Businesses have increased their spending on software in the last year, research by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) has revealed, but there are concerns about whether it is being used to its optimum effect.
Some 250 financial directors were quizzed on their business software investments, revealing that only six per cent believe they are getting the most out of the technology and two-thirds are unhappy with how it is being managed.
Julian Swan, director of compliance marketing at the BSA, said firms need to understand that their software is an asset and should be treated as such.
"We would advise all businesses to run an efficient software asset management programme," he added.
"This enables companies to continually monitor usage and enable them to capitalize on the software utilized."
Mr Swan went on to say that this process helps businesses to identify if they have too many licenses for certain products and can make efficiencies, as well as making sure every employee has a software portfolio suitable to their role.