The costs and risks associated with software purchases and use are a corporate concern. As a result, enterprises consider software asset management (SAM) capabilities as a "must-have" rather than a "nice-to-have." To understand the state of SAM in 2012 and its direction in 2013, Forrester surveyed 200 IT infrastructure and operations (I&O) professionals in partnership with the ITAM Review, an independent provider of IT asset management (ITAM) news and good practices. In short, here's what we found: Despite increased corporate interest in SAM driven by the need to reduce IT costs, the traditional barriers to adoption still hold true even though many organizations with formal SAM programs cite financial benefits.