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The Impact of Cloud and BYOD Computing on Software Compliance and Audit
[December 17, 2012]

The Impact of Cloud and BYOD Computing on Software Compliance and Audit


Dec 17, 2012 (M2 PRESSWIRE via COMTEX) -- Business Continuity Services (BCS), a trusted global provider of Software Asset Management (SAM) solutions and services, today announced details of its first seminar in a new series; aimed at educating business leaders around the possible pitfalls to be aware of when managing software assets. The seminar was a resounding success with a hundred percent attendance, and thought provoking sessions from special guests Victoria Barber, Research Director (Gartner), Simon Langley, Senior Manager (PwC) and Vaughan Daly, Partner Account Manager (Microsoft) encouraged interactivity between the delegates with an open forum for discussion.



The opening session set the scene with some interesting stats on software audits and encouraged the group to share their experiences. Simon Langley then presented on managing BYOD devices, and the many issues surrounding this: "Employers need to be aware of the vulnerabilities of mobile devices, and make sure that they are adequately protected with robust policies and procedures. The boom in this area is phenomenal, but this is a potential minefield unless you have clear and binding rules around BYOD - which is a hostile and uncontrollable threat environment that challenges security and privacy." Delegates from Capita found the BYOD session hugely informative: "BYOD is a huge topic for all businesses at the moment, and it's only going to get bigger. We wanted to discover the relationship between licence compliance and mobile devices." Andy Meighen added "We also wanted to learn about the impact of cloud on that, how much it could complicate things and impact the budget. It's been an interesting morning and has definitely given us some things to think about." Delegate, Will Fensom from Xchanging echoed these sentiments: "One of our key issues in 2013 will be BYOD and we're quite reassured with what we've heard today that we're on the right track. That said, we are still concerned about having all the issues around this covered, the seminar has certainly highlighted a few new licensing issues that I hadn't considered." Willie Wilson, Senior Audit Consultant, BCS Ltd gave an honest and high level overview around server audits, the differences between this and a software licence audit and common traps to avoid. From his session, it was clear to see the level of complexity involved in server audits which can be a minefield. Requirements are unique for every publisher, and for each application by every publisher, and even different versions or editions. He highlighted some very easy ways to fall foul of your licence agreement, including outsourcing your IT or moving your server to a datacentre.

Vaughan Daly from Microsoft discussed audits from a vendor perspective, giving delegates the final part to a well-rounded and balanced discussion. Delegates posed questions to Vaughan that they had been pondering on and enjoyed access to one of the world's largest software vendors in an exclusive and interactive setting. Vaughan stressed the importance of having a very good understanding of the business' current position before heading off in completely the wrong direction, which could lead to over-licencing and unnecessary costs.


Andy Fisher, New Business Development Director, BCS Ltd is a long-time supporter for more transparency around software asset management (SAM) and licence compliance; and was delighted with the success of the event: "We're trying to help businesses to understand SAM and to unravel some of the mystery around it, so it's fantastic to be able to put on an event like this where delegates have access to the best possible sources to help them make sense of it all. A huge thank you to all of our speakers, and to Microsoft for providing the venue; but I also particularly wanted to thank all who came along for making the seminar so interactive and a great forum for transferring information. BCS Ltd. will be hosting similar events in the new year.

For further information on BCS Ltd. or the seminar series, please email Fiona Miller at [email protected] or call 01189 001134.

About BCS BCS is a trusted global provider of Software Asset Management (SAM) solutions and services with over 17 years' experience, and is the Exclusive Global Distributor of Software Organiser. Software Organiser is a market leading software licence management tool that provides everything a customer needs to effectively control costly software assets. BCS solutions have helped customers save millions of pounds in unnecessary software licence fees and hardware maintenance costs. For further information please visit: http:/bcsltd.com/ ((M2 Communications disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to [email protected].

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