The new standard promises to save firms’ money and help them comply with the law

A new international standard was published last week detailing best practices for software asset management. Experts said the new standard would help firms comply with regulations and avoid spending on unnecessary software licences.

The new standard, ISO/IEC 19770-1:2006, Information technology – software asset management – Part 1, is published by the International Organisation for Standards (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). It details processes and resources to help firms oversee and control their various software assets, and includes guidance on how to develop a software inventory, assess suppliers' service-level agreements (SLAs) and manage assets throughout their lifecycle.

Part 2 of the standard, which is not available yet, is expected to offer guidelines on how to identify software during the inventory process.

The ISO said the new guidelines were designed to “enable an organisation to prove that it is performing software asset management to a standard sufficient to satisfy corporate governance requirements and ensure effective support for IT service management overall".

The new standard was welcomed by Brett Wing of IT asset management software specialist Numara, who claimed it would make it easier for firms to develop an IT asset management strategy. "IT directors are always under a lot of pressure so a standard that allows you to tap into knowledge that is already there is definitely beneficial," he added.