Software audits are essential to most businesses, and they provide two main benefits. First, they enable a business or organization to know if they are compliant (or not) with software licenses. And second, they let businesses understand how often software is being used.
Discover:
What a software audit is and why it is performed
Different types of software audits
How to perform a software audit
What can be done after a software audit
What Is a Software Audit and Why Is it Performed?
A software audit tracks and reports software use within an organization. It can report how frequently software is used, who is using it, and whether it has an up-to-date license. An added importance of a software audit is to help prevent and mitigate external audits.
External audits can be requested from a software publisher to ensure licenses are up to date. They can also be initiated internally to optimize licenses and to protect against external audit requests.
The results of internal software audits allow organizations to manage their software licenses better. It helps your organization to avoid using illegally installed software with outdated licenses. It also identifies which unused licensed software could be uninstalled.
If your company pays for software, you need to know if you are overpaying for unused licenses or setting yourself up for a potential financial and legal risk by using unlicensed software. In general, all types of businesses should perform software audits, but this preventative measure is vital for larger entities like hospitals, educational bodies, and government agencies.
What Are the Different Types of Software Audits?
Here are five of the most common types of software audits:
Copyright/License Audit: The audit checks to make sure an organization is following copyright laws and observing software license agreements.
Usage Audit: The audit checks for how often software is used and which users are using it.
Version Audit: The audit checks for which version or patch is used.
Internal Audit: The audit is initiated and conducted within the company.
External Audit: The audit is initiated by a software provider. These are typically copyright/license audits to make sure their product has been purchased and is being used in support of their license agreement.
How to Perform a Software Audit
There are five steps to the software audit process.
1. Determine the Purpose and Scope
Trying to do everything at once will lead to confusion and a mass of information that will be difficult to search through or understand. When you start a software audit, you need to know what you are checking for and why.
The scope of the audit should only search, identify, and report on pertinent information. While you can broaden the audit to include additional programs or functions, it is better to get one set of information at a time rather than be overwhelmed with information that you have to sift through and organize.
As part of your software audit checklist, set clear guidelines for when and how fast the audit will take place. While some auditors like to push for a fast resolution of the audit, it is not always the best choice. A fast audit can provide a snapshot of the organization, but it is often very difficult or impossible to have complete participation and coverage.
2. Choose a Tool or Process
The next step in your software audit process is to establish which software tool you will use to fit your purpose and scope. This might take additional research into the different data collection tools you can potentially use.
While it can be tempting to use a tool that tracks and provides broad ranges of information, it is always better to limit your results than to sift through a pile of data for the pieces you need.
3. Choose Key Data Points
Within the program or tools used for your software audit, which data points are you going to assess? Identify the data points that are most relevant to the scope and purpose of the audit.
4. Conduct the Audit
If you are using internal software to perform your audit, you can let the program run, but if you require a manual audit, it’s time to get to work auditing each device you established in the first step.
Stick to your established boundaries. There is a chance while gathering information that you could uncover other software needs. If you run into this situation, make a note of it so it can be addressed and researched in a later software audit.
5. Compile and Analyze Findings
If you don’t compile and analyze your findings, the data you gain in an audit is just a set of numbers. The main goal of your analysis should be to connect the data to the initial purpose you established in step 1.
What Can Be Done After a Software Audit?
Once you’re finished with a software audit, act on your findings. Here are six things you can do.
Remove under - or unused software: Uninstall underutilized software on specific devices. This allows you to use the license on a different device where it will be used and still be license compliant.
Update outdated software: Software audits can identify if any devices are using outdated unpatched software. You can resolve this by updating the software.
Obtain new software and/or licenses based on identified needs: Purchase any additional licenses if there is a discrepancy between licenses and installations. If the audit’s purpose and scope were to identify the demand for new software, you could also purchase new software to meet those needs.
Document steps taken after the audit: Track and record all steps you take after an audit.
(Re)Emphasize software rules to individual employees as necessary: Employees might not be aware of standards and expectations when it comes to software. It is important to train and retrain employees to ensure they are compliant with the organization’s standards. Conduct training as often as needed. This is a simple annual training in some companies, but depending on your organization’s software and needs, training may need to be held more frequently.
Make a plan for the next audit: Software audits should be continual, especially for larger organizations. Once you finish one audit, you should start planning how you will make the next one better.
How Frequently Should You Conduct a Software Audit?
In-house software audits should be done at least twice a year. If you are part of a larger organization or have a complex software system, you can increase your audits’ frequency.
Get Help With Your Next Software Audit
Ivanti’s License Optimizer is built to help you reclaim unused licenses, stay compliant, and prepare for external audits. It even helps identify areas where your assets can work harder for you so you can reallocate software to maximize its performance and value.
As an Ivanti partner, Latest Solutions provides not only software support but also the assurance that you are getting the most from your Ivanti product. Our Hi-Tech Concierge can help you customize Ivanti to your organization’s needs and give you the best practices and training to achieve your goals.