How to Stay Audit-Ready For Software Licensing Compliance

Ensuring software licensing compliance is crucial for maintaining business continuity and avoiding legal issues. However, software licensing UK regulations can be complex and change frequently, making it challenging to keep everything in order.

Software audits can arrive without much notice and quickly become a big challenge to manage. This is especially true if you haven’t been paying much attention to the compliance aspect of your software usage.

It doesn’t take much for things to go out of sync. A missed renewal here, an unused license there, and suddenly you’re dealing with something more serious than expected.

Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be that way, and you can stay audit-ready for software licensing compliance through a few simple habits and tools. In this blog, we’ll explain 4 practical ways to help your business stay audit-ready and fully in line with IT compliance for businesses. Let’s get started.

1. Keep Your Software Inventory Up to Date

Start with the basics and make a list of every piece of software your business uses. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just enough to know what’s actually running across your devices.

The reason we ask you to do this is that over time, software gets added, removed, or forgotten about. Maybe someone in your team installed a trial and never deleted it, or maybe they replaced a tool, but the old license is still being renewed.

These little things add up and can cause problems if no one’s keeping track. Having a current inventory gives you a clear picture of what you’ve got and what you’re still paying for.

It also helps you spot anything that’s missing a valid license before it becomes a bigger issue. You can keep track of these things through a simple spreadsheet that’s checked every couple of months to keep things in order. This makes audit prep much easier.

2. Use Automated Tools to Track Compliance

Once your software inventory is in place, your next goal should be to find a way to keep it up to date without needing to do everything manually. You can accomplish this by either seeking the assistance of a professional IT service provider or utilising automated tools.

There are platforms that can scan your network and devices to check what software is installed, whether it’s properly licensed, and if anything’s out of date or unused. Consider utilising these IT asset management applications to have a clear understanding of your software compliance.

Instead of chasing people for updates or relying on memory, these tools quietly run in the background and give you reports you can put to use immediately. You’ll know what needs attention without having to dig through heaps of unorganised data.

This saves time and reduces the risk of human error. If software licensing compliance is something you want to stay on top of, having some automation in place can go a long way in making the process hassle-free.

3. Train Your Team on Licensing Policies

One of the primary reasons compliance issues arise in a company is that employees are unaware of the licensing policies in place. They might continue using a software while ignoring notifications about expiration without realising that they’re violating license agreements.

To avoid this, set a few basic rules and share them with your team. It could be a short document or a quick walkthrough during onboarding. You could also encourage them to engage with each other and ask questions to help everyone get a better understanding of software licensing compliance.

With all of this, the goal is to help people know what’s approved and what to avoid. When you put in the effort to make the process clearer for your team, they’re more likely to follow it without needing to guess when they want to install something or update a tool.

4. Know Your Licensing Agreements Inside Out

It’s no secret that few people actually read the terms and conditions when installing new software on their device. However, some of the details in those big walls of text can make a big difference when it comes to staying compliant.

For instance, some software has specific rules regarding its use, such as the number of devices on which it can be installed or whether it can be shared among users. Missing those details can lead to unintentional violations, messing up IT compliance for businesses.

Therefore, it’s helpful to take the time to fully understand these licensing agreements before you and your team start using them. That said, it’s a time-consuming process, and the terms can be fairly complicated to understand.

We recommend outsourcing these tasks to expert IT service providers to simplify the process and free up time, allowing you and your internal teams to focus on delivering high-quality services and growing your business.

Contact Redpalm to Ensure Software Licensing Compliance

Now that you know the importance of staying audit-ready to remain compliant with software licensing regulations, you may be looking for a professional IT service provider to ease the process for you and save time. That’s where Redpalm may be able to help you.

Redpalm is a managed service provider (MSP) and a trusted cyber security partner. We equip your business with advanced IT infrastructure to swiftly identify and neutralise any security risks.

Our wide range of services includes IT audits and health checks, technology procurement, vulnerability assessments, endpoint management, and more.

To learn more about our managed IT services, click here or contact us to schedule an appointment today.