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Typical policies and procedure on managing software

The following is sourced for the Hong Kong Institute of Education and is a typical set of polices and procedures on managing software within an organisation as part of the software asset management. Business managers is made aware that there had been criminal prosecutions by the Customs & Excise Department on possession of pirated software copies against companies in Hong Kong. Therefore, having a software asset management policy is a must for each and every enterprise using software in their day-to-day business operation:

Appoint a compliance officer or an officer responsible for managing software assets to oversee and to act as a focal point for matters related to SAM and intellectual property;

Promulgate internal instructions in respect of the proper management and use of computer software to ensure that each staff member clearly understands the requirements;

Ensure general awareness of all staff members to use only authorized software;
Acquire software legitimately;

Keep software licences;

Keep software inventory up-to-date;

Maintain and implement proper procedures for installing and distributing software;

Conduct periodic software asset audit; and

Confirm proper licensing and authorization for all software used.

What is Software Asset Management?

The amendments to the Copyright Ordinance introduced in 2001 criminalised the possession of pirated software by business corporations, including non-profit-making organisations and schools. Because of that, many enterprises has formulated a software asset management policy and practice in order to ensure the the full observance of the law and compliance of the software licence agreements.