SAM Asset Tracking & Inventory Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which discovery method is MOST effective for identifying software installed on endpoints that are rarely connected to the corporate network?
- Active network scanning
- Agent-based discovery (Correct answer)
- Manual inventory forms
- SNMP polling
Correct answer: Agent-based discovery
Agent-based discovery collects inventory data locally on the endpoint and syncs when connectivity is restored, making it ideal for remote or offline devices.
Question 2: A software asset manager needs to distinguish 'installed' software from 'recognized' software in a discovery tool. What does 'recognized' mean in this context?
- Software that has been purchased and licensed
- Software matched to a known catalog entry with vendor and product details (Correct answer)
- Software approved by the IT security team
- Software that is actively running as a process
Correct answer: Software matched to a known catalog entry with vendor and product details
Recognition normalizes raw installation data against a software catalog, mapping it to a specific vendor, product, and version for license reconciliation.
Question 3: What is the primary risk of relying solely on software publisher portals (like Microsoft VLSC) to track license entitlements without cross-referencing an internal ITAM tool?
- Publisher portals charge extra fees for data exports
- Internal deployments may exceed portal-recorded entitlements without detection (Correct answer)
- Publisher portals do not support volume licensing agreements
- Portals automatically revoke unused licenses
Correct answer: Internal deployments may exceed portal-recorded entitlements without detection
Publisher portals show purchased entitlements but not actual deployment counts, so over-deployment can go undetected without reconciliation against discovery data.
Question 4: An organization uses a CMDB to track IT assets. Which ITAM practice ensures the CMDB remains accurate over time?
- Importing discovery data into the CMDB on a recurring schedule (Correct answer)
- Manually reviewing the CMDB annually during audits
- Locking CMDB records after initial population
- Delegating CMDB updates solely to the help desk
Correct answer: Importing discovery data into the CMDB on a recurring schedule
Automated, recurring imports from discovery tools keep the CMDB synchronized with the actual environment, reducing data drift.
Question 5: Which software inventory metric is most useful for identifying shelfware?
- Number of software titles installed
- Last-used date and usage frequency per installation (Correct answer)
- Total license spend by vendor
- Number of devices per software title
Correct answer: Last-used date and usage frequency per installation
Last-used date and usage frequency reveal installations that are never or rarely used, which qualify as shelfware that can be reclaimed.
Question 6: A company merges with another firm and must consolidate two separate software inventories. What is the FIRST step in this process?
- Immediately decommission duplicate licenses
- Establish a common software catalog and normalization standard (Correct answer)
- Renegotiate all vendor contracts jointly
- Deploy a single discovery agent across both environments
Correct answer: Establish a common software catalog and normalization standard
A unified software catalog and normalization standard ensures that both inventories use consistent product identifications before reconciliation or consolidation can occur.
Question 7: What does the term 'software metering' refer to in the context of asset tracking?
- Measuring the file size of installed applications
- Tracking how often and how long software applications are actively used (Correct answer)
- Counting the total number of software licenses purchased
- Monitoring software update patch levels across devices
Correct answer: Tracking how often and how long software applications are actively used
Software metering tracks application launch frequency and active usage duration, enabling organizations to identify underused licenses for reclamation.
SAM Asset Tracking & Inventory Management 2
Which discovery method is MOST effective for identifying software installed on endpoints that are rarely connected to the corporate network?