SAM Workflow Management

Manage the complete software management workflow in a single console

From request to installation, specification to receipt of licence, measurement to optimization, SAM Portal from License Dashboard guides you seamlessly through the process of managing the complete software lifecycle:

• Request Software
• Approve
• Verify & Optimize
• Initiate Order
• Specify
• Measure & Report

Request Software

Using SAM Portal, end users simply search and select a software title from a pre-approved Software Catalog in their Web browser. The Software Catalog is maintained within the portal and ensures that only software that has been pre-authorized can be requested, thereby guaranteeing complete control of versions and preventing rogue applications being deployed.

On identifying the required software, the end user can then choose which device they are requesting the software be deployed to (multiple devices can be selected for project teams etc). They can also cite the business justification for the request and see the cost of the software they are requesting.

Approve

Once submitted, the relevant line manager receives an email notification of the software request. The manager simply clicks on the link provided to review the request and decide on the relevant action - approve, decline or re-assign to a different manager. This provides the maximum flexibility for approving managers and also ensures that all software requests are fully authorized prior to purchase and deployment.

Verify & Optimize

Once a software request has been approved by the relevant managers, the next step is instantly to check the license is available using SAM Portal's integration with License Manager. Using this information, IT staff can make informed decisions about allocating unused licenses, requesting transfers from other parts of the organization, or decided that new licenses need to be purchased.

The license manager has peace of mind that the decision to purchase is only made once all internal resources have been utilized, keeping company spend to a minimum.

Initiate Order

The license manager initiates the order fulfilment process by adding requests to the Items to Order list. The Procurement Team actions these requests, knowing that all requests have been through the appropriate approvals cycle. The estimated cost has been approved by the relevant manager and this provides guidance to the Purchaser when placing purchase orders with suppliers. Estimated costs can be updated easily by the Procurement Team to ensure accurate costs are used.

A full history is available for all confirmed purchases.

Specify & Track

All details required to make the purchase are available to the Procurement Team (licence SKU, manufacturer's agreement, relevant supplier etc.). Procurement and finance teams can use SAM Portal to request quotations from suppliers and costs can be checked against and, if necessary, modified in the Software Catalog.

Measure & Report

Management reports in SAM Portal make it easy to see where allocations have been made, making it simpler to monitor and manage departmental budgets and any relevant cross-charging for license usage. Standardizing builds becomes easier to manage as you can see which products are more popular and decide upon what should be included on a standard build.

All users can access SAM Portal to check the progress of requests at any time, both providing complete transparency of the SAM workflow and increasing end user satisfaction.