ISEB Foundation Certificate in Software Asset Management (SAM-E)

This course is a Foundation level course that acts as a prerequisite for candidates wishing to attend the more
advanced Practitioner level SAM course.

Course Objectives
Candidates who take the exam should be able to demonstrate knowledge and comprehension of the lifecycle,
and be able to recognize where Software Asset Management is applicable within their own environment. Holders
of the ISEB Certificate in SAM Essentials will be able to demonstrate their competence in, and their ability
to:

• Describe the objectives and major activities required to implement SAM within an organisation
• Explain and use SAM techniques and processes
• Be aware of the support tools and techniques available for the implementation of SAM and be able to indicate
  how possible improvements can be made
• Manage software assets through the stages of their lifecycle
• Prepare and distribute SAM reports and plans throughout the organisation.
• Understand and explain the interdependencies between SAM and other IT & Service Management processes
• Make more efficient use of software licenses within an organisation and define, produce and analyse
  measurements and metrics
• Assist organisations develop effective SAM processes in line with evolving SAM standards
• Justify and sell the benefits of a SAM initiative.
• Understand the impact of software ownership, legal risks and non compliance.

Prerequisites
Candidates with a reasonable knowledge of software asset management can attend this Foundation
level course. This course does not require you to hold previous certifications, although
any introduction into ITIL as a framework would be helpful.
It is essential you obtain the following book before attending the course. Therefore, this can be purchased through Innovise ESM when booking your course or alternatively you can purchase this yourself but please remember to bring this with you to the course.
ITIL v3 Guide to Software Asset Management
ISBN 978-0-11-331106-4



Who should attend
Individuals that cover any part of software management through their daily roles will find the
SAM Foundation course beneficial. The following roles areas have previously benefited from
the course.

• Procurement or Sourcing
• Configuration management
• Release management
• IT Audit
• Risk & control
• Finance
• SAM or ITAM Teams

Software asset management spans through the new v.3 ITIL Infrastructure setting in real detail
and as such there are many areas of IT that require good SAM knowledge.

Course outlineThe course is delivered in a classroom using PowerPoint slides. The 3 days of training will consist of lectures, practical
sessions, team workshops as well as question & answer sessions.
A mock exam will also be given to the candidates on the third day, which will help them emphasise on ambiguous topics
prior to the exam. The tutor will be available during the evenings for extra tuition and guidance on all SAM related
subjects.

The course covers all aspects of the ITIL SAM book including:
Introduction to SAM:
Wide introduction to all aspects of SAM ranging from compliance to history of publisher activities. Description of risks
associated with software and its usage. understanding the special characteristics of software assets & software licenses,
software compliance & Intellectual Property.
The Business case:
Obtaining the appropriate information in order to produce a comprehensive SAM business case, including business
benefits, costs, timescales, approach and templates; As well as producing a business case.
Roles & responsibilities:
A guide through all roles associated with good Software Asset Management. Including understanding skills and responsibilities required to carry out specific roles such as audit, reconciliation work and contract management.
Policies and processes:
Overall management processes, core asset management, logistics processes, verification and compliance and relationship
processes.
Implementing SAM:
Understanding and identifying all cyclical stages of implementing SAM: Preparation / Getting there / Staying there /
Proving you can stay there.
Understanding different resource requirements for project and business as usual activities.
Tools & techniques:

• Understanding all methods & technical applications available to support any SAM system.
• Distinguishing between types of SAM tools and their usage.
• Selecting and procuring the appropriate tool
• Managing and maintaining SAM information.

SAM Reporting:
A look at the kind of reports and their content in order to support the business requirements I.e.: financial, compliance
or operational. Identify and produce regular and ad-hoc SAM related reports. Defining measurements, metrics and Key
Performance Indicators (KPIs), analyzing and acting on reports.
Mapping SAM to ITIL :
A closer look at how SAM as a subject links to other areas of ITIL and the overall importance of running strong inventories
when setting up an ITIL framework. This aims to identify and describe the interfaces and dependencies that SAM
has with other IT and Service Management processes.
Training booklets comprising of the course slides will be distributed during the training.
After taking the course delegates will be able to sit a formal 1 hour examination set by BCS ISEB. The examination will
comprise of 40 multiple choice questions and candidates will need to obtain a pass mark of at least 26/40 to pass the
examination.

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