If you are a successful entrepreneur who has made it big, then the chances are you will be running you own SMB (small or medium sized business) and the amount of software you have will be gradually growing in number. Software Asset management (SAM) Software is normally perceived as software for large companies but when used properly, Software Asset Management software can help to make SMBs work smarter and more efficiently by freeing up resources. Here are some benefits of using Software Asset management software for SMBs.

Track software licenses

SMBs often do not have sufficient knowledge about the various types of licenses that are available today which can often land them into trouble when it comes to software licenses.  Software Asset management software helps to eliminate this problem as it will outline all the various types of licenses that the company has and will notify the company when they have insufficient licenses.

Protection from a software audit

The Business Software Alliance encourages staff to anonymously report their employer if they suspect them of using illegal software and this will no doubt result in a surprise software audit which could end with a heavy fine due to insufficient licenses. The problem is that many SMBs know that they have a particular piece of software but they are unaware of what the license that they own allows them to do with that piece of software. For example many programs will have a basic and premium version of their own software and when you purchase the basic version, the features for the premium version will come bundled in with the software as trial versions. Once the trial has expired, it is up to the SMB to remove it if they do not want it and this is where many SMBs get caught out. A software Asset management system will keep tabs on all software and will notify you when you have insufficient rights to a particular piece of software which will protect you from a fine when you are hit with a surprise audit.

Up time

All good Software Asset Management systems will notify the user when a new software update or patch is available for the software that they are using. This means that the company can be up and running faster which gives it more time to perform its daily duties.

No doubt all SMBs will be looking to eventually expand their business in an attempt to maximise profits but as a business grows, it becomes harder to track the changes that are occurring within the business. This inevitably results in businesses failing to keep track of any software changes that have occurred but a Software Asset management system can provide a solution as it can track all the changes that have been made to the company’s software in terms of the quantity and version of software that the business has at its disposal.