The success of any entitlement-centric software license management project rests on the quality of your license and software inventories. If they are well maintained, then your organization will profit from a multitude of financial, legal, technological, and administrative efficiencies.

The problem is, once the tool provider completes implementation the customer is left to fend for himself. In the end, the solution only comes through on half of its promises and you’re not even sure if the data it presents you is accurate.

The key to getting on SAM cloud 9 is to invest in software license management knowledge (as opposed to just a tool). Find a solution provider that puts your license management project needs first and the tool second. What does this mean, exactly? It means the provider should focus on setting up the required processes with you and help you build the foundation that buttresses and makes cost-effective software license management possible: the inventory data.

It’s absolutely essential that the solution provider show you how to set up a global license inventory and how to maintain it. The supplier needs to offer more than initial technical training and implementation; he must also provide roll specific instruction such as License Manager and Administrator training and help you to ensure that your organization has working interfaces to all data sources.

The solution provider should be your consulting guru and show you how to map out product use rights in the tool. Most importantly, find a solution provider that has proven experience working with companies like yours: large, decentralized organizations. Customer references are key to figuring this out, but a more tell tale sign is in the provider’s product. How is user access managed in the system? The more sophisticated the role model, the more experience the provider has with complex, decentralized and multinational environments, where true multi-client capability is a must.

One of the ways (and by no means the only) to look for whether or not the company has proven experience with enterprise customers is to look into how their tool manages users and roles:

What permissions are required for an end-user to be able to add/edit/retire a record in the database?

Does the product provide for configuring role-based security for roles such as administrator, end-user, and manager?

Can users be members of multiple roles?

Can users selectively manage software by vendor and vendor products?

Does the system allow for single sign-on integration?

You want to choose a tool provider that will sustain a long-term relationship with you. As the customer, you should be their muse for product enhancements. But, more importantly, the tool provider needs to prove they're are knowledgeable about SAM beyond the tool.