Software Publishers Association Offers Certified Software Manager Course

Assists in Software Asset Management

May 16, 1994 (Washington, DC) -- In its continuing efforts in the fight
against software piracy, the Software Publishers Association (SPA)
announced today the start of the SPA Certified Software Manager course.
This new course is a comprehensive training seminar that contains all of
the information and materials software professionals need to establish a
software asset management program. Beginning May 31st in Boston, this 48
city course tour includes stops in Canada, and finishes September 9th in
Los Angeles.

The SPA Certified Software Manager course stresses the fundamental issues
of software licensing and compliance, and also teaches the skills
necessary to optimize the legal use of software. Since organizations
invest in software to increase productivity, lower costs, and gain a
competitive edge, a Certified Software Manager can ensure his organization
reaches these goals and avoids the penalties that can result from
mismanaging software.

The one-day course, which is team-taught by professional instructors and
SPA representatives directly engaged in SPA's anti-piracy program, covers
such issues as: understanding license agreements and copyright law;
selling software management to every level of an organization; developing
a workable and effective corporate software policy; the software audit
process; managing and metering software on a network; and maintaining a
software management program.

Course materials include a student manual, SPAudit (DOS and Macintosh
versions), "We Lost Control" video, and other educational materials that
include suggested corporate policies and information about the copyright
law. The student manual serves as a quick reference guide to many common
questions about software compliance. Upon passing an exam after completion
of the course, individuals can use a new computer professional
designation--the Certified Software Manager (CSM).

SPAudit, which is included in the SPA Certified Software Manager course, is
a software program designed to help an organization take an inventory of
commercial software programs that are on the organization's hard disks.
Since the release of SPAudit in 1990, the SPA has received over 125,000
requests for the program from organizations interested in monitoring their
internal software practices.

As part of the course development, three pilot Certified Software Manager
classes were offered. It was enthusiastically received by over 130
software professionals from a wide variety of organizations. Richard
Seide, PC/LAN support technician for Cenlar Federal Savings Bank in
Princeton, New Jersey, commented, "This course will go a long way towards
educating people about licensing and copyright procedures. I found it to
be an interesting, well-presented course."

"During the pilot classes for the Certified Software Manager course the
response was overwhelming," said SPA Executive Director Ken Wasch.
"Computer specialists have long since recognized the difficulty of
managing their software resources and staying within the law. We are now
providing them with a useful method to help monitor their internal
software practices, so that companies may become, and stay, software
legal."

"Participation (in this course) enhances the skills and knowledge of the
organization's employees and provides the organization with an opportunity
to improve their management of software assets, " stated pilot course
attendee Alexius O. Bishop, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis for the
State of Maryland's Department of Budget and Fiscal Planning.

The release of the SPA Certified Software Manager Course is part of the
ongoing anti-piracy effort of the SPA. Since 1988, the SPA has filed
hundreds of lawsuits on behalf of its members and obtained numerous search
and seizure orders against businesses, government entities, and
educational institutions that have violated its members' copyrights. The
SPA's anti-piracy hotline, 1-800-388-7478, accepts calls reporting
software violations.

The SPA Certified Software Manager Course is available for $395 (which
includes the cost of instruction, course materials, breakfast and lunch)
to businesses, government offices and educational institutions. To
register, or for more information, call or write to:

SPA CSM Course
Software Publishers Association
1730 M Street NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC
(202) 452-1600, ext 367
(202) 223-8756 (fax)

The Software Publishers Association is the principal trade association of
the personal computer software industry. Its more than 1,100 members
represent the leading publishers in the business, consumer and education
markets. The SPA has offices in Washington, DC and Paris, France.

 ============================================================
 From the  'New Product Information'  Electronic News Service
 ============================================================
 This information was processed from data provided by the
 above mentioned company. For additional details, contact 
 the company at the address or telephone number indicated.
 OmniPage Pro is now used for converting all printed input! 
 ============================================================
 All submissions for this service should be addressed to:
 BAKER ENTERPRISES,  20 Ferro Dr,  Sewell, NJ  08080  U.S.A.
 Email: RBakerPC (AOL/Delphi), rbakerpc@delphi.com (Internet)
 ============================================================
