Network compliance is a major issue facing companies, and Information Technology (IT) managers are increasingly concerned about software management and the risks of software piracy. While a company may want to demonstrate its commitment to maintaining software compliance, many are misguided into thinking that maintaining network compliance is too daunting a task and therefore delay the process. They could not be doing a bigger disservice to themselves.
Apart from cost-effectively deploying software within an organization, network compliance helps companies determine what software is installed throughout their organization and save money on software purchases. Additionally, by maintaining network compliance, a company limits its potential liability for copyright violations resulting from installation of unlicensed software.
Regardless of the size of an organization, there are some easy-to-follow steps that will help a company maintain a healthy software environment. Implementation and maintenance is easy as long as you get your fundamentals right. Understanding what you have will help you identify unwanted elements lurking in the background.
Step 1: Conduct Hardware Inventory
An understanding of personal computers and servers is the starting point that can help IT managers better understand the extent of the problem. Managers should aim to find out specific information on the hardware their company possesses including location, owner, model and hardware specifications such as Central Processing Unit (CPU), Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or Random Access Memory (RAM).
Step 2: Conduct Installed Software Inventory
This step can be done as part of the hardware inventory. Organize information on the software installed in your hardware by listing and summarizing details including your software vendor, product type, version and release date.
Step 3: Conduct Software License Inventory
Collect all software license proofs of purchase and summarize the information for your records. Include information regarding the software vendor, product name, type, version, release, language, quantity and serial number in your records.
Step 4: Identify relevant license agreements
In addition to basic information on the software license your company possess, include in your records detailed information on all product terms and conditions and licensing models. Different software licenses carry different terms and conditions so while your operating procedures may be adhering to the conditions of one of your software licenses, it may not be doing so for a number of other software licenses.
Step 5: Identify and chart network topology
Apart from knowing what you have, you should also know where it’s being used. By preparing a network topology chart, you will be better able to understand the inter-relationships between the different servers and services provided. You will also find out accessibility avenues such as where end user personal computers can access the server resources and where client access licenses are usually required.
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