A License to Audit

A License to Audit
by ED FOSTER
InfoWorld, publication date: 11 July 2006
"Russman believes that at least some of the larger software publishers are actually softening their approach, allowing more customers to conduct self-audits and even sometimes accepting it when the customer reports they are in compliance. But the software publishers may have little choice, because Russman also detects a growing intolerance among large corporate customers for these audit practices. 'There is a backlash because the customers are really sick of this,' says Russman. 'And the software publishers realize that they have alienated a lot of the big companies in the process. They are going to lose business, so they have to find a different approach.'

And what might that new approach be? Well, that brings us back to why I was talking to Russman in the first place. One idea some software publishers are moving toward is to at least supplement their audit demands by including embedded license controls in their products. We'll be discussing that topic further in the near future, because it's one that raises a lot of issues for customers and vendors alike."