SaaS Management vs SAM vs ITAM: Differences and Best Practices

As cloud adoption grows, managing software and IT assets has become more complex. That’s where SaaS Management, SAM, and ITAM come in, each handling a different part of your tech stack.

SaaS Management helps you track and control cloud app usage. It keeps subscriptions in check and ensures security compliance.

Software Asset Management (SAM) focuses on managing software licenses installed on endpoints (e.g., laptops, servers, desktops, workstations), helping you avoid overspend, reduce security risks and stay audit-ready. ITAM covers all IT assets, giving you visibility across both hardware and software.

This might sound confusing, but you must understand their differences and best practices to make the most of them. So, if you ever wonder how they differ, you are in the right place.

Key Differences Between ITAM, SAM, and SaaS Management

1. IT Asset Management (ITAM)

What it is
ITAM is a broad approach to managing all of your organization's tech resources—hardware, software, and cloud services. 

What it does
ITAM helps maintain visibility into your full IT inventory. It lets you track what you own, where it’s being used, and how. 

How is it different
While SAM and SaaS Management focus more on software, ITAM includes physical devices and cloud infrastructure as well. It gives a complete picture of all IT assets, not just applications.

The benefits it offers

• Complete view of all IT assets
• Supports cost-saving through better resource planning
• Identifies underused assets and allows for consolidation
• Helps negotiate better vendor contracts

Its limitations
While broad, it may not go deep into license compliance (like SAM does) or into SaaS-specific visibility and governance (which SaaS Management handles).

2. Software Asset Management (SAM)

What it is
Software asset management is a focused practice for managing software within an organisation. It covers the full software lifecycle—from when you buy a license to when you stop using it. It also refers to the overall management of software entitlements - e.g., who has access to the software, who doesn’t, etc. 

What it does
SAM tracks how software is being used across the organization. It ensures license compliance and helps reallocate unused licenses to avoid waste. It also plays a role in security, because if someone isn’t using software and it isn’t installed, then adversaries can’t exploit any vulnerabilities in that software, because it isn’t there. 

How is it different
Unlike ITAM, which includes hardware and infrastructure, SAM is all about software and is mainly used for managing applications installed on endpoints, including servers.

The benefits it offers

• Keeps you compliant with license agreements
• Cuts down on software spend by avoiding over-licensing
• Boosts visibility into usage trends
• Can reduce the exploitable vulnerability attack surface.

Its limitations
SAM doesn’t handle Saas-specific challenges like license management, renewal management or security risks. It also doesn’t manage physical assets, which are under ITAM’s scope.

3. SaaS Management Platforms

What it is
SaaS Management is about keeping track of all the cloud-based software your organisation uses. It's a response to overcome the SaaS management limitations in SAM. 

What it does
It gives you real-time insight into your SaaS stack. It helps track subscriptions, monitor usage, and manage renewals. You can spot apps that aren’t being used and optimize your SaaS spend management by cutting unnecessary costs.

How is it different
SaaS Management focuses solely on cloud-based applications. It doesn’t deal with hardware or traditional installed software on devices.

The benefits it offers

• Optimizes SaaS spend management
• Helps manage renewals and avoid app sprawl
• Tracks usage and boosts license efficiency
• Improves your security management strategy by monitoring risks and ensuring compliance

Its limitations
Doesn’t manage non-cloud software or any hardware. Its value is focused on SaaS environments only.

Why ITAM and SAM Professionals Should Care About SaaS Management

Below are the reasons why ITAM and SAM professionals have to care about SaaS management.

1. The Impact of SaaS Growth on Traditional ITAM and SAM

The rise of SaaS apps has reshaped how you manage IT assets. If you're in ITAM or SAM, here’s what’s changing:

Tracking is Tougher

SaaS apps often bypass procurement, making it harder to keep an accurate inventory. You’ll need stronger tracking to spot all active subscriptions and control costs.

License Oversight is Crucial

SaaS licenses shift quickly. You must track renewals, usage, and access to avoid waste from unused seats and auto-renewals.

Security Risks are Higher

The ease of SaaS adoption introduces more access points. Tight coordination with security teams is key to managing access and staying compliant with data protection rules.

Vendor Management has Evolved

Managing SaaS means handling more vendors, flexible pricing, and ongoing renewals. It calls for new vendor management strategies and closer vendor oversight.

2. The Risks of Ignoring SaaS in Asset Management Strategies

If you're not factoring SaaS into your ITAM or SAM plans, you're leaving a lot on the table—and opening yourself up to a few serious issues:

Security Risks

Unmonitored SaaS apps can slip through the cracks. Some might have security flaws, and if employees start using tools without approval, it becomes hard to control who has access to what.

Compliance Violations

Without tracking your SaaS usage, it's easy to overlook important data privacy rules. You could be non-compliant without realising it, which might lead to fines or legal trouble.

Financial Waste

When different teams sign up for similar tools or don’t use all their licenses, you end up spending more than necessary. Without a clear view, you also miss out on bulk pricing or license optimisation. Effective SaaS management helps optimise your software spending.

Inefficient Workflows

If teams use different apps for the same task, it creates silos and breaks collaboration. A scattered SaaS stack slows down work and leads to unnecessary tool switching.

Weaker Negotiation Power

When SaaS purchases are spread out, you lose the ability to negotiate strong contracts. A centralised view gives you more leverage with vendors and helps cut better deals.

3. Benefits of Integrating SaaS Management Into Existing ITAM/SAM Frameworks

Combining SaaS Management with your ITAM or SAM systems gives you stronger visibility, tighter control over spend, and simpler operations. Here’s what a tool like HCL BigFix SaaS Management brings to the table:

Achieve Full SaaS Visibility

With complete SaaS visibility, you can track exactly what software is being used, where, and by whom:

• Uses advanced discovery methods and a library of 500+ apps to identify both authorised and unauthorised SaaS tools within your environment
• Integrates directly through APIs to provide feature-level usage data, giving you deeper insight into how applications are being used
• Automatically categorises applications by department, helping you track usage across teams and allocate software costs more accurately
• Sends real-time alerts for unauthorised app purchases, helping you curb shadow IT and take immediate action

Maximise Savings by Leveraging Accurate Usage Data

Understanding how your team uses SaaS tools lets you cut waste and optimise licensing:

• Tracks actual user-level activity, like the number of Zoom meetings scheduled or DocuSign envelopes sent, so you can assess if a license is being used to its full value
• Highlights underutilised or idle licenses, allowing you to reclaim or redistribute them before your renewal cycle
• Makes it easy to identify scenarios where, for instance, you're paying for 100 licenses but only 80 are actively used
• Automates license harvesting workflows to reclaim unused licenses and either cancel or reassign them as needed

Identify Redundancies and Optimise Your Tech Stack

SaaS Management helps you streamline your software environment by eliminating unnecessary overlaps and bloat:

• Uncovers overlapping applications that serve the same purpose, allowing you to consolidate and reduce redundant spend
• Uses SSO and HRIS integrations to accurately reveal how often each app is accessed and by whom
• Detects abandoned, underutilised, or outdated tools that can be removed from your stack
• Presents this data in a centralised dashboard, highlighting low-usage apps and license trends
• Helps you right-size subscriptions, make better renewal decisions, and negotiate smarter with vendors

Automate Processes Across IT, Security, and Procurement

By automating repetitive and manual tasks, you reduce errors and speed up operations across teams:

• Automatically discovers apps across your environment by integrating with existing systems, helping you stay ahead of shadow IT and unauthorised tools
• Extracts metadata from software contracts, making contract management simpler and enabling a centralised overview of key terms and commitments
• Creates an automatic renewal calendar, helping you stay ahead of renewals and avoid last-minute surprises during negotiations
• Runs automated workflows for license reclamation, identifying and recovering unused licenses to optimise usage
• Supports Slack-enabled requests, making procurement faster and easier for internal teams
• Enables auto-provisioning and deprovisioning, ensuring that access is granted or removed for employees during onboarding or exit

Achieve Smarter Vendor Negotiation With Price Benchmarking

SaaS Management helps you ensure you’re paying fair market rates and getting maximum value from your vendors:

• Gives you access to an up-to-date price benchmarking database, allowing you to compare your current software pricing with market standards
• Surfaces application usage and spending patterns, helping you identify where you’re overpaying or not getting full value
• Offers pre-negotiated vendor discounts through its platform, giving you a stronger starting point for cost savings
• Provides an assisted buying dashboard backed by vendor and pricing experts who help you secure the best terms and renewals

These capabilities help you walk into vendor discussions fully informed, confident, and ready to save.

Best Practices for Managing SaaS, SAM, and ITAM Together

Below are some of the best practices for managing SaaS, SAM, and ITAM together:

• Centralise all your asset data in one platform like HCL BigFix SaaS Management to gain full visibility and control.
• Automate discovery to detect and catalogue all software and hardware without manual effort.
• Set clear policies for software purchasing, usage, and retirement to avoid confusion and shadow IT.
• Run regular audits to keep your inventory accurate and ensure license compliance.
• Monitor usage actively to reassign or retire licenses that aren’t being used, improving ROI.
• Build security into your management strategy with MFA, encryption, and strict access controls.
• Encourage collaboration between IT, procurement, and finance for smarter decisions and fewer silos.
• Use data insights to guide budgeting, optimise spend, and make better strategic choices.
• Keep tabs on vendor pricing and licensing changes to avoid surprise costs.

Conclusion

Managing SaaS, SAM, and ITAM in silos doesn’t work anymore. You need a connected, automated strategy to stay ahead—one that cuts costs, reduces risk, and keeps your stack lean and efficient. HCL BigFix SaaS Management brings it all together in one place. Contact us today.