Software Licensing: Endure and Triumph
Software is playing an increasingly important role at every company. Today it's ERP, databases and desktop applications; tomorrow it will be embedded systems and ever-more mobile apps. CEO after CEO touts the strategic advantage and cost savings that technology imparts, all of it powered ultimately by software. Yet, peel back a layer and you'll find CIOs and their IT managers frustrated with the state of software licensing. They view it as having to climb an insurmountable summit imposed by vendors.
In an InformationWeek survey of more than 500 business technology professionals and in interviews with many more industry players, we found that while there isn't much IT leaders can do about tortuously complicated vendor licensing practices, there's plenty they can do to manage contracts and relationships. Instead of being the victim, IT leaders must take charge.
About the Author
Jonathan Feldman serves as director of information technology services for a city in North Carolina. The city has won several technology innovation awards during his tenure, including the International Economic Development Council New Media Award. He has also directed professional services in the private sector, providing security and network infrastructure services to the military, healthcare, financial services and law enforcement markets.
Jonathan has worked for 20 years in the fields of IT security, reliability and human resources management, and has written, taught and consulted extensively on these topics, notably as co-author of Maximum Security and author of Teach Yourself Network Troubleshooting. His writing, which readers call “funny and easy to read,” has been translated into many different languages. As an award-winning Network Computing and InformationWeek contributing editor, he has worked with dozens of public- and private-sector organizations to document real business benefits, risks and appropriate governance of new technologies and surrounding practices and procedures.
A speaker at regional and national venues, including Interop, PC Expo, CNet Radio, The Institute of Internal Auditors and for the United States Army, Jonathan has been active in the community with organizations such as Infragard and GMIS International. He holds an MS degree from Georgia Tech.
Write to him at jf@feldman.org.
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