An IBM software audit can be daunting for your organization and the risks of financial penalties, unexpected expenses, and reputational damage can challenge even the most seasoned IT asset management (ITAM) and IT service management (ITSM) professionals.
However, getting poor IBM software audit outcomes is not the end of the road. With a structured and strategic remediation approach, your IT teams can strengthen their IBM licensing compliance posture and mitigate future IBM software audit risks. The required steps are detailed below.
Understanding Your IBM Software Audit Findings
The first step in post-audit recovery is gaining a comprehensive understanding of the IBM software audit findings. Here, reviewing the audit report is essential to identify compliance gaps and their root causes. Key questions to consider include:
- What were the primary reasons for IBM license compliance discrepancies?
- Were the IBM software audit finding gaps due to people, process, or technology shortcomings?
- Were these issues known before the IBM software audit?
- Could early intervention have mitigated these risks?
- Which IBM products contributed most significantly to the final settlement costs?
Identifying the compliance gaps’ root causes will help your organization develop a robust strategy to prevent recurrence.
Assessing Your IBM Software Audit Response
An in-depth evaluation of how your organization responded to the IBM software audit is crucial. This analysis should focus on:
- The effectiveness of the audit response plan.
- Opportunities for improved coordination across IT, procurement, and legal teams.
- Lessons learned for refining IBM software audit preparedness and operational improvements.
By identifying gaps in your IBM software audit response, your ITAM and ITSM professionals can enhance your internal processes to ensure better preparedness for future IBM audits.
Addressing Open Audit Actions
Post-audit, there are several essential follow-up actions to ensure a smooth transition into compliance:
- Budgeting for necessary IBM software licenses.
- Archiving the IBM software audit documentation for future reference.
- Completing a project closure report and conducting a review call.
- Creating work tickets for tasks requiring cross-team collaboration.
- Updating software asset management (SAM) documentation to reflect audit findings.
- Verifying that IBM Passport Advantage accurately reflects your revised entitlements.
- Recording lessons learned for continual improvement.
- Formalizing and closing these actions ensures compliance sustainability and sets the stage for stronger IT governance.
Enhancing Compliance Controls
Organizations must integrate audit learnings into their compliance framework to minimize future IBM software audit risks. Strengthening controls ensures continuous adherence to IBM licensing policies and mitigates potential gaps. Your ITAM and ITSM teams should:
- Refine license management processes based on IBM software audit insights.
- Establish clear ownership of software compliance responsibilities.
- Implement proactive measures to avoid compliance pitfalls.
Optimizing IBM License Management Tools
Audit findings often highlight inefficiencies in license tracking tools. To rectify these, your IT teams must assess and rectify misconfigurations in your IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) or other monitoring solutions. Key initiatives include:
- Conducting a detailed tool configuration review.
- Implementing the required corrective actions to address deployment discrepancies.
- Verifying the effectiveness of your organization’s remediation efforts to ensure future compliance.
Proactive Internal Audits
Avoiding IBM software audit compliance surprises requires a proactive audit strategy. Regular internal audits help identify potential gaps before they escalate. Recommended practices include:
- Quarterly: Reviews of audit snapshots to track compliance trends.
- Annually: Updates to the Effective License Position (ELP) to maintain accurate records.
- Externally: If feasible, conducting third-party audits to gain unbiased assessments.
Scheduling internal audits immediately after an IBM software audit can leverage fresh learnings and reinforce the importance of compliance.
Investing in IBM License Training
A critical factor in preventing future IBM software audit failures is ensuring your ITAM, ITSM, and procurement teams understand IBM licensing rules. Post-audit is an ideal time to invest in targeted training, including:
- Advanced licensing training for the SAM team.
- Awareness sessions for product owners and IT asset managers.
By enhancing team expertise, organizations can reduce reliance on external auditors and maintain stronger internal controls.
Leveraging Positive Outcomes from an IBM Software Audit
While IBM software audits often highlight compliance shortcomings, they can also present opportunities for improvement. Your organizations should capitalize on insights such as:
- Identifying unused IBM software assets that can be removed from support and subscription (S&S) agreements.
- Recognizing successful processes and scaling them across other software vendors.
- Using the IBM software audit results as justification for additional budget and resources for SAM initiatives.
Recovering from a poor IBM software audit is often difficult, given the likely financial and reputational impact. However, your organization will be stronger for taking the above steps.
If your organization needs help after a poor IBM software audit, please get in touch with LicenseHawk.
Piaras MacDonnell
Piaras is an internationally recognized expert in IBM licensing. He has delivered over 100 licensing projects, including audit defenses, enterprise license agreement renewals, compliance health checks, and license optimization, resulting in millions of dollars and euros in savings for his clients.
