The Partner Program enables value-added resellers (VARs), solution providers, and system integrators to help customers manage their IT Assets more effectively and optimize software licensing costs by using the SAManage SaaS service.

SAManage IT Asset Management on-demand service helps companies manage their computer and software inventory, audit changes to their inventory, organize software licenses and IT contracts, and detect risks and license compliance gaps. The SAManage service requires no hardware or software and provides a short route to value.

With the growing demand for Software-as-a-Service, the new SAManage Partner Program empowers resellers to meet their clients’ immediate IT Asset Management needs.  Partners are able to add an innovative SaaS solution to their portfolio and build an annuity revenue stream with no upfront investment and no inventory to carry.

Partners can use SAManage to provide managed (outsourced) IT Asset Management services, allowing their clients to automate IT Audits and validate software license compliance without placing additional burden on already stretched internal resources. The SAManage program provides a range of technical and marketing tools to ensure that partners are well-equipped to support their customers.

IT Governance Services, specializing in software license audit and governance services, has been a SAManage Partner since 2008.  “We strive to help customers align IT Assets with their business goals,” said Larry Foster, CEO of IT Governance Services. “Partnering with SAManage helps us offer a service that integrates the experience gained in hundreds of licensing consultations to help companies reduce their IT costs and ensure compliance with software license agreements.”

“SAManage’s goal is to help customers better control their IT assets and reduce their IT costs,” said Doron Gordon, CEO of SAManage. “By partnering with SAManage, VARs are able to help their clients rapidly deploy IT Management solutions that meet their unique business and compliance requirements.  Partners benefit from our experience in developing, marketing, and supporting SaaS IT Asset Management solutions, while enhancing their bottom line with a new stream of recurring revenue.”

Pricing & Availability

Available now to partners through the SAManage Partner Program, the SAManage suite is priced by the number of managed computers.

To learn more about the SAManage Partner Program, please visit: http://www.SAManage.com/partners.html.

For more information about SAManage, please visit our website at: http://www.SAManage.com or call 1-888-250-8971.

Related posts:

1. SAManage Low Cost SaaS IT Asset Management Solution
2. SAManage Launches IT Asset Management Application for Salesforce
3. SAManage IT Asset Management: Easy to Use, and Free

ECM extends the value of the Microsoft System Center infrastructure in three ways. First, by transforming Configuration Manager asset evidence into a list of proper application titles, customers gain an immediate understanding of what software is installed in their enterprise. Secondly, ECM can import purchase order data, including SKU numbers, to reconcile software purchases versus what has been installed throughout the enterprise. And third, ECM applies product usage rights to generate a license entitlement position that enables license and maintenance optimization resulting in lower IT expense.

ECM aids IT spend management by reducing new software purchases, cutting maintenance renewal fees, and minimizing the cost and risk associated with software publisher license reviews. For example, by taking into account application usage data imported from Configuration Manager, ECM allows reallocation of existing unused licenses to decrease new purchases. Furthermore, it enables organizations to negotiate volume license agreement renewals in line with actual software use.

“The broad offerings from our System Center Alliance partners extend the management capabilities of the System Center solutions and help our mutual customers reduce their overall IT management costs,” said JD Marymee, director of strategic partner alliances, Management and Services Division, Microsoft.

“ManageSoft’s Enterprise Compliance Manager offering, in combination with Microsoft Configuration Manager 2007, enables customers to more fully optimize their software and hardware investments and we’re pleased to see them join the System Center Alliance community.

“Our membership in the Microsoft System Center Alliance is indicative of our commitment to providing integrated solutions that leverage existing IT investments and provide the fastest ROI,” said John Emmitt, director of business development, ManageSoft. “Our customers require asset management infrastructure tools and license compliance solutions that allow them to align IT strategies with business goals.”

About ManageSoft

ManageSoft is the leading supplier of Enterprise Software Management solutions for software asset recognition, license entitlement, and contract management.  ManageSoft’s Enterprise Compliance Manager™ solution enables organizations to reduce software license and maintenance costs while improving IT operational efficiency and maintaining license compliance.
Our products support open industry ISO and ITIL software asset management (SAM) standards and ManageSoft contributes to defining future standards with participation in the ISO 19770 working groups. ManageSoft has developed key business partner relationships with Microsoft (Gold Certified), and Siemens IT Solutions and Services.

The company is headquartered at 100 North Washington Street, Boston, MA. 02114. Telephone: +1.617.532.1600, Fax: +1.617.532.1605, and has offices in United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia. Email: ITcompliance@managesoft.com, Websites: ManageSoft.com.

Related posts:

1. New Microsoft Select Plus Licensing Program
2. Verdiem Announces PC Power Management Pack for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007
3. CA’s Data Center Automation Enhancement

SAManage, a leading provider of on-demand (SaaS) IT Management services, today announced the general availability of SAManage IT Asset Management for Salesforce. Built on the Force.com platform, the application allows organizations to manage their computer and IT inventory within the Salesforce environment and seamlessly integrate IT asset information into the Salesforce Service & Support application.

SAManage IT Asset Management for Salesforce provides organizations with immediate visibility into their PC’s, servers, laptops, printers, and other IT assets. Working in the familiar Salesforce environment, users are able to easily view, update, and analyze their entire company’s IT asset inventory. With asset configuration and repair history accessible directly in Salesforce, IT and support personal can quickly troubleshoot and resolve support cases, minimizing user downtime and disruption to business operations.

SAManage IT Asset Management enables organizations using Salesforce to:

• Manage IT asset inventory: monitor and modify asset configuration, location, and usage data
• Stay Current: keep track of changes to your inventory and new computers on your network
• Reduce support costs: shorten case resolution time with integrated up-to-date asset configuration information
• Track asset history: centralize the management and tracking of asset repair history and configuration changes.

SAManage IT Asset Management for Salesforce is available immediately via the salesforce.com AppExchange at https://www.salesforce.com/appexchange/detail_overview.jsp?id=a0330000005mB3eAAE .

It is the latest addition to a suite of integrated and secured on-demand products provided by SAManage that helps companies better manage their IT assets, lower operational costs, improve user productivity, and ensure compliance and governance. The complete SAManage IT Management suite is available via the SAManage website at www.SAManage.com.

About SAManage

SAManage is a leading provider of secure, Software-as-a-Service IT Management solutions that help companies manage their PC and software assets, organize software licenses and IT contracts, and detect risks and license compliance gaps. Delivered on-demand with no software or servers required, SAManage empowers companies of all sizes with capabilities that were previously available only to large companies. SAManage can be deployed within minutes across multiple locations, providing visibility into complex IT infrastructures, automating daily tasks, and simplifying IT governance, control, and compliance.  For more information or to sign-up for an account, visit www.SAManage.com or call 1-888-250-8971.

Related posts:

1. SAManage IT Asset Management: Easy to Use, and Free
2. SAManage Low Cost SaaS IT Asset Management Solution
3. Innovative SaaS solution helps VARs deliver cloud-based IT Asset Management to Small and Medium Businesses (SMB)

Companies in 56 countries around the world are using the SAManage on-demand service to manage their PC and software assets. Over 50,000 different software titles from over 7,000 manufacturers are tracked and managed using SAManage, which helps companies organize software licenses as well as detect unauthorized and unlicensed software installations. 

“We help companies ensure their IT assets are used for their intended purposes,” explains Doron Gordon, SAManage’s CEO.  “We have already detected over 16,000 IT risks including unprotected computers, games and file sharing programs, and license compliance gaps. By helping companies detect these risks and remediate them, we allow them to protect their IT investments, regain employee productivity, and reduce the risk of a software audit.”

Delivered as an on-demand service with no software or servers to manage, SAManage is easily deployed across multiple locations within minutes, making it easy for companies of all sizes to establish IT governance, control, and compliance.  “With summary reports reflecting areas that actually matter and the benefit of having the audit results stored securely off-site, SAManage delivers real and tangible value,” says Micha Katz, head of technology at 10X Investments.

“We are very proud to have reached the one million asset milestone within the short time period since our launch,” says Gordon. “The adoption we are seeing in the marketplace confirms our belief that companies have long been waiting for an easy to use solution to better manage IT assets.  And the feedback we are getting from our customers validates our vision of providing a Software-as-a-Service solution that greatly reduces or eliminates the burden and cost associated with deploying IT Asset Management.”

An internal SAManage research reveals the following facts:

• The most popular operating system is Windows XP with a 81% share, followed by Windows Server 2003 with 11% and Windows 2000 with 7%. Windows Vista is used in only 1% of the managed computers.
• Games, file sharing tools and illegal software were discovered in over %42 of the customer’s inventory.
• The most popular game installed on corporate PC’s is SecondLife, followed by Bejeweled and Zuma Deluxe.
• The most popular software programs installed on corporate PC’s are Office 2003, Trend Micro OfficeScan, McAfee AntiSpyware Enterprise, and Adobe Reader.

To find out more about the SAManage SaaS service and subscription options please visit www.SAManage.com.

About SAManage

SAManage is a leading provider of secure, on-demand IT Management services that helps companies manage their PC and software assets, organize software licenses and IT contracts, and detect risks and license compliance gaps. Delivered as an on-demand service with no software or servers required, SAManage empowers companies of all sizes with capabilities that were previously available only to large companies.

SAManage is easily deployed across multiple locations within minutes and provides visibility into complex IT infrastructures, making it easy to automate and simplify the daily tasks associated with establishing IT governance, control, and compliance.  For more information or to sign-up for an account, visit www.SAManage.com or call 1-888-250-8971.

Related posts:

1. Innovative SaaS solution helps VARs deliver cloud-based IT Asset Management to Small and Medium Businesses (SMB)
2. SAManage Launches IT Asset Management Application for Salesforce
3. SAManage IT Asset Management: Easy to Use, and Free

Using the free of charge SAManage IT Asset Management solution, IT departments are empowered with complete visibility into the entire IT environment, so they can more effectively manage their assets and ensure that assets are fully utilized. Delivered on-demand over the Internet, the SAManage solution provides a real-time view of PCs, laptops, servers, and other IT assets throughout the organization, including assets that are not connected to the company network. With the instant access to asset configuration data enabled by SAManage, IT departments are able to improve service levels, reduce problem resolution time, and easily audit changes to their assets.

The SAManage Software-as-a-Service application removes the costs and efforts associated with the deployment of traditional IT Asset Management solutions: it requires no hardware or software infrastructure, no implementation effort, and no ongoing maintenance. Now, with the launch of the free SAManage service, organizations and their IT departments can enjoy the benefits of SAManage at no cost whatsoever.

“With SAManage, there is no concern over all the usual IT issues such as hardware, software, capacity, performance… and no need to worry about service, implementation, and maintenance. This is a zero impact service that is practically seamless,” explains Micha Katz, head of technology at financial services company 10X Investments.

“The announcement of the SAManage free service comes at a time when organizations worldwide will be looking to reduce IT budgets and tighten controls to ensure that IT assets are utilized appropriately and effectively,” says Doron Gordon, SAManage founder and CEO. “We are happy to be able to provide organizations worldwide with tools and services that will enable them to face the demands of these challenging times.”

In addition to the free service, SAManage offers a premium plan that adds the ability to proactively detect IT-related risks such as illegal software, security gaps, or missing patches. Also included in the premium plan is an IT contract management module that provides a central repository for tracking and managing software licenses and IT contracts with providers of hardware, software, network, and other IT services. The premium plan is available at the low cost of $20 per computer per year.

“SAManage dynamically updates the information we are tracking and presents it in an actionable format, which means that we can immediately take action when a risk is identified anywhere throughout the organization,” says Miki Shvo, director of IT for Dassault Systèmes Israel. “By providing clear and accurate visibility into our IT inventory information and highlighting the areas that require attention, SAManage has eliminated a labor-intensive process that was a source for risks with the previous system,” adds Shvo.

Additional benefits realized by organizations using the SAManage solution include:

• Complete visibility to inventory and up-to-date configuration of PCs and software installed across the company
• Audit log of any changes to asset configuration and installed software
• A central repository for software licenses and IT contracts
• Immediate detection of risks such as illegal software, games, or unprotected computers
• Ongoing license compliance monitoring
• SaaS service delivers quick time-to-value with no servers or software to install and no implementation effort
• Extremely low risk with a service that is free forever

SAManage SaaS service is available immediately. For more information or to sign-up for an account, visit www.SAManage.com.

Related posts:

1. SAManage Launches IT Asset Management Application for Salesforce
2. SAManage Low Cost SaaS IT Asset Management Solution
3. Innovative SaaS solution helps VARs deliver cloud-based IT Asset Management to Small and Medium Businesses (SMB)

These processes include asset identification and tracking for instant inventory and audit. Active RFID is a widely used technology providing instantaneous inventory access to all physical assets that are managed. RF Code’s customers and partners use its active RFID-based solutions in a variety of applications, including IT asset tracking, real-time inventory, tracking/ordering, inventory audits, personnel tracking and security and across major industries such as healthcare, retail, and manufacturing.

“The use of active RFID technology has barely cracked the surface for IT asset business processes,” stated Walter Darrough, Vice President of Sales and Business Development for Animus Solutions. “Through this alliance with RF Code, we will use our expertise to help RF Code customers and partners realize the additional value from their investment in the technology by expanding usage into service management and best practices for IT asset management.”

Animus Solutions offers an “RFID Value Check” service, a fast-paced, low cost review of IT business processes and systems. The service evaluates opportunities for RFID technology to enhance life cycle processes. Other RFID-centric services include automation integration services and process development.

“We are successfully changing expectations for traditional asset tracking processes,” said RF Code CEO Mitch Medford. “Accurate and up-to-the-minute visibility into physical IT asset inventory has wide applicability within any organization. Working closely with Animus Solutions will help accelerate the return our customers receive from deploying our active RFID technology.”

About Animus Solutions, Inc.

Animus Solutions provides IT service management, IT security and IT asset management business consulting and implementations. As a vendor-neutral organization experienced with many of the premier automation solutions, Animus offers flexible and practical services to build software license compliance, incorporate ISO/IEC 19770-1, ISO/IEC 17799 standards and utilize ITIL effectively. To learn more about Animus Solutions, a WMBE business, visit  www.animussolutions.com.

About RF Code, Inc.

RF Code automates the ability to discover, track and monitor high-value physical assets across the enterprise. Along with a world-class roster of global partners, RF Code develops solutions used in demanding industry environments including IT, healthcare, defense, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, transportation and homeland security.

To learn more about RF Code, visit www.rfcode.com Animus Solutions and the Animus Solutions logo, along with RF Code and the RF Code logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies (Animus Solutions Incorporated and RF Code Incorporated respectively) in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Related posts:

1. SAManage Launches IT Asset Management Application for Salesforce
2. Today’s Service Desk Is at the Core of Corporate IT Service Management Initiatives
3. IT Asset Management – Part 2 Usage Tracking

If a company has several affiliates in different locations, Select Plus will enable your affiliates to take advantage of price-level adjustments that are based on the actual purchase volume for your entire organization.

Registration has been simplified to one page making it faster and simpler to register each affiliate. Under the plan your company can purchase software licenses at any time, easing planning and deployment as your needs change.

The Select Plus licensing program is due to start up in October 2008

Microsoft lists these as the top five reasons to choose Select Plus:

1. Superior value. A single, enterprise-wide contract offers the same pricing level for all business units.
2. Excellent benefits. Add Microsoft Software Assurance to your agreement for a full 36 months and receive an annual payment plan.
3. Perpetual agreement. Keep renewals at the IT budget level rather than the boardroom level.
4. Flexible structure. Purchase the software licenses you need, when you need them, so that you can start using the software immediately.
5. Better insight. Clearly see your entire license portfolio so it’s easy to support asset management and reporting for all business units.

For more information on Microsoft’s Select Plus licensing program visit the overview section at their web site. You can also download a volume licensing program comparison chart.

Related posts:

1. ManageSoft Joins the Microsoft System Center Alliance Program
2. Microsoft Introduces Windows Server 2008 Foundation
3. Microsoft’s Elevate America Technology Training Initiative

Keeping track of your shipments can be a time consuming task. Orders from a variety of different vendors using different shipping services can have you web site hopping to try to track down where your items are.

A web site called TrackMyShipments.com offers a free order tracking service. You simply email the “Your order has shipped email” or create your own email message with the tracking number and shipping service. Their system will examine your email and extract the shippers name and the tracking number.

Their system will then constantly track the shipment using data gathered from the shipping company’s systems and updates you via their web site, email or SMS text message alerts. You can log on their web site and view the current status of all of your shipments being tracked.

Currently supported shipping companies are UPS, FedEx, DHL and USPS. They plan to add other carriers in the future.

For more information visit their web site. www.TrackMyShipments.com

Related posts:

1. IT Asset Management – Part 2 Usage Tracking
2. IT Asset Management – Part 1 Catalog of Assets
3. Numara Track-It! 9 Includes Change Management and Better ITIL Support

Usage Tracking

Usage data is a key part of an inventory management system. The data provide from usage tracking will help you:

• Determine the minimum on-hand inventory you need to maintain
• Help you set minimum inventory levels to trigger ordering
• Spot trends in usage that indicate the need for root cause analysis
• Give you snapshots in time of inventory usage

What Do You Need to Track?

Everything. Whatever you use, internal or external needs to be tracked. If you have it in inventory you should track it. If you order it you should track it. If you must maintain on-hand inventory you should track it. I also like to break down the data between our different internal and external customers. This shows what is going where and provides data that can be used in other reports such as for a particular customer.

Setup a Tracking Sheet

I am a spreadsheet fanatic so I use Excel to track usage. You can use data from your inventory list such as part/item number or just a description. There are several workbooks I use. They are formatted for ease of data entry and as automated as possible.

Monthly Tracking Workbook

Snapshot Sheet – this is a snapshot of data for the month. All of the data displayed is pulled from the other sheets in the workbook. It is intended to give you a snapshot of the usage activity for the month. This sheet list all items tracked broken down between the various internal and external customers with a total column of all customers combined for the month, for the year and the 12 week average.

Customer Daily Log Sheets – These are the daily log sheets for each internal and external customer.  I enter the daily usage for all items tracked according to what customer it was used for.

Shipping Sheet – I like to keep track of the shipping methods used each day. Overnight, Standard Overnight, Express Saver, Ground and internal.

Worksheet – I use this sheet to calculate the data for use in the weekly usage report. It is a simple copy of Monday through Friday’s data and pasted into a formula driven sheet that adds the week up. All I have to do is copy the total over to my weekly report. I also total the shipping methods for the week on this worksheet.

Fiscal Year Tracking Workbook

This workbook is an accumulation of the data from each monthly tracking sheet. I have tab sheets for each month of the fiscal year that list the totals broken down between internal and external customers, as well as the average usage for the month for each piece. The first tab sheet is a snapshot of the entire fiscal year using all of the year-to-date data from each month. Adding data to the sheet is as easy as copying and pasting the data from the monthly snapshot workbook into the monthly sheet.

Weekly Usage Report Workbook

This workbook is intended for consumption by upper management and other departments such as for root cause analysis. I also use this sheet to see what my current 12 week average usage is and plug those numbers into my main inventory projection sheet. That sheet (to be covered later) compares current inventory levels against current usage, adds in time from order to delivery and tells me what I need to order.

Snapshot Sheet – this is a snapshot of data for the week. All of the data displayed is pulled from the Monthly Tracking Workbook. It is intended to give you a snapshot of the usage activity for the week.This sheet list all items tracked broken down between the various internal and external customers with a total column for the week, for the year and the 12 week average.

Fiscal Year Snapshot – this sheet is the same snapshot sheet from the Fiscal Year Tracking Workbook. I copy and past the current data over to this sheet. It provides upper-management an up-to-date look at the fiscal year’s usage without having to distribute the entire workbook.

Weekly Totals – this sheet displays the total usage each week broken down between internal and external customers with a total at the end and a year to date total at the bottom.

12 Week Average – on this sheet I paste in the data from the total usage for all customers for one week. I track 12 weeks worth of data to come up with a 12 week average. You could track more weeks, but I am looking for current data to determine current usage trends for ordering purposes.

Top Ten Lists – on this sheet I display the top ten pieces used for the year based on the data on the already included Fiscal Year Snapshot sheet. It displays the top ten pieces used so far in the fiscal year along with the totals and weekly averages. The second top ten list is for the week. It is based on the data already included in the Snapshot Sheet for the week. It is the total usage from all customers, average daily usage for the week, the 12 week average for that piece and a percentage up or down against the 12 week average. I use conditional formatting to display the increased usage percentage in red and the decreased usage percentage in green.

In summary tracking usage data provides vital information used in other areas of asset management. It also helps spot trends which can trigger a root cause analysis of why a particular piece has had a spike in usage. Once you have your three workbooks setup with formulas in place it is then just a matter of entering the data on a daily basis. I track around 150 pieces a day using this method and it takes me about 10-15 minutes to enter all of the data.

Related posts:

1. IT Asset Management – Part 1 Catalog of Assets
2. SAManage Launches IT Asset Management Application for Salesforce
3. SAManage IT Asset Management: Easy to Use, and Free

You can use products such as Excel to create a basic system. For a more inclusive system you may want to use database software such as Access. There are also a host of commercial software packages out there to choose from.

Catalog of Assets

Creating a catalog of your assets is the first step in setting up your system. At a minimum your asset catalog should include:

• Item Description
• Internal Part Number
• Quantity On-Hand

Other elements add usage and versatility to your catalog that can be used in other areas. Some of these include:

• Vendor (Contact information)
• Vendor Part Number
• Minimum On-Hand Quantity
• Customers (who uses this item)
• Current Price
• Purchase Order Information
• Warranty Information (length, RMA process)
• Quantity in Production (in use)
• Quantity on Order
• Quantity at Repair
• Quantity at a Staging Partner

The list of data can be endless. These are just some ideas.

To get started grab a pen and paper and write down what you want to track. This is a brainstorming session so write down whatever comes to mind. You will be surprised and the ideas you can come up with. Review your current system and see what elements need to be added or improved on. Go over your paperwork such as purchase orders, vendor return sheets, inventory sheets, vendor information sheets and product information sheets. See if others will use this data and get their input.

Once you have a good idea of what you want to include you are ready to setup your software. If you are looking for samples try the Microsoft Office Online Templates site. Even if you do not use one of the templates you may get some good ideas or find one you can customize to your needs.

Related posts:

1. IT Asset Management – Part 2 Usage Tracking
2. SAManage IT Asset Management: Easy to Use, and Free
3. SAManage Low Cost SaaS IT Asset Management Solution