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SAM Governance Playbook

Enterprise governance framework for operating and maintaining the Software Asset Management Schema. Defines ownership models, data quality rules, review cadences, and escalation procedures for license compliance.

📖 30 min read 📋 Governance v1.0 💎 Pro Tier

SAM Governance Structure

The SAM Governance Committee

Software asset management requires dedicated governance that focuses on license compliance, cost optimization, and vendor relationship management.

Role Responsibility Attendance
SAM Manager (Chair) Program direction, compliance oversight All meetings
IT Procurement Lead Agreement negotiation, renewals All meetings
IT Finance Controller Cost allocation, budget forecasting All meetings
IT Operations Manager Deployment oversight, discovery tools All meetings
Security/Compliance Officer License compliance risk Monthly
Legal Counsel Contract interpretation, audit response Quarterly

Data Ownership Matrix

Object Type Ownership

Object Type Data Steward Source System
Software Publisher IT Procurement Lead Manual entry from contracts
Software Product SAM Manager Discovery tools, Procurement
User HR Systems Administrator HR System, Identity Provider
Device IT Operations Manager Discovery tools (SCCM, Intune, JAMF)
License Agreement IT Procurement Lead Contract Management System
Entitlement SAM Manager License certificates, agreements
Installation SAM Manager Discovery tools
Compliance Position SAM Manager Calculated from Entitlements/Installations
Renewal IT Procurement Lead Derived from Agreement dates
Cost Allocation IT Finance Controller Calculated from usage data

Data Quality Rules

Entitlement Validation Rules

Rule Validation Priority
Quantity positive Quantity > 0 Critical
Product reference valid Product exists and is Active Critical
Agreement reference valid Agreement exists and is Active Critical
Metric defined Metric is not empty Critical

Compliance Position Validation

Rule Validation Priority
Product reference valid Product exists Critical
Assessment date current Assessment Date within 30 days High
Gap calculation correct Gap = Deployed - Entitled Critical

Review Cadences

Weekly Reviews

Activity Owner Day
Compliance review meeting SAM Manager Monday
License harvesting review SAM Analyst Tuesday
Discovery data quality Discovery Admin Wednesday
Renewal pipeline review Procurement Analyst Thursday

Monthly Reviews

Activity Owner Week
SAM Governance Committee SAM Manager 1st week
Compliance metrics report SAM Manager 1st week
Cost allocation processing Finance Controller 2nd week
Product rationalization SAM Manager 4th week

Escalation Procedures

Under-Licensing Escalation

Exposure Value Escalation Path Timeline
< $10,000 SAM Analyst remediation plan 30 days to resolve
$10,000 - $100,000 SAM Manager + Procurement Lead 14 days to resolve
$100,000 - $500,000 Finance Controller + Legal 7 days to plan
> $500,000 Immediate executive notification Same day notification

Vendor Audit Escalation

  1. Day 1: SAM Manager notified, acknowledgement to vendor, Legal engaged
  2. Day 3: Scope clarification request sent, internal team assembled
  3. Day 7: Initial compliance position generated
  4. Day 14: Data compilation complete, Legal review
  5. Day 21: Response submitted (unless extension requested)

Audit Readiness Checklist

  • All agreements documented with agreement numbers
  • Entitlement quantities verified against license certificates
  • Discovery tools running and current (data < 7 days old)
  • Compliance positions calculated (< 30 days old)
  • Under-licensed positions documented with remediation plans
  • Product normalization rules current and accurate
  • Evidence of license certificates organized

Key Metrics

Monthly SAM Metrics

Metric Target
Compliance rate (% products compliant) > 95%
Under-licensed exposure ($) < $50,000
Over-licensed waste ($) Minimize
License harvesting savings ($) Track monthly
Discovery coverage (%) > 95%
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