Match software with licenses  After you know what you're looking for, how do you find it? The first step is to contact the person(s) responsible for new software acquisition in your company. If you have a centralized purchasing department, start there. If each department is responsible for their own software acquisition, get in touch with the department managers. Your information technology (IT) department might have additional documentation such as software manuals and original product CDs.
If your company participates in one of the Microsoft Volume License Programs, you can visit special Web sites to access your license documentation. If you have an Open License agreement, visit the secure eOpen site. If you have a Select License or Enterprise Agreement, the Microsoft Volume Licensing Services site contains all of the information you need.
If you still have difficulty in locating your license information, contact your resellers for help.  After you have found all of your license documentation, store it in a safe place (off-site if possible). If your company decides to keep license documentation onsite, use of a fire-proof, waterproof, lockable cabinet or safe is recommended.  After you have collected all of your company's license documentation, record the information in a report. Then compare this report to the software inventory report you prepared in SAM Step 1. You could even use the same summary report used in Step 1 for this comparison. It should be easy to see where your company is over-licensed, under-licensed, or both. Software Installed| Product Name | Version | Total Installs | Total Licenses Owned | License Excess or Deficiency |
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| Office | XP | 14 | 12 | -2 | | Office | 2000 | 12 | 12 | 0 | | Windows | XP | 12 | 10 | -2 | | Windows | 2000 | 37 | 40 | +3 | If your company is over-licensed, software assets are going to waste. The software may be installed on additional PCs until the number of licenses equals the number of installs. If your company is under-licensed, now is the time to acquire additional licenses through an authorized Microsoft software reseller. | |
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