The International Standards Organization (ISO) Publishes Software Asset Management Standard; Robert J. Scott, Managing Partner, Scott & Scott LLP, Issues Response Statement.

DALLAS -- "The International Standards Organization and the International Electrotechnical Commission recently published its software asset management standard: ISO / IEC 17990-1. This standard was issued to help organizations prove that they are performing to a standard sufficient to satisfy corporate governance requirements and ensure effective support for IT service management.

Scott & Scott believes that the launch of the ISO / IEC 17990-1 standard is an extremely positive development for businesses around the world. In particular, public companies that are bound by corporate governance mandates such as Sarbanes-Oxley, will benefit from ISO / IEC 17990-1, as this important standard provides a mechanism for establishing the internal controls necessary for establishing compliance with federal regulations.

At the same time, companies should be aware that enforcement activities by organizations like the Business Software Alliance (BSA), Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) and software publishers are not likely to change as a result of this standard. Unfortunately, if an external software audit is initiated by one of these organizations, the statement of ISO / IEC 17990-1 compliance will not be an adequate defense to prevent further investigation and the potential for significant fines. Further, this standard is not likely to impact the incidence or frequency of external license compliance audits.

Scott & Scott applauds the International Standards Organization and the International Electrotechnical Commission for giving companies a verifiable framework for auditing their internal software asset management controls. Software license compliance is highly complex and has placed an enormous human and financial burden on the great many companies that have undertaken this initiative. Scott & Scott encourages organizations around the world to implement ISO / IEC 17990-1 as a software asset management control framework for financial and IT compliance with government legislation."

Editor's Note: Robert Scott is an expert in software license compliance and conducts regular seminars entitled, "Successfully Defending Software Audits" and "Software Asset Management & The Law." Robert graduated summa cum laude from Austin College in Sherman, Texas with a B.A. in economics. He earned his law degree from Hofstra University School of Law in New York. Robert is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, the Managed Services Providers Alliance, the IT Compliance Institute, and the Science and Technology Section of the American Bar Association.

Scott & Scott (www.scottandscottllp.com, www.bsadefense.com, http://www.siiadefense.com/) is a leading law and technology services firm dedicated to helping senior executives assess and reduce the legal, financial, and regulatory risks associated with software compliance. Scott & Scott's legal and technology professionals provide software audit defense and software compliance solutions, all protected by attorney-client and work-product privileges.