The Center of E-Governance of the Karnataka Government, has joined hands with the India operation of the Business Software Alliance (BSA) to bring the benefits of Software Asset Management (SAM) to state-based Public Sector Undertakings and government departments.
The two entities announced the joint programme in what was coincidentally, Intellectual Property Week.
SAM, an ISO ( 2006) standard, enables companies and organizations to efficiently and effectively manage and track their software licenses as valuable company assets throughout its life cycle of procurement, deployment, usage, maintenance and retirement, enabling cost savings, risk management and operational efficiencies. Karnatka has already engaged with BSA to introduce SAM to small and medium enterprises in the state and the new partnership will help spread the culture within public undertakings engaged in key sectors including transport and energy, explains D.S. Ravindran, CEO of Karnataka government’s Centre for e-Governance. The state has been judged number one in e-readiness among all Indian states and its total annual spending on IT is around Rs 3 billion, Dr Ravindran added.
Keshav S. Dhakad, Chair of the BSA India Committee said, at the media event to announce the partnership: “With the understanding and adoption of ISO recognized SAM, national and state resources can improve their data security processes, system stability, optimize costs and fulfil compliance obligations which are all critical factors in ensuring the health and safety of Karnataka’s valued Public Sector Enterprises.”
Lizum Mishra, BSA’s India Director added that Maharashtra was the other state that had implemented SAM with BSA support, across its government institutions.
About the Business Software Alliance
The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org ) is the voice of the world's commercial software industry and its hardware partners before governments and in the international marketplace. Its members Adobe, Agilent Technologies, Altium, Apple, Aquafold, ARM, Arphic Technology, Astro-Vision Futuretech, Autodesk, Autoform, AVEVA, Bentley Systems, CNC/Mastercam, Corel, Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation, Embarcadero, Frontline PCB Solutions - An Orbotech Valor Company, Microsoft, Minitab, NedGraphics, Parametric Technology Corporation, Pitney Bowes Software India, Progress, Quest Software, Scalable Software, Siemens, Sybase, Symantec, Tekla, and The MathWorks. The first Indian entity to join with BSA was the Kochi-based AstroVision, a computer-based astrology and matrimonial guidance agency.
April 30 2010