Best Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools

How Many Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools Products Does G2 Track?

Total Products under this Category: 69

Category Stats (Oct 2026)

  • Average Rating: 4.54/5 The average rating of products in this category, based on all submitted ratings
  • Top Trending Product: Total Network Inventory (+6.07%) - Among all products in this category, Total Network Inventory recorded the largest rating increase compared to last month

Last updated: October 01, 2026

How Does G2 Rank Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools Products?

Why You Can Trust G2's Software Rankings:

  • 30 Analysts and Data Experts
  • 2,600+ Authentic Reviews
  • 69+ Products
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G2's software rankings are built on verified user reviews, rigorous moderation, and a consistent research methodology maintained by a team of analysts and data experts. Each product is measured using the same transparent criteria, with no paid placement or vendor influence. While reviews reflect real user experiences, which can be subjective, they offer valuable insight into how software performs in the hands of professionals. Together, these inputs power the G2 Score, a standardized way to compare tools within every category.

G2 Grid® for Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools

G2 Grid® for Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools plotting products by satisfaction and market presence

Highlighted products: Snow Atlas, Torii, FlexNet Manager, Alloy Navigator, AssetSonar, Google Cloud Asset Inventory, CloudEagle, and USU Software Asset Management.

Underlying data: [Grid® JSON](https://www.g2.com/categories/software-asset-management-tools/grids.json?focus%5B%5D=snow-atlas&focus%5B%5D=torii&focus%5B%5D=flexnet-manager&focus%5B%5D=alloy-navigator&focus%5B%5D=ezo-assetsonar&focus%5B%5D=google-cloud-asset-inventory&focus%5B%5D=cloudeagle&focus%5B%5D=usu-software-asset-management)

Snow Atlas

Snow Atlas is a cloud-native Software Asset Management (SAM) and Software as a Service (SaaS) management solution designed to help organizations efficiently manage and optimize their software assets. It provides comprehensive insights into software usage, enabling businesses to uncover shadow IT, prepare for audits, and identify cost-saving opportunities within weeks. Key Features and Functionality: - Audit Defense: Ensures organizations are always prepared for software vendor audits, reducing the risk of unexpected costs and minimizing the time spent on audit-related activities. - Shadow IT Detection: Identifies unauthorized or unmanaged software usage within the organization, allowing for better control and security. - Cost Optimization: Analyzes software usage to pinpoint underutilized licenses and subscriptions, facilitating informed decisions to reduce unnecessary expenditures. - Comprehensive Insights: Offers detailed visibility into software assets across the organization, supporting strategic planning and compliance efforts. Primary Value and Problem Solved: Snow Atlas addresses the challenges organizations face in managing growing software budgets and ensuring compliance with licensing agreements. By providing deep insights into software usage and facilitating proactive audit readiness, it empowers businesses to optimize their software investments, mitigate risks associated with non-compliance, and achieve significant cost savings.

Average Rating: 4.6/5.0

Total Reviews: 36

How Do G2 Users Rate Snow Atlas?

  • Automated end user license provisioning: 8.0/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Customized alerts: 8.8/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Approved app catalogue: 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Ease of Use: 9.1/10 (Category avg: 9.1/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Snow Atlas?

  • Seller: Flexera
  • Year Founded: 2008
  • HQ Location: Itasca, IL
  • Twitter: @flexera
    4,737 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    2,099 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: Analyst
  • Top Industries: Information Technology and Services
  • Company Size: 67% Large, 25% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Snow Atlas?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users value the exceptional visibility Snow Atlas offers, simplifying IT data management and providing a cohesive overview.
  • Users appreciate the easy integration with Power BI in Snow Atlas, enhancing reporting and compliance management.
  • Users appreciate the ease of use of Snow Atlas, finding it intuitive and straightforward for license management.
  • Users appreciate the intuitive and powerful data management capabilities of Snow Atlas, enhancing clarity and actionability.
  • Users commend the seamless integrations of Snow Atlas, enhancing visibility and management of IT assets effectively.
Cons
  • Users note a limited customization option in Snow Atlas, making it challenging to tailor the platform to their needs.
  • Users find the complex setup of Snow Atlas challenging, requiring significant organizational effort and commitment to fully utilize.
  • Users find the complex configuration of Snow Atlas challenging, creating a steep learning curve and requiring significant expertise.
  • Users find Snow Atlas' complexity overwhelming, requiring significant time and expertise to navigate effectively.
  • Users note the difficult learning curve of Snow Atlas, finding its complexity overwhelming for those new to the platform.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Snow Atlas?

Torii

Torii is security’s SaaS governance copilot, revealing every app and identity—shadow SaaS and AI included—and turning visibility into enforceable control. Security teams eliminate blind spots across their SaaS stack, compress exposure windows, automate access reviews and requests, and close audits on schedule with evidence. With Torii’s always-on agentic AI, you’ll get real-time alerts for new issues, while human-approved fixes ensure no wayward changes.

Average Rating: 4.5/5.0

Total Reviews: 324

How Do G2 Users Rate Torii?

  • Automated end user license provisioning: 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Customized alerts: 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Approved app catalogue: 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Ease of Use: 9.3/10 (Category avg: 9.1/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Torii?

  • Seller: Torii Labs LTD.
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 2017
  • HQ Location: New York
  • Twitter: @torii_hq
    578 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    157 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: IT Manager
  • Top Industries: Information Technology and Services, Computer Software
  • Company Size: 77% Medium, 18% Large

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Torii?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users highlight the ease of use with Torii, appreciating its straightforward setup and seamless integrations.
  • Users appreciate the seamless application integration of Torii, which enhances workflow efficiency across multiple software tools.
  • Users appreciate the exceptional automation capabilities of Torii, which streamline workflows and save valuable time for IT teams.
  • Users appreciate the centralized user data management of Torii, significantly enhancing SaaS governance and cost efficiency.
  • Users appreciate Torii for its intuitive setup and robust integration capabilities, streamlining SaaS governance and workflows.
Cons
  • Users find missing features in Torii, particularly in integrations and onboarding, impacting their overall experience.
  • Users find Torii's poor reporting limits accurate tracking and detailed analysis for more informed decision-making.
  • Users find limited features in the Pro plan, wishing for more advanced reporting and integration options.
  • Users note the need for improved integrations as Torii's offerings fall short compared to competitors.
  • Users struggle with difficult access control management, finding it hard to remove outdated users and handle duplicates.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Torii?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About Torii?

FlexNet Manager

Software is one of the major items on any IT expense budget. Industry analysts estimate software license and maintenance fees represent 20 to 35% of total enterprise IT spend. The approach for managing a software asset portfolio is typically inefficient, relying on a local approach instead of a global one, and frequently involves spreadsheets or other ad hoc methods. The lack of efficient software asset management processes exposes enterprises to software audit liabilities and overspending on licenses and maintenance. Flexera FlexNet Manager software and IT asset management solutions manage and optimize enterprise software regardless of location, from the desktop to the data center to the cloud. We'll give your organization a growth path and roadmap for success. Manage and reduce spend on applications from Adobe, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, VMware, Symantec and SAP. Flexnet Manager Suite for Clients: Optimize your software licenses across desktops, laptops, and other client devices. FlexNet Manager for Clients automatically applies product use rights acquired through software license agreements from desktop vendors such as Adobe, Microsoft and Symantec. Product use rights can dramatically affect the number of licenses consumed by an organization, and must therefore be considered to minimize costs and ensure license compliance. Flexnet Manager Suite for Data Centers: It's difficult to know what’s happening across your data centers–until now. No matter what your challenges, FlexNet Manager for Data Centers can help you get control. You get visibility and insight for all your assets with our powerful, easy-to-use, role-based Data Analytics Dashboards. Flexnet Manager Suite for SAP Applications: Managing SAP® licenses can require significant time and effort. It's difficult to get an accurate handle on license requirements and position. And not knowing what applications are indirectly accessing SAP data can cost you big time. We’ll help you navigate SAP for business success. Flexnet Manager Suite for Engineering Apps: Concurrent licenses can be challenging to manage. But managing them effectively is essential for engineering and design applications. License denials can lead to project delays, lost revenue and decreased customer satisfaction. Lack of visibility can cause still more problems. FlexNet Manager for Engineering Applications delivers a comprehensive solution.

Average Rating: 4.1/5.0

Total Reviews: 66

How Do G2 Users Rate FlexNet Manager?

  • Automated end user license provisioning: 6.9/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Customized alerts: 7.9/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Approved app catalogue: 7.5/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Ease of Use: 8.0/10 (Category avg: 9.1/10)

Who Is the Company Behind FlexNet Manager?

  • Seller: Flexera
  • Year Founded: 2008
  • HQ Location: Itasca, IL
  • Twitter: @flexera
    4,737 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    2,099 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Top Industries: Information Technology and Services, Telecommunications
  • Company Size: 86% Large, 9% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About FlexNet Manager?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users appreciate the robust visibility FlexNet Manager provides for tracking software licenses and ensuring compliance effectively.
  • Users appreciate the seamless integrations of FlexNet Manager, enhancing license management and compliance across various platforms.
  • Users value the responsive customer support of FlexNet Manager, finding it helpful and knowledgeable for their inquiries.
  • Users appreciate the ease of use of FlexNet Manager, enhancing software asset management and simplifying compliance tracking.
  • Users appreciate the centralized platform of FlexNet Manager, enhancing software license management and compliance across multiple vendors.
Cons
  • Users find the complexity of FlexNet Manager challenging, especially during initial setup and navigating large datasets.
  • Users find the difficult setup of FlexNet Manager time-consuming, with a steep learning curve for new users.
  • Users find the learning curve steep, making FlexNet Manager challenging for non-technical users and complex in implementation.
  • Users struggle with app functionality issues including slow reports, complex setup, and an outdated interface.
  • Users find the interface complex and not very user-friendly, leading to a challenging initial experience.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of FlexNet Manager?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About FlexNet Manager?

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Alloy Navigator

Alloy Navigator is an AI-powered IT service and asset management solution that enables organizations of all sizes to manage their IT operations. This solution offers fully integrated help desk, network inventory and knowledge base capabilities, plus ITIL standards such as change and configuration management. Navigator creates relationships automatically between meaningful data while providing a comprehensive view of IT infrastructure components. Alloy Navigator’s service desk manages tickets, assets, incidents, changes, work orders and more within a single interface. Workflow management engine inside Alloy Navigator enables users to design custom IT processes. These can be altered to the specific needs of the business and personnel and might even include AI-driven steps. The solution also offers an online web portal, self-service portal for end users, and mobile apps for technicians and end-users. The Self-Service Portal is equipped with an AI Assistant to resolve routine questions of end-users, freeing IT for bigger challenges. Alloy Navigator gives users the ability to one-click audit their entire network, conduct a physical inventory with a barcode scanner and ensure compliance in software licensing. End users and admins also have access to interactive dashboards, scheduled reporting and real-time views for timely analysis.

Average Rating: 4.8/5.0

Total Reviews: 119

How Do G2 Users Rate Alloy Navigator?

  • Automated end user license provisioning: 9.2/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Customized alerts: 9.4/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Approved app catalogue: 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Ease of Use: 9.2/10 (Category avg: 9.1/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Alloy Navigator?

  • Seller: Alloy Software
  • Year Founded: 2002
  • HQ Location: Bloomfield, NJ
  • Twitter: @AlloySoftware
    466 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    18 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Top Industries: Information Technology and Services, Marketing and Advertising
  • Company Size: 76% Small, 32% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Alloy Navigator?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users value the asset discovery feature of Alloy Navigator for its ability to keep network devices updated effortlessly.
  • Users find Alloy Navigator's ease of use enhances efficiency, streamlining ticket management and workflow automation effortlessly.
  • Users value the integrated ticketing and asset management of Alloy Navigator, streamlining support and enhancing workflow efficiency.
  • Users value the integrated ticket management of Alloy Navigator, enhancing visibility and simplifying workflows for support teams.
  • Users value the automation capabilities of Alloy Navigator, streamlining workflows across departments and saving time.
Cons
  • Users find the learning curve steep, requiring extra training for new hires and better onboarding resources.
  • Users find the complex setup of Alloy Navigator challenging, requiring extra training and experimentation for effective use.
  • Users find the platform limited in customization, making it less adaptable for creative collaboration and specific needs.
  • Users find the setup difficulty challenging initially, requiring significant effort and training to configure smoothly.
  • Users find the poor interface design hampers usability and complicates onboarding for new hires.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Alloy Navigator?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About Alloy Navigator?

AssetSonar

AssetSonar is EZO's connected IT management platform that unifies IT asset management (ITAM), IT service management (ITSM), and software asset management (SAM) in one system. It helps IT teams manage hardware, software, licenses, tickets, configuration items, patches, and employee technology workflows without stitching together spreadsheets and disconnected tools. AssetSonar is built for IT managers, IT asset managers, service desk managers, IT directors, and CIOs, and is also used by procurement, finance, and security teams. The platform is built on the AssetSonar IT Graph, which connects assets with users, software, licenses, tickets, contracts, service activity, and lifecycle history. This shared context lets IT teams reduce manual work, control spend, resolve requests faster, and stay audit-ready. AssetSonar handles hardware asset management with agent-based and integration-based asset discovery, hardware lifecycle tracking, custody management, deployment and assignment, inventory management across stockrooms and offices, service and warranty records, and physical and digital audits. The AssetSonar mobile app lets technicians scan assets, update records, verify custody, and run audits from the field. For software asset management, AssetSonar discovers installed and SaaS applications across devices, users, identity systems, and browsers. It normalizes software records, surfaces shadow IT, governs license entitlements, reclaims unused or underused seats, and tracks renewal dates, vendors, and costs so IT and finance can review usage before renewals lock in spend. AssetSonar's native IT service management connects incident, request, problem, and change management with a service catalog, self-service portal, knowledge base, and SLA management, each linked to live asset, software, and user context. Requests can be captured across multiple intake channels, routed automatically, and escalated to keep service commitments visible. Patch management in AssetSonar detects vulnerable software across Windows, macOS, and Linux devices, prioritizes risk, schedules and deploys patches, and tracks remediation progress through dashboards and KPIs. A workflow automation engine lets teams build rule-based, multi-step workflows for service routing, approvals, employee onboarding and offboarding, license revocation, asset check-in, and cross-tool app actions, reducing manual follow-up. AssetSonar's built-in CMDB maps configuration items and their relationships in a visual dependency graph, links tickets to affected systems as configuration items, and supports better change and incident decisions. Zoe, AssetSonar's AI Copilot, uses context from assets, tickets, software, knowledge, and workflows to summarize tickets, draft technician replies, suggest fields, route and assign tickets, diagnose issues, and surface the next best action. AssetSonar integrates with the systems IT teams already run, including identity and endpoint management tools such as Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, JumpCloud, Microsoft Intune, Jamf Pro, Kandji, Microsoft SCCM, Cisco Meraki, Mosyle Manager, and Apple Business Manager; service desks such as Zendesk and Jira Service Management; SaaS applications such as Microsoft 365, Adobe, Slack, Zoom, GitHub, and Asana; procurement and warranty sources such as Dell, Lenovo, HP, CDW, and Apple; and collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, and Dropbox. AssetSonar is priced per asset across ITAM, ITSM (which includes ITAM), and an Advanced SAM add-on, with a 7-day free trial and no credit card required. It is hosted on Amazon Web Services, and EZO's stated security and compliance portfolio includes SOC 2 Type 2, ISO/IEC 27001, CSA STAR Level 1, and TX-RAMP Levels 1 and 2. Organizations use AssetSonar to replace spreadsheets with an audit-ready source of truth for IT asset discovery, employee onboarding and offboarding, license reclamation, IT compliance and audits, procurement, and IT asset reporting.

Average Rating: 4.5/5.0

Total Reviews: 83

How Do G2 Users Rate AssetSonar?

  • Automated end user license provisioning: 6.5/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Customized alerts: 7.3/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Approved app catalogue: 6.3/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Ease of Use: 8.8/10 (Category avg: 9.1/10)

Who Is the Company Behind AssetSonar?

  • Seller: EZO
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 2011
  • HQ Location: Carson City, Nevada
  • Twitter: @EZOsolutions
    810 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    306 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Top Industries: Information Technology and Services, Computer Software
  • Company Size: 67% Medium, 13% Large

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About AssetSonar?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users appreciate the robust asset management features of AssetSonar, enhancing IT management and providing great value.
  • Users commend the ease of use in AssetSonar, which simplifies asset management and enhances departmental efficiency.
  • Users appreciate the high product quality of AssetSonar, noting its robust features and superior integrations.
  • Users value the seamless integrations of AssetSonar, enhancing their experience with other tools like Zendesk and Google Sheets.
  • Users value the responsive customer support of AssetSonar, enhancing their positive experience with the software.
Cons
  • Users struggle with filtering issues, finding it complicated and time-consuming to pull necessary reports in AssetSonar.
  • Users note the limited customization options in AssetSonar compared to competitors, impacting tailored workflows and reporting.
  • Users find the complexity of the user interface overwhelming at first, requiring training and extra effort to navigate.
  • Users find the costs for AssetSonar prohibitively high, especially for small teams and growing feature needs.
  • Users face inadequate reporting capabilities in AssetSonar, making data extraction and filtering an uncomfortable and time-consuming process.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of AssetSonar?

Google Cloud Asset Inventory

Cloud Asset Inventory A metadata inventory service that allows you to view, monitor, and analyze all your Google Cloud and Anthos assets across projects and services.

Average Rating: 4.1/5.0

Total Reviews: 17

How Do G2 Users Rate Google Cloud Asset Inventory?

  • Automated end user license provisioning: 7.6/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Customized alerts: 8.0/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Approved app catalogue: 7.7/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Ease of Use: 8.6/10 (Category avg: 9.1/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Google Cloud Asset Inventory?

  • Seller: Google
  • Year Founded: 1998
  • HQ Location: Mountain View, CA
  • Twitter: @google
    31,899,995 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    301,144 employees on LinkedIn®
  • Ownership: NASDAQ:GOOG

Who Uses This Product?

  • Top Industries: Computer Software
  • Company Size: 44% Medium, 39% Small

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Google Cloud Asset Inventory?

CloudEagle

CloudEagle.ai is an AI-powered SaaS Management, AI Governance, and SaaS Security platform that gives enterprises one command center to discover, secure, govern, and optimize their entire SaaS and AI stack, including AI usage control and both human and non-human identities. Trusted by RingCentral, Automation Anywhere, Shiji, and Rec Room, CloudEagle helps organizations save 10–30% on software spend while managing hundreds of SaaS and AI apps, without disrupting existing tools. CloudEagle governs applications, identities, and non-human identities (service accounts, bots, API keys, AI agents) continuously, rationalizing redundant tools and tracking security posture against frameworks like NIST 800. Onboarding takes 30 minutes; savings and governance start day one. To date: $50B+ in spend processed, $3B+ saved. With 500+ integrations, CloudEagle eliminates shadow SaaS and AI, enforces AI usage policies, and secures non-human identities. Slack-enabled, no-code workflows automate onboarding/offboarding, access reviews, license harvesting, and just-in-time access, while an autonomous agent triggers renewals and routes approvals through Slack, Jira, or ServiceNow. By correlating IT, HR, Finance, and Security data, CloudEagle surfaces hidden risk, unauthorized AI use, excessive privileges, orphaned identities, and overspend, backed by usage benchmarking that strengthens every vendor negotiation.

Average Rating: 4.7/5.0

Total Reviews: 106

How Do G2 Users Rate CloudEagle?

  • Automated end user license provisioning: 8.6/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Customized alerts: 8.9/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Approved app catalogue: 9.1/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Ease of Use: 9.3/10 (Category avg: 9.1/10)

Who Is the Company Behind CloudEagle?

  • Seller: CloudEagle
  • Year Founded: 2021
  • HQ Location: Palo Alto, US
  • Twitter: @cloudeagleai
    151 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    86 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: IT Manager, Software Engineer
  • Top Industries: Information Technology and Services, Computer Software
  • Company Size: 48% Medium, 39% Small

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About CloudEagle?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users laud CloudEagle for its automation in license tracking, simplifying renewals and enhancing overall management efficiency.
  • Users value the time-saving automation provided by CloudEagle, simplifying onboarding and contract management effectively.
  • Users value the clear visibility and efficient tracking of SaaS tools, simplifying management and reducing surprises.
  • Users find CloudEagle to be exceptionally easy to use, simplifying SaaS management and approval processes efficiently.
  • Users value the cost-saving insights and efficient management provided by CloudEagle, transforming their SaaS license administration.
Cons
  • Users find the complex setup of CloudEagle to be time-consuming and challenging for non-technical individuals.
  • Users find the difficult learning curve challenging initially, especially with understanding license management features.
  • Users find the learning curve steep, making initial onboarding and feature mastery challenging for first-time use.
  • Users find the slow performance of CloudEagle frustrating, especially when managing licenses or changing settings on the go.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of CloudEagle?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About CloudEagle?

USU Software Asset Management

USU is a software provider headquartered in Möglingen, Germany, specializing in solutions designed to enhance operational efficiency and financial management for mid-market and enterprise organizations across North America and Europe. The company’s offerings cater to various stakeholder groups, including IT, Finance, Procurement, Customer Service, and Cloud Operations. By providing system-wide visibility and reducing costs, USU empowers organizations to effectively navigate the complexities of hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Trusted by Fortune 500 companies and recognized in multiple Gartner Market Guides, USU is dedicated to fostering partnerships that ensure customers achieve and sustain meaningful results across their entire IT landscape. The USU product suite includes: - IT Asset Management - SaaS Management - Multicloud Monitoring - FinOps - Customer Service Knowledge Management Each solution is designed to address specific challenges faced by organizations, particularly those operating in complex IT environments. This targeted approach allows USU to meet the diverse needs of its clients, ensuring that every department can benefit from enhanced visibility and control over their IT assets. Software Asset Management (SAM) offers comprehensive visibility and control over software licensing and cloud entitlements. By combining a proven ITAM platform with certified managed services, USU delivers automation, AI-powered analytics, and expert advisory in one integrated model. This approach enables organizations to reduce software overspend by up to 30%, mitigate audit risks, and enhance negotiation outcomes, making it especially beneficial for IT departments. SaaS Management is another key offering that provides organizations with complete visibility and control over their SaaS ecosystem. This solution is tailored for IT, Finance, and Procurement teams, helping them reduce costs, improve governance, and streamline renewals. Key capabilities of the SaaS Management solution include auto-discovery of all SaaS applications, including shadow IT, monitoring usage to eliminate underused licenses, centralizing renewals and contract data, and controlling access while enforcing policies. These features collectively enable organizations to save 15-25% on SaaS spending, reduce tool sprawl, and enhance SaaS governance. The unique selling points of USU’s solutions lie in their ability to integrate advanced analytics and automation with expert advisory services. This combination not only enhances operational efficiency but also provides organizations with the insights needed to make informed decisions regarding their IT assets and SaaS applications. By addressing the specific needs of various departments and offering tailored solutions, USU stands out in the market as a reliable partner for organizations looking to optimize their IT landscape and achieve sustainable financial management.

Average Rating: 4.5/5.0

Total Reviews: 42

How Do G2 Users Rate USU Software Asset Management?

  • Automated end user license provisioning: 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Customized alerts: 8.4/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Approved app catalogue: 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Ease of Use: 8.3/10 (Category avg: 9.1/10)

Who Is the Company Behind USU Software Asset Management?

  • Seller: USU
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 1977
  • HQ Location: Möglingen, Germany
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    421 employees on LinkedIn®
  • Ownership: ETR: OSP2

Who Uses This Product?

  • Top Industries: Consumer Services, Computer Software
  • Company Size: 58% Large, 35% Small

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About USU Software Asset Management?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users value the exceptional quality of USU Software Asset Management, noting its reliability and in-depth analysis across platforms.
  • Users value the comprehensive asset management capabilities of USU Software Asset Management for effective lifecycle management.
  • Users find the ease of use of USU Software Asset Management enhances management and reporting of assets effectively.
  • Users value the seamless integrations with RMM and cloud services, enhancing monitoring and efficiency significantly.
  • Users value the exceptional monitoring capabilities of USU Software Asset Management, appreciating its seamless integration and analysis depth.
Cons
  • Users find the initial setup complicated and require significant internal resources, affecting efficiency and support processes.
  • Users find the inadequate reporting capabilities challenging, as creating custom reports is cumbersome and time-consuming.
  • Users express concerns over integration issues with USU, highlighting the need for improvements in technical support efficiency.
  • Users feel that limited automation in USU Software Asset Management hinders efficiency in managing obsolete data cleanup.
  • Users find the limited customization in USU Software Asset Management hinders efficient reporting and creates inefficiencies in workflow.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of USU Software Asset Management?

ServiceNow Software Asset Management

Track and manage software licenses across the enterprise from a unified platform. Reduce costs, stay compliant, and align use to business need. SAM runs on the Now Platform®, a single system of action for the enterprise.

Average Rating: 4.4/5.0

Total Reviews: 46

How Do G2 Users Rate ServiceNow Software Asset Management?

  • Automated end user license provisioning: 7.8/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Customized alerts: 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Approved app catalogue: 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Ease of Use: 8.8/10 (Category avg: 9.1/10)

Who Is the Company Behind ServiceNow Software Asset Management?

  • Seller: ServiceNow
  • Year Founded: 2004
  • HQ Location: Santa Clara, CA
  • Twitter: @servicenow
    55,548 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    35,078 employees on LinkedIn®
  • Ownership: NYSE:NOW

Who Uses This Product?

  • Top Industries: Information Technology and Services, Computer Software
  • Company Size: 75% Large, 25% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About ServiceNow Software Asset Management?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users find the ease of use of ServiceNow Software Asset Management invaluable for tracking and managing incidents effectively.
  • Users find the interface usability of ServiceNow exceptional, making task tracking and coordination effortless.
  • Users appreciate the ease of tracking performance with ServiceNow, facilitating efficient internal task management and coordination.
  • Users praise the easy-to-use interface of ServiceNow, enhancing their ability to manage tasks and coordinate effectively.
  • Users value the excellent customer support provided by ServiceNow Software Asset Management, enhancing overall satisfaction and efficiency.
Cons
  • Users find that access issues arise due to poor authentication and limited SSO capabilities on smartphones.
  • Users face connectivity issues with ServiceNow Software Asset Management, especially with SSO access on smartphones.
  • Users experience difficult navigation on ServiceNow, suggesting improvements for a more user-friendly interface and accessibility.
  • Users struggle with integration issues when connecting ServiceNow with external systems, impacting overall efficiency despite potential solutions.
  • Users find the mobile compatibility lacking, particularly with SSO access limiting smartphone usability.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of ServiceNow Software Asset Management?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About ServiceNow Software Asset Management?

Microsoft Volume Licensing

Volume licensing programs and agreements will evolve as we improve your purchase experience, starting with the Microsoft Customer Agreement.

Average Rating: 4.5/5.0

Total Reviews: 14

How Do G2 Users Rate Microsoft Volume Licensing?

  • Automated end user license provisioning: 9.4/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Customized alerts: 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Approved app catalogue: 9.2/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Ease of Use: 8.5/10 (Category avg: 9.1/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Microsoft Volume Licensing?

  • Seller: Microsoft
  • Year Founded: 1975
  • HQ Location: Redmond, Washington
  • Twitter: @microsoft
    13,091,739 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    232,750 employees on LinkedIn®
  • Ownership: MSFT

Who Uses This Product?

  • Company Size: 40% Small, 20% Medium

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Microsoft Volume Licensing?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About Microsoft Volume Licensing?

SolarWinds Service Desk

Enterprise-grade ITSM that's actually easy to use — resolve issues up to 52% faster with AI, unified asset management, and native ITOps integration built in from day one. SolarWinds Service Desk is a cloud-based IT service management (ITSM) platform that enables IT teams and other business departments to manage service requests, incidents, assets, and workflows in a unified environment. It is designed for IT professionals, service desk teams, and organizations looking to enhance their service management capabilities without the implementation overhead typically associated with enterprise ITSM tools. The platform covers incident management, problem management, change management, asset management, and CMDB in a single product. A configurable, drag-and-drop self-service portal and easy-to-use knowledge base allow end users to resolve common issues independently, while rule-based automations handle ticket routing, prioritization, escalation, and notifications without manual intervention. Customizable dashboards and reporting give teams visibility across incidents, requests, changes, and assets. AI capabilities are embedded directly into agent workflows; including ticket summarization, solution suggestions, intelligent incident/problem linking, response and resolution drafting, runbook generation, and knowledge base recommendations. These capabilities are available out of the box without additional configuration. The AI is scoped to surface relevant, actionable information at the right moment rather than requiring teams to build or maintain separate AI tooling. As part of the SolarWinds portfolio, Service Desk integrates natively with SolarWinds Observability and IT operations tools, allowing infrastructure alerts to automatically generate service desk tickets and giving technicians direct access to node health, recent changes, and other operational context within the incident record. Native integrations also include Microsoft Entra ID for user lifecycle management, Jira for cross-team escalation, Automox for patch management, and an open API for custom connections. Service Desk supports enterprise service management (ESM), enabling organizations to extend ITSM processes beyond IT, to departments such as HR, Facilities, and Legal, without additional products or professional services. For IT teams, the lift is minimal: new department portals are built on the same platform they already manage, using the same workflows, automations, and reporting. This gives IT centralized visibility and control across the organization, reducing the risk of departments adopting unauthorized tools to fill gaps in service coverage. Overall, SolarWinds Service Desk offers a robust set of features designed to enhance service management efficiency, without the headache. By integrating automation, customized workflows, and intelligent recommendations, it stands out as a comprehensive solution that not only addresses the immediate needs of IT teams but also supports broader organizational goals for improved service delivery.

Average Rating: 4.3/5.0

Total Reviews: 778

How Do G2 Users Rate SolarWinds Service Desk?

  • Automated end user license provisioning: 7.8/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Customized alerts: 8.3/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Approved app catalogue: 7.8/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Ease of Use: 9.0/10 (Category avg: 9.1/10)

Who Is the Company Behind SolarWinds Service Desk?

  • Seller: SolarWinds Worldwide LLC
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 1999
  • HQ Location: Austin, TX
  • Twitter: @solarwinds
    19,570 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    2,864 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: IT Manager, Systems Administrator
  • Top Industries: Information Technology and Services, Hospital & Health Care
  • Company Size: 67% Medium, 23% Large

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About SolarWinds Service Desk?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users value the improved visibility of tickets and insights provided by SolarWinds Service Desk for asset management.
  • Users value the integrated ticketing and incident tracking in SolarWinds Service Desk, enhancing issue resolution and reporting.
  • Users appreciate the customer satisfaction with SolarWinds Service Desk for its ease of use and excellent support.
  • Users value the customizable fields in SolarWinds Service Desk, enhancing workflow management to meet their unique needs.
  • Users appreciate the easy navigation and editing capabilities in incident management, enhancing issue resolution and user experience.
Cons
  • Users express concerns about insufficient information, impacting device management and requiring manual troubleshooting for discrepancies.
  • Users feel that SolarWinds Service Desk is quite expensive compared to other helpdesk solutions available.
  • Users feel there are limitations in customization for asset inventory, hindering flexibility for large enterprises' needs.
  • Users express concerns over the limited features of SolarWinds Service Desk, indicating a need for more customizations and integrations.
  • Users find the missing features in SolarWinds Service Desk limit its effectiveness for large enterprise needs.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of SolarWinds Service Desk?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About SolarWinds Service Desk?

AWS License Manager

AWS License Manager makes it easier to manage licenses in AWS and on-premises servers from software vendors such as Microsoft, SAP, Oracle, and IBM. AWS License Manager lets administrators create customized licensing rules that emulate the terms of their licensing agreements, and then enforces these rules when an instance of EC2 gets launched.

Average Rating: 4.6/5.0

Total Reviews: 14

How Do G2 Users Rate AWS License Manager?

  • Automated end user license provisioning: 9.0/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Customized alerts: 9.3/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Approved app catalogue: 8.7/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Ease of Use: 8.3/10 (Category avg: 9.1/10)

Who Is the Company Behind AWS License Manager?

  • Seller: Amazon Web Services (AWS)
  • Year Founded: 2006
  • HQ Location: Seattle, WA
  • Twitter: @awscloud
    2,232,483 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    147,094 employees on LinkedIn®
  • Ownership: NASDAQ: AMZN

Who Uses This Product?

  • Company Size: 41% Large, 41% Small

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of AWS License Manager?

TeamDynamix ITAM

TeamDynamix ITAM, previously Sassafras, is a complete, platform-agnostic IT Asset Management solution that helps organizations identify unused software licenses, manage hardware across the full lifecycle, and stay audit-ready. Software asset management combines automated discovery with usage analytics for login counts, launch counts, total time, and peak concurrent usage to identify the 30%+ of software spend that's typically wasted. It combines purchase records, audit data, and usage stats to build a defensible Effective License Position (ELP) for every product, optimize renewals, and mitigate audit risk. Hardware lifecycle management tracks every IT asset from procurement to disposal across Windows, Mac, Linux, and ChromeOS including virtual and thin-client systems. Pre-built integrations with Jamf, Intune, SCCM, and CSV imports speed inventory consolidation. It includes lab equipment management, live location mapping, and CMDB integration with TeamDynamix ITSM. With it you gain value in days, not months.

Average Rating: 4.5/5.0

Total Reviews: 34

How Do G2 Users Rate TeamDynamix ITAM?

  • Automated end user license provisioning: 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Customized alerts: 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Approved app catalogue: 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Ease of Use: 8.9/10 (Category avg: 9.1/10)

Who Is the Company Behind TeamDynamix ITAM?

  • Seller: TeamDynamix
  • Year Founded: 2001
  • HQ Location: Columbus, Ohio
  • Twitter: @TDXBuzz
    1,049 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    178 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Top Industries: Higher Education, Education Management
  • Company Size: 62% Large, 29% Medium

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of TeamDynamix ITAM?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About TeamDynamix ITAM?

Snow Commander

Snow Software is changing the way organizations understand and manage their technology consumption. Our technology intelligence platform provides comprehensive visibility and contextual insight across software, SaaS, hardware and cloud. With Snow, IT leaders can effectively optimize resources, enhance performance and enable operational agility in a hybrid world.

Average Rating: 4.2/5.0

Total Reviews: 20

How Do G2 Users Rate Snow Commander?

  • Automated end user license provisioning: 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Customized alerts: 10.0/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Approved app catalogue: 9.6/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Ease of Use: 8.1/10 (Category avg: 9.1/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Snow Commander?

  • Seller: Flexera
  • Year Founded: 2008
  • HQ Location: Itasca, IL
  • Twitter: @flexera
    4,737 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    2,099 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Top Industries: Information Technology and Services
  • Company Size: 59% Large, 36% Medium

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Snow Commander?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users value the automation features of Snow Commander, enhancing resource management while ensuring governance and control.
  • Users value the strong compliance management of Snow Commander, enhancing visibility and control over resources and licenses.
  • Users appreciate the centralized visibility and control Snow Commander provides, enhancing management of cloud resources and licenses.
  • Users appreciate the ease of use of Snow Commander, enabling quick resource provisioning while maintaining IT visibility and control.
  • Users value the efficiency of Snow Commander for streamlining IT resource management and enhancing operational agility.
Cons
  • Users note that the platform's complexity can hinder initial setup and requires significant expertise to maximize value.
  • Users note a steep learning curve with Snow Commander, requiring time to master its complex setup and features.
  • Users find the time-consuming setup of Snow Commander challenging, requiring expertise to fully utilize its features.
  • Users find the complex configuration of Snow Commander challenging, requiring time and expertise to navigate effectively.
  • Users often experience complex reporting challenges, noting the steep learning curve and time-consuming setup processes.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Snow Commander?

Zluri

Zluri is a next-gen Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) platform that enables IT and security teams to discover identities and applications, streamline access management, and automate access reviews, all from a single, intuitive interface. Zluri helps organizations automate critical access controls mandated by SOX, HIPAA, SOC 2, and more, ensuring the right people have the right access to the right applications at the right time, with minimal time and manual effort.

Average Rating: 4.6/5.0

Total Reviews: 174

How Do G2 Users Rate Zluri?

  • Automated end user license provisioning: 9.2/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Customized alerts: 9.3/10 (Category avg: 8.6/10)
  • Approved app catalogue: 9.2/10 (Category avg: 8.4/10)
  • Ease of Use: 8.9/10 (Category avg: 9.1/10)

Who Is the Company Behind Zluri?

  • Seller: Zluri
  • Company Website:
  • Year Founded: 2020
  • HQ Location: San Franscisco, California
  • Twitter: @zluri_hq
    225 Twitter followers
  • LinkedIn® Page: www.linkedin.com
    247 employees on LinkedIn®

Who Uses This Product?

  • Who Uses This: IT Manager
  • Top Industries: Information Technology and Services, Computer Software
  • Company Size: 66% Medium, 23% Large

What Do G2 Reviewers Say About Zluri?

AI-generated summary from verified user reviews

Pros
  • Users value the ease of use of Zluri, appreciating its intuitive design and effective SaaS management capabilities.
  • Users appreciate the automation capabilities of Zluri, enabling effortless management of SaaS applications and optimizing software expenses.
  • Users appreciate the automatic discovery and management of SaaS applications, enhancing visibility and optimizing software spending effortlessly.
  • Users value the strong onboarding support from Zluri, making integration seamless and enhancing overall productivity.
  • Users value the time-saving automation of Zluri, streamlining processes and enhancing efficiency in SaaS management.
Cons
  • Users express concern over limited integrations with core applications, hindering Zluri's full potential in e-commerce.
  • Users report integration issues that require extra setup and validation, impacting onboarding and functionality.
  • Users express concern over limited integration, hindering the full potential of Zluri with core applications.
  • Users express concern about Zluri's missing features like limited API scopes and lack of built-in playbooks.
  • Users face insufficient information due to limited guidance and overwhelming data from Zluri, complicating effective usage.

What Are Recent G2 Reviews of Zluri?

What Are G2 Users Discussing About Zluri?

Tian Lin
TL
Researched and written by Tian Lin
Updated October 3, 2024

Software Asset Management (SAM) Topics

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Learn More About Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools

What are Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools?

Software asset management (SAM) tools allow businesses to manage the software licenses used across their company. These tools have traditionally supported on-premises software license management, but many tools also support SaaS assets, as well. Software asset management software helps companies monitor and manage software deployment, software licenses, license compliance, and ultimately license spend for all end users involved in the application. The primary use case of SAM is to keep the business compliant as software vendors don’t want the business using more of their software than they purchased or licensed. Vendors often conduct software compliance audits to ensure companies use the specific application correctly. If they are not compliant, a fee or penalty may incur. An excellent SAM practice prevents vendor audits and penalties. 

SAM tools discover on-premises software by scanning databases, system logs, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications. This not only shows the software used, but it also prevents unsanctioned software use, known as shadow IT, since it uncovers unreported software. After the discovery, SAM tracks the software compliance with metrics like renewal dates, the maximum number of users and devices, etc. SAM software will go through a normalization process that pulls these metrics out of contracts. Normalization can be partially automated, but due to the complexity of software contracts, manual entry may still be necessary for accuracy. After all key fields are pulled and tracked, SAM tools visualize the metrics and software usage to check for compliance. This visualization informs companies if there are any overuse cases so they can act early to avoid penalties. 

Additionally, companies can make the most of their tech stack by ensuring every application is being utilized correctly and not paying for unused licenses. A visualization of usage ensures companies that their money is being spent most efficiently.

What Does SAM Stand For?

SAM stands for software asset management. It is a business practice for software compliance and procurement. SAM software does most of the heavy lifting by discovering software, tracking licenses, and visualizing usage data. Some SAM software also tracks SaaS and cloud applications, but they focus more on usage optimization than compliance.

What are the Common Features of Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools?

The following are some core features within SAM tools that can help users in monitoring software compliance, tracking usage data, and preventing vendor audits:

Software discovery: A software management tool maintains a centralized software database. It should automatically discover and document software used on company devices. Manual entry at scale is impractical because it is too time-consuming and inaccurate.

Usage visualization: SAM tools should track software usage from the time of procurement to their disposal. By monitoring usage by users, central IT can make important purchasing and license allocation decisions based on who is overusing or underusing the software in real time.

Alerting: Once there is an overused case or expiring license, the system should alert the IT manager. Without this functionality, IT managers cannot discontinue or adjust software license agreements on time. Therefore, SAM plays a critical role in the IT service management (ITSM) and Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) processes.

Compliance documentation: A software license agreement can be extremely complex. To document these compliance requirements, SAM tools should document the specific metrics and conditions in its database from the agreements. SAM experts would need to input this information into a centralized SAM database for any SAM tools to work.

What are the Benefits of Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools?

Cost saving: SAM gives companies a usage view of their software estate. This allows companies to cut underused licenses in vendor negotiations, saving them an average of 10-20% on software spending. 

Improves vendor relationship: Vendors are less likely to perform an audit if they are informed of their client’s license entitlements. Suspicious software licensing changes are the top reason why vendors conduct audits. Constant auditing and frequent penalties waste time and deteriorate client relationships. Companies lower software audit risk by informing vendors on license changes, headcount changes, usage data, etc.

Prevents shadow IT: Shadow IT is when employees secretly procure their desired hardware or software. There are security risks associated with unknown software, but there is also the threat of non-compliance. Unapproved software, which is therefore not covered by an organization’s license terms, could trigger a software vendor audit. SAM tools should tackle red tape, long delays, and missed requests from employees so they are less likely to procure unauthorized software. 

Who Uses Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools?

IT managers: The primary users of this software are IT managers. They are responsible for setting up the SAM tool and tracking all the software. SAM tools also enable them to negotiate better terms with vendors by identifying their real software requirements. 

Finance teams: Finance teams can determine how many software licenses they can cut based on usage. This also provides them with a clear understanding of software costs in budget planning.

Software Related to Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools

IT asset management software: IT asset management (ITAM) software helps users document their IT hardware and software inventory. SAM is a part of the ITAM process since it only manages software inventory.

SaaS operations management software: SaaS operations management, or SaaSOps, is a process of managing, governing, and securing SaaS products within a business. This is similar to SAM but it mostly covers cloud applications. Some vendors today offer comprehensive tools that manage both SAM and SaaSOps practices. 

Challenges with Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools

Data normalization: Data normalization is part of the SAM automation process that identifies and formats key data from application codes. Normalization turns unstructured data into readable metrics to show compliance status and usage information. SAM tools automate this process with the correct configuration. The challenge is that it is time-consuming to set up the correct metrics (what is the limit for per device, per user, etc.) with complex software contracts. To correctly identify all the metrics, the legal, finance, and IT teams should work together for an extended period. Companies with new SAM processes should aim for a few critical software licenses to start.

Data integration: Not all applications can be integrated with every SAM tool. Some SAM vendors offer specific SAM tools for leading vendors such as Microsoft, while some SAM vendors claim to offer all-in-one solutions for all applications. Companies should review their requirements and ask vendors to demonstrate whether or not their tools can integrate specific applications.

Which Companies Should Buy Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools?

Enterprise: Companies with 500 or more employees should consider buying SAM tools. Manual software license tracking is difficult with this many employees, typically enterprise businesses will hire license management solution companies to facilitate this task. Vendors also actively target enterprises for vendor audits, making them more likely to receive penalties. 

How to Buy Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools

Requirements Gathering (RFI/RFP) for Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools

Whether a company is looking for its first SAM software or trying to replace an existing one, g2.com can help find the best tool.

The company’s needs when searching for SAM software often relate to specifically desired data and metrics. For example, the user may be most interested in monitoring their software usage. Buyers should make a ranked list of the SAM features that most directly address the problems they’re trying to solve, then reference G2 reviews to find the right fit.

Prioritizing the desired feature set can help narrow down the potential pool of SAM solutions, allowing teams to then apply further considerations for budget, ease of integration with other systems, security requirements, and more. This holistic approach empowers buyers to move forward with a focused checklist, which can be used in conjunction with G2 scoring to select the best SAM product for the business.

Compare Software Asset Management (SAM) Products

Create a long list

When searching for SAM software, companies need to identify compatibility with existing ERP, HR, and other business management software. Buyers should make a list of important existing software that needs to be integrated, then filter out the SAM tools that can’t be integrated with existing software.

Create a short list

It helps to cross-reference the results of initial vendor evaluations with G2 reviews from other buyers, the combination of which will help to narrow in on a short three to five-product list. From there, buyers can compare pricing and features to determine the best fit. Some vendors don’t charge implementation costs while some do. 

Conduct demos

As a rule of thumb, companies should make sure to demo all of the products that end up on their short list. During demos, buyers should ask specific questions related to the functionalities they care most about; for example, one might ask to be walked through a typical performance issue from alerting to license reconciliation within the SAM tool. 

Selection of Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools

Choose a selection team

Regardless of a company’s size, it’s important to involve the most relevant personas when beginning the SAM software selection process. Larger companies may include SAM specialists, procurement teams, IT managers, and developers who will be working with the software most closely. Smaller companies with fewer employees might just need IT managers to fill the role.

Negotiation

Many vendors offer full software license platforms that go beyond SAM (on-premises) to include SaaS license management and spending platforms. While some companies will not budge on the configurations of their packages, buyers looking to trim costs should try to negotiate down to the specific functions that matter to them to get the best price. For example, a vendor’s pricing page where SAM functionality is only included with a robust all-in-one monitoring package, whereas a sales conversation may prove otherwise. 

Final decision

After this stage, it is important to perform a trial run if possible with a small selection of IT professionals or developers. This will help to ensure that the SAM software of choice integrates well with an IT administrator’s systems setup or a developer’s day-to-day work. If the SAM tool is well-liked and well-utilized, the buyer can take that as a sign that their selection is the right one. If not, looking back at the other options may be necessary.