New Market Guide for SAM-Tools published by Gartner

Integration of GenAI

The article looks into the future and the role of Gerative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in SAM tools. In  the future, SAM tools could automatically process scanned license agreements, analyze product usage rights and have AI chatbots answer licensing questions. Gartner sees this field as an opportunity for tool manufacturers to differentiate themselves from one another.

Tools must support governance and cost optimization

The cost of software and SaaS is increasing year on year. Tools must help to enforce governance for software in the company, control costs better and recognize unnecessary software costs.

Strengthening sustainability and reducing environmental pollution

It is not only hardware that is responsible for the high environmental impact of IT. Gartner also sees this as a future topic for SAM tools. Software that uses hardware resources inefficiently or runs unnecessarily in continuous operation contributes to increasing the company’s CO2 footprint. SAM tools could help to recognize this. Compliance with ESG standards is becoming increasingly important, especially for listed companies.

Choosing the right SAM tools can be a challenge. Here are some valuable recommendations from the report:

-Identify the key software vendors that your SAM tool will manage. Pay attention to strategic importance, spend level and risk.

-Integrate your SAM program into central governance to target software costs.

-Make it clear which data should be stored in the SAM tool, which you already have and which you still need. Determine who is responsible and define the process for data collection and processing.

-Create a convincing business case for investigating in SAM tools, including the resources and skills you will need to operate with them.

-Explore the use of SAM managed services to close internal knowledge gaps and improve the results of your tools.

-Look for best-in-class tools that fit your use cases, resources, and infrastructure.

-Ask vendors to back up their marketing claims with demonstrable examples.

-Ensure your SAM team plays an active role in the selection of tool vendors.

-Encourage vendors to use customer feedback to improve their tools.

The Market Guide contains a detailed overview of the most prominent SAM tool vendors on the market with a brief description of the solutions they offer.

If you are interested in these important topics and want to learn more about them, we strongly recommend that you read the full article.

Take advantage of SAMtoa’s experience and expertise in the selection and operation of your SAM tool. We look forward to hearing from you!