Meeting Federal Compliance While Optimizing IT Spend
Federal agencies face mounting pressure to optimize IT expenditures while maintaining rigorous compliance with mandates such as the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP), and NIST 800-53. Yet, many lack the visibility needed to identify and act on software licensing inefficiencies across complex hybrid IT environments.
HCL BigFix addresses this challenge with its Spend Overview capability within Software Asset Management (SAM), delivering real-time, actionable insights into software usage and financial impact. This feature empowers federal IT and acquisition teams to make data-driven decisions ensuring compliance, reducing waste, and enhancing mission readiness.
Unmatched visibility across endpoints and licenses
BigFix’s Spend Overview integrates real-time asset discovery and usage analytics, providing detailed dashboards linking software utilization to licensing costs. This allows agencies to:
- Identify underutilized or unused software assets for reallocation or retirement
- Validate procurement needs against actual usage to prevent overbuying
- Ensure software deployments align with agency standards and baselines
Federal CIOs and CFOs can visualize spending by product, vendor, department or cost center, allowing them to track expenditures, align budgets to mission priorities, and support audits required by the CFO Act and OMB Circular A-123.
Enabling compliance with federal mandates
Agencies maintain compliance with the Spend Overview:
- FISMA: Support for continuous monitoring and inventory accuracy
- NIST SP 800-53 (e.g., CM-8, PM-30): Real-time system inventory and usage reporting enabled
- OMB Memoranda (e.g., M-22-09 on Zero Trust): Identify and eliminate unauthorized software, reducing the attack surface
- Executive Order 14028: Improved software supply chain visibility
Enhancing cybersecurity and Zero Trust posture
As federal agencies adopt Zero Trust principles, maintaining accurate software inventories and eliminating shadow IT becomes mission-critical. BigFix’s Spend Overview highlights anomalies in software usage, indicating potential policy violations or security risks.
By identifying non-compliant or risky software, BigFix enables immediate remediation actions, such as uninstalling unauthorized applications or alerting security teams, thereby aligning ITAM and SecOps.
Supporting acquisition and budget optimization
Federal procurement teams can leverage Spend Overview insights during contract negotiations and renewals. For example, if an agency discovers that only 65% of its E5 licenses are actively used, it can correctly make future purchases, saving taxpayer dollars and aligning with performance goals under the FITARA scorecard.
BigFix also supports integration with GSA-approved platforms and procurement vehicles, making it easier for agencies to deploy and scale Spend Overview across the enterprise.
Use case
Consider this scenario: A federal health agency conducts a review using BigFix Spend Overview and discovers a substantial number of specialized data analysis tools licensed across regional offices had not been utilized in the past six months. By identifying these underused assets, the agency reclaims and reallocates licenses to high-demand research divisions, ultimately avoiding a $900,000 procurement and using the savings to invest in enhanced cybersecurity training programs for remote staff.
Conclusion: Empowering accountability and mission success
BigFix Spend Overview enables federal agencies to maintain continuous software compliance, enhance operational security, and drive IT efficiency—all while ensuring responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
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