What is it?
Managing your IT assets, and your software assets in particular, has never been more critical. It is estimated that 20% of IT budgets is now spent on software and staying on top of the ever-increasing software licensing schemes and methods is a major challenge for all organisations. Our BCS Foundation Certificate in Software and Hardware Asset Management (SAHAM) training course is aimed at building your knowledge and competency in this rapidly growing professional sector.
This unique accredited BCS course provides you with the ideal opportunity to acquire the necessary knowledge and competence in the rapidly growing and increasingly important area of IT asset management. Whilst covering elements of hardware asset management (HAM), the main focus of the course is software asset management (SAM). You will gain a comprehensive overview of the latest SAM developments, techniques, processes, challenges and regulatory requirements as well as licensing.
By attending this 3 day course, you will acquire knowledge in the following areas:
- The objectives and activities required to implement software and hardware asset management within an organisation
- An understanding of current licensing methodologies including volume agreements, Cloud, hybrid, software as a service (SaaS) and bring your own device (BYOD)
- Software and hardware asset management techniques and processes
- Measuring current maturity of software and hardware asset management and identifying areas of improvement
- Managing IT assets through the stages of their lifecycle
- Preparing and distributing asset reports throughout the organisation
- Making more efficient use of IT assets
- Legal and regulatory compliance requirements
- Developing effective SAM and hardware asset management (HAM) policies and processes.
The course fully prepares you to pass the 60 minute BCS invigilated examination, which takes place on the final afternoon.
Who should attend? The training course will benefit anyone who is looking to gain a comprehensive understanding of all key aspects of software asset management as well as those with legal or management responsibility for the management and control of IT assets, including software licensing and compliance. If you work or are looking to work in a regulated industry such as financial services, telecoms, energy and utilities, you will find this course of particular relevance and value
Why should you attend?
Software asset management is critical to the success of any organisation. If your organisation has a comprehensive and efficient licence management programme in place, it will reduce your costs and ensure that you remain compliant. Attending this course will help ensure that your organisation is in full compliance with the legal agreements associated with the software you are using. You will also be able to ensure that your organisation has the right processes and tools in place to monitor software usage, reallocate licenses as they become available and have the appropriate level of vendor support.
What is the format of our SAHAM Course?
Our SAHAM course leans heavily on discussions, exercises and real life scenarios which are designed to help interpret some of the more challenging concepts and help you apply them back in your work environment. The course is also designed to encourage debate, and the sharing of knowledge and experience. Exercises take place during the 3 days, as well as mock exams each day to ensure you are well prepared to take and pass the BCS administered 1 hour exam on the final afternoon.
The training typically runs from 9 am to 5pm on days 1 and 2, although you will have numerous opportunities to raise queries with our trainer outside of these hours. You may wish to use the evenings to review some of the comprehensive courseware notes and practice answering mock exam papers.
Why train with us?
We believe that the key differentiator between us and other providers’ courses is the calibre and background of our trainers. You will benefit from the fact that all our trainers are practising SAM consultants, who are highly experienced and proficient in SAM / IT asset management and compliance auditing. As such, they are able to translate best practice theory into ‘real world’ practical applications. Our trainers all adopt a facilitative approach, where the goal is to maximise knowledge and skills sharing across the whole group. Should you require clarification on any aspect of the course and the end of the course examination, our trainer will be available at breaks and at the end of the training day to assist you (our trainers stay on site during the course).
The trainer will provide tips throughout the week on taking and passing the multi-choice examination.
Select specific date to see price, venue and full details.
Learning Objectives
By enrolling on the SAHAM course, you will gain a practical understanding of and receive best practice advice on:
- Software licensing, including volume licensing schemes and Cloud-based licensing
- Effective SAM, including valuable tips and techniques to reduce software expenditure and manage compliance risk
- Managing hardware and software assets from acquisition through to retirement
- The key processes for effectively managing hardware and software
- Implementing change to improve hardware and software asset use
By attending this course, you will also be fully prepared to take and pass the BCS multi-choice examination and gain a recognised qualification in SAM and HAM, which can be used internally and externally as a validation of your expertise and competence. We have a 13 year track record delivering SAM training and all courses are led by some of the UK’s most experienced and respected practitioners.
Pre-Requisites
There are no entry requirements for attending this training course.
Course Content
Our 3 day SAHAM Course is aligned to the learning objectives of BCS Foundation Certificate in Software and Hardware Asset Management (SAHAM) syllabus. Course topics include:
Introduction to software and hardware asset management
• The need for SAM and HAM
• Key principles of SAM and HAM
• Primary SAM and HAM terminology and acronyms
Introduction to software licensing
• Major license definitions by type and by vendor
• Legal grounding of software license agreements
• License programs and key differences
• Different licensing agreements and contracts
• Agreements, contracts and end user license agreements
Importance of managing IT assets
• Risks to the organisation of not managing IT assets
• Quantifying the financial and productivity benefits
• Creating a risk register and developing risk assessments
Managing asset inventory
• The need for an accurate inventory
• Managing inventory exceptions
• Identifying unknown assets
• Developing a strategy for other inventory considerations
Asset usage
• Identifying where and how assets are used
Understanding entitlement
• Identifying all sources of entitlement
• Process of creating an entitlement baseline
• Accurately interpreting current entitlement levels
Challenges of implementing SAM and HAM
• Key issues faced when implementing SAM and HAM
• Strategies to address and overcome challenges
Asset Reconciliation
• Linking assets back to source of entitlement
• Key dates in asset lifecycle
• Developing initial compliance baselines
• Maintaining compliance reporting over time
