capable of avoiding the legal and financial costs of breaching software license agreements.