SAM Step 1: Perform a software inventory
Perform a software inventory as a first step to understand your software assets. There are two main techniques to perform a software inventory: manual and automatic.
1. Manual inventory
You can perform a manual inventory by checking the hard disk of each computer and recording the information in a report. One easy way to start is to view the Add or Remove Programs screen on each computer. See this page for more info.
2. Automatic inventory
You can use a software inventory tool to perform an automatic inventory of your company’s computers and servers. The Software Inventory and Asset Management Tools catalogue contains a searchable list of these types of tools. In addition, you can use the Microsoft Software Inventory Analyzer (MSIA) to determine which major Microsoft tools are installed. These automated tools help to simplify the software inventory process.
You can use MSIA or a software asset management (SAM) tool to scan computers that are on a network. You can also scan each non-networked computer (stand-alone). Most SAM tools automatically generate software inventory reports. There are example reports available in the Downloadable Documents section. If you use such a tool on stand-alone computers, you must install the tool on each computer.
When you’ve taken inventory all of your organisation's computers, combine the information into one master report. This report will be useful in the next step of SAM and as a reference for all future SAM work.
