The UK’s first Software Management and Licensing Conference targets the commercial and technical challenges of effectively managing software

- Inaugural event to address managing software costs and risks in uncertain times to drive financial and good governance rewards -

The UK’s first national software licensing and management conference will take place on Tuesday 12th May 2009, bringing together software asset management practitioners, leading software vendors and software end user organisations.

This unique one-day event has been set up by the Software Industry Research Board (SIRB), in conjunction with FAST IiS and research firm IDC to help CIOs, CFOs, Finance Directors, IT Directors and all those who have responsibility for the commercial and operational management of software licenses to understand how they can generate significant benefits by having practical and effective software management processes in place. This groundbreaking event will highlight the critical steps to take to create a successful software asset management (SAM) strategy, and point out how to identify and overcome the barriers to effectively managing software.

The conference has two principal streams aimed at providing guidance to both the technical and commercial teams within any organisation. Guest speakers from four end user organisations will share their insights and offer advice from their first hand experience, giving perspective to the drivers, practices and benefits achieved. In addition, SIRB members including Microsoft, Oracle, FrontRange and Computacenter as well as leading experts from the legal, accounting and media professions will shed light on best practice, regulation, and commercial licensing models.

The SIRB’s mandate is to provide education and guidance to UK organisations on software licensing and management and as such it champions best practice and is committed to improving the understanding of licensing practices and attitudes towards commercial software management. In parallel it helps both the private and public sector recognise how they can make simple changes that enable them to keep on top of this important discipline.

Andy Burton, Chairman of the SIRB (and Vice President at FrontRange Solutions), commented: “Business leaders can no longer afford to be unaware of the cost and risk to their businesses resulting from ineffective software asset management. Software represents a significant overhead both in terms of procurement and ongoing management, but our recent IDC survey has proven that the majority of UK businesses are missing a significant opportunity to improve control and reduce cost. With the rate of vendor reviews increasing there is no better time to realise these fiscal benefits and prosper from demonstrating good governance and transparency. This event will provide clear insight into the challenges organisations face, and pragmatic advice on how to go about improving the situation.”

Julia Uttley, Director for Software Lifecycle Services, Computacenter, said “We’ve been working with customers for many years now to help them take control of their software assets, and can confidently say that organisations overlooking software asset management are missing a big opportunity to take cost and risk out of their business.”

Petra Van Beneden, Senior Director, EMEA Licence Management Services, Oracle, explained: “End user organisations are often faced with confusion, jargon and complexity and so do not actively manage their software as rigorously as they should. This conference is a good starting point for all company levels responsible for – and involved – in licence management and SAM projects to get practical guidance on how to kick start a successful practice.”

Sam Bramwell, Licensing and Anti-Piracy Manager, Microsoft Corporation explains that Microsoft is both a member and advocate of the work of the SIRB, adding: “Given the recession and resulting financial uncertainty that is now the everyday reality of most organisations in the UK, it is important that the software industry helps end users to navigate the financial and operational risks surrounding poorly managed software. With 38 per cent of companies admitting they have only a basic understanding of their software estate, this lack of transparency can leave businesses open to the threat of both the legal and financial consequences of under and over licensing.”

John Lovelock, Chief Executive of the Federation Against Software Theft and Investors in Software (FAST IiS) concluded: “With the daily issues of budget constraints and the pressure from the board to manage company software assets more effectively, this event will help delegates identify effective software asset management tools and learn from organisations who have themselves overcome the challenges.”

Register online by the 9th April to receive the early bird discount.

For more information and to download the conference agenda and register, visit the event site at http://www.sirb.co.uk/event.

- Ends –

Notes to the Editor:
Early bird discounts are available online until 9th April 2009. Priced at £295 for the first delegate and £225 for each additional delegate (full price: £350 for the first delegate and £300 for each additional delegate) all prices are exclusive of VAT.

About the SIRB
The Software Industry Research Board was established in 2008 and its members include organisations that are amongst the most influential in the IT industry today. They have come together to research common issues around Software Asset Management (SAM), Software Licence Management (SLM), compliance and emerging technologies.

The SIRB conducts an annual survey in conjunction with international analyst house IDC, targeted at both private and public sector organisations to assess their current understanding of licensing practices, their attitudes towards buying software, their perception of new technologies and to understand where they will make changes to benefit from a more cost-effective and risk-free environment in the future.

About FAST IiS
In September 2008 the Federation Against Software Theft and Investors in Software joined forces to advocate distilled, simplified and unified messaging on software asset management (SAM) and software licence management (SLM) best practice to the end user community. The strength of the two reputable brands encapsulates a holistic approach to driving the professional use of software across the industry and the globe.
The Federation Against Software Theft was formed in 1984; it was the first organisation globally to champion the professional management of legitimate software and protect publisher’s rights. It aims to reduce, restrict and or lessen the incidence of unauthorised dealings in computer software.

The Federation by way of the FAST IiS brand is a not-for-profit organisation that is limited by guarantee and wholly owned by its members. It works on many fronts to promote the legitimate use of software and protect its members’ rights through education, enforcement, lobbying and promoting standards and best practice in business. www.fastiis.org

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