Moving to the Cloud Fails to Alleviate Licensing Issues, Survey Finds
LOS ANGELES — A survey sponsored by LicenseFortress, an independent software asset management company, reveals that mid-sized companies have faced more software license audits in the past three years. Out of the 283 IT professionals surveyed, 69% reported that their enterprise had been audited for software compliance. While small companies had a lower audit rate, 83% of mid-sized enterprises and 77% of large organizations underwent audits. Microsoft conducted audits on 64% of respondents’ enterprises, followed by Oracle (41%) and IBM (27%).
Companies audited by Oracle incurred the highest fees, with 15% paying over $1 million in non-compliance fees. Despite the financial risks, the majority of audited companies did not seek outside assistance and failed to continuously monitor software changes. The move to cloud-based applications and databases did not alleviate compliance issues, with 80% reporting no change or an increase in issues. The survey emphasizes the ongoing financial risk of software compliance audits and the importance of continuous monitoring and external guidance.
