BSA targets small businesses with SAM site

The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has launched a Web site to help small businesses keep track of their software assets and avoid breaking licensing laws through ignorance.

According to a survey of small businesses carried out on behalf of the BSA, only 16 percent of respondents said they used software asset management (SAM) tools, but 80 percent said they would be interested in using tools to keep track of software usage if they were simple and cost-effective.

The justasksam.co.uk Web site was launched by the BSA in London on Thursday, and contains free software and hardware audit tools, along with links to more than 30 asset management companies. It helps smaller companies create, build and maintain their own SAM database, depending on their needs and budget.

Mark Floisand, UK chairman of the BSA, said that some small companies are inadvertently breaking the law because they have little knowledge of their own software use. "Fewer than three in four companies know they have the correct amount of licenses in place; the BSA is committed to increasing this percentage. The Justasksam.co.uk Web site is another element of BSA’s ongoing effort to educate companies about software asset management," he said.