SAM friends seek support
Reseller group looking for more vendor backing
A group of resellers that last year formed an independent body aiming to push the benefits of software asset management (SAM) is looking for more vendors to supply funding.
Investors in Software (IiS), a not-for-profit organisation, was formed by the principals of Bytes, Grey Matter and Teksys, and a senior manager from Deloitte & Touche. It has since expanded to include SAM Partners and Phoenix Software, and has single-handedly driven the creation of a new global ISO standard in SAM which is due to be ratified next May (CRN, 3 October).
The group has received financial and other support from eight big-name software vendors but is looking for additional vendor backing.
Shaun Fröhlich, chairman of Teksys, told CRN: “More and more vendors are seeing reasons to put money into the organisation. As we get nearer to certification it becomes easier to convince them that the initiative works.”
Fröhlich said the IiS is working its way through its final checklist, which includes finding a long-term chairman outside the SAM industry, completing certification work, raising funding and delivering web content.
Tony Fisher, managing director of SAM Partners, said: “The IiS body shows a lot of goodwill among organisations concerned with bringing SAM to the forefront of business. A number of our customers are expressing an interest in the standard.”