Organisations require visibility over their IT spend so they can avoid wasting time and money, and ensure they are meeting security and compliance requirements .
Flexera’s directors of product marketing, Kevin Miller and Jennifer Kuvlesky, offer advice to help IT leaders control their IT environment and provide actionable steps to maintaining a responsible tech ecosystem.
Gain comprehensive visibility of IT spend
It is crucial to get stakeholder engagement across the organisation and to set clear goals for better IT asset management. “Visibility is fundamental - you can’t manage what you can’t see,” says Miller.
Multiple discovery sources should be utilised to fully understand what IT inventory exists, who is using it and where it sits across different business units. “Start with your on-premises environment, then extend to SaaS and cloud,” adds Miller. “And don’t skip the risk assessment - it’s the quickest way to identify vulnerabilities.”
You also need good visibility of contracts and invoices to ensure they match what is actually happening. This provides a better understanding of potential financial and compliance risks.
Prepare for vendor renewals based on actual usage data
Organisations must look at what licences have been purchased and allocated, and check if this matches what is actually being used. “It’s easy to lose track - SaaS and cloud services are purchased in so many different ways now,” says Kuvlesky.
It can be difficult to assess waste if a company has grown rapidly without strong governance and policies. The cost of application licences should be reviewed closely, alongside the internal costs of managing applications and user access.
“For some of our customers, around 25% of their cloud bill is related to software licences alone,” notes Kuvlesky. “And when staff start using included pay-as-you-go solutions, it can lead to double payments - a huge blind spot.
In hybrid environments, it can also be hard to track whether employees need full installs or simply online access to software, leading to further waste.
“One way to drive adoption is to reframe the IT asset usage conversation,” notes Kuvlesky. “It’s not just about IT hygiene, it’s about improving business outcomes, whether that’s boosting sales, enhancing customer service, or streamlining operations.”
Strengthen compliance and reduce security risks
Every industry has regulatory standards that must be met. The challenge in reducing compliance and security risks is combining data from multiple sources to generate insight.
“It’s critical that different parts of the business collaborate to build a complete picture of vulnerabilities, compliance gaps and cost exposure,” says Miller.
Businesses naturally want to keep customer data safe, but software licence compliance remains a common concern - especially when employees access cloud applications that ITAM teams aren’t aware of.
Compliance around areas like ESG reporting is also becoming more demanding. “We’re seeing growing pressure for organisations to measure and report the carbon footprint of their IT,” says Miller. “That’s going to be a major compliance factor going forward.”
Implement effective governance policies
It’s not enough to simply track data - governance policies must be in place to reduce future risks.
“When an employee leaves, organisations need a clear view of what software access they had, what licences they were issued, and whether they used personal emails to sign up for apps,” says Kuvlesky.
Governance can be patchy in smaller organisations, increasing risk. “There has to be an element of risk acceptance,” says Miller. “But you need to know where your biggest vulnerabilities are and understand the potential business impact.”
AI governance is another growing concern. Employees must understand how using AI tools improperly could affect the business. Meanwhile, mergers and acquisitions demand careful attention to overlapping systems and hardware. Legacy systems may need to be retired or upgraded to maintain security and efficiency.
Leverage tools to optimise IT asset management
Organisations should maintain a complete inventory of IT assets and understand their lifecycle.
“You want tools that don’t just give you visibility, but that actively help you hit your KPIs,” says Kuvlesky.
This means assessing whether tools still meet business needs, if there is unnecessary overlap, and whether they have the right certifications such as SOC2 compliance to protect sensitive data.
“Working with proven IT asset management partners can help plug gaps quickly and give you a lot more confidence in your IT estate,” Miller adds.
Take control of your IT environment
Greater visibility, stronger governance and smarter tooling are key to optimising IT spend and minimising risk.
By following expert advice and taking a proactive approach, IT leaders can build a more efficient, compliant and resilient hybrid environment - turning IT management into a true business advantage.
For more information please visit www.flexera.com
Organisations require visibility over their IT spend so they can avoid wasting time and money, and ensure they are meeting security and compliance requirements .
Flexera’s directors of product marketing, Kevin Miller and Jennifer Kuvlesky, offer advice to help IT leaders control their IT environment and provide actionable steps to maintaining a responsible tech ecosystem.
