SAM Cost Optimization & Usage Analytics 5

Question 1

Which software licensing metric measures the percentage of purchased licenses that are actively in use?

Accepted Answer

License Utilization Rate

Answer

License Utilization Rate (active deployments divided by total licenses owned) is the core metric for identifying over-licensed software and cost reduction opportunities.

Question 2

A SAM program identifies that 30 Visio Professional licenses are unused. The perpetual licenses were purchased 4 years ago. What is the BEST cost action?

Accepted Answer

Harvest the unused licenses and cancel associated maintenance/assurance renewals

Answer

Canceling ongoing maintenance or assurance fees on confirmed unused perpetual licenses stops the recurring cost drain without affecting licensed users.

Question 3

What is 'shadow IT' and why does it create cost optimization challenges in SAM?

Accepted Answer

Unauthorized software or SaaS applications procured outside of IT, creating untracked license spend and compliance risk

Answer

Shadow IT creates hidden costs because unlicensed or untracked tools bypass the procurement process, making it impossible to optimize total software spend.

Question 4

Which data source is MOST valuable for identifying cloud infrastructure software costs that fall outside traditional ITAM scope?

Accepted Answer

Cloud provider billing and cost management reports (e.g., AWS Cost Explorer)

Answer

Cloud provider billing reports expose software costs embedded in cloud services (e.g., Windows Server BYOL, marketplace software) that traditional endpoint agents cannot detect.

Question 5

An enterprise is negotiating an Enterprise License Agreement (ELA). Which usage analytics data provides the strongest negotiating leverage?

Accepted Answer

Actual peak and average concurrent user counts and deployment trends over 12 months

Answer

Precise historical usage data demonstrates exactly what the organization needs, preventing vendors from over-selling seats and strengthening the buyer's negotiating position.

(SAM) Software Asset Management Practice Test

(SAM) Software Asset Management Practice Test

SAM Cost Optimization & Usage Analytics 5