Extending SAM
About 15% of the CIS-SAM exam — see all 5 domains.
SAM for SaaS / SaaS License Management
SAM extends beyond on-prem installs to SaaS subscriptions. SaaS License Management integrates with cloud providers — most notably Microsoft 365 (Office 365) and Adobe Creative Cloud — to pull subscription entitlements and actual usage (active vs. inactive accounts, last-activity). The value is identifying unused or under-used SaaS subscriptions for reclamation/downgrade and right-sizing renewals, mirroring on-prem reconciliation but for subscription seats. Dashboards (e.g., the Office 365 & Adobe Cloud dashboard) and the license usage view / workbench surface optimization candidates.
Publisher packs
Publisher packs are content extensions in the Content Service that add deep, publisher-specific normalization, license-metric, and product-use-rights logic for major vendors (Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, Adobe, SAP, etc.), improving reconciliation accuracy for complex licensing (e.g., Oracle options, Microsoft 365 mappings).
Software model lifecycle and retirement
Software models carry lifecycle data — End of Life (EOL) and End of Support (EOS) dates, often supplied by the Content Service as calculated lifecycles. This drives risk reporting (unsupported software), refresh planning, and model retirement. Lifecycle states should align to CSDM standard lifecycle values.
CMDB / CSDM alignment
SAM data must align to the Common Service Data Model (CSDM): software installs reference host CIs, software models map cleanly, and lifecycle states use CSDM standard values. Good CSDM/CMDB alignment is what makes per-core, virtualization, and reclamation calculations trustworthy.
Exam traps (Domain 5)
- SaaS management uses actual usage / activity to find waste, not just seat counts.
- Publisher packs improve accuracy for specific vendors; they are not generic.
- Lifecycle (EOL/EOS) is largely content-driven, and should map to CSDM lifecycle values.
Sample questions from this domain
Three of the 45 in this domain, with the reasoning. The full set is in the question bank.
What does SAM for SaaS extend SAM to manage?
- A. Cloud-based subscription software and its usage, spend, and license optimization ✓
- B. Printer toner levels
- C. Physical network cabling
- D. Office furniture inventory
Why: SAM for SaaS extends management to cloud subscription applications, tracking usage, spend, and optimization opportunities. It does not handle cabling, furniture, or printer supplies.
How can SAM identify unused SaaS subscriptions to reduce cost?
- A. By integrating with SaaS providers/SSO to collect usage and flagging licenses with little or no activity ✓
- B. By scanning physical desktops only
- C. By reading the building access logs
- D. By counting printed pages
Why: SAM for SaaS connects to providers and/or SSO to gather usage and flags inactive subscriptions for reclamation or downgrade. Desktop-only scans, building access logs, and print counts do not reveal SaaS usage.
What is the purpose of integrating SAM with single sign-on (SSO) providers for SaaS management?
- A. To reset all user passwords
- B. To disable multi-factor authentication
- C. To capture application access and usage signals across SaaS apps for optimization ✓
- D. To replace the CMDB
Why: SSO integration surfaces which SaaS apps users access and how often, feeding usage-based optimization. It is not about resetting passwords, disabling MFA, or replacing the CMDB.