USU Listed as a Representative Vendor in the 2026 Gartner® Market Guide for Software Asset Management Tools
MOEGLINGEN, GERMANY, February 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- USU was recognized as a Representative Vendor in the 2026 Gartner Market Guide for Software Asset Management Tools for the 4th time in a row alongside the most relevant vendors in the Software Asset Management market.
The latest Market Guide for Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools provides a detailed overview of the SAM market, including key trends, challenges and vendor capabilities. USU sees this market guide as a tool to help sourcing, procurement and vendor management (SPVM) leaders in the process of selecting a SAM tool that meets the complex demands of their software environment. The complimentary copy of the study is available at USU website.
AI as a Key Driver and Challenge for SAM
Gartner explains that “The software market’s rapid evolution, driven by new licensing rules and metrics, simplified purchasing methods, the shift to hybrid infrastructure, and the growing adoption of AI-powered solutions, continues to increase the complexity of software management.”
As a result, Gartner states: “The requirement for organizations to manage the complete software life cycle continues to be a burning topic among IT leaders. Client interest in SAM tools will continue to be a priority topic, as indicated by Gartner client interactions on SAM tools increasing by 18% during the last 12 months.”
In this context, Gartner shows how AI is affecting SAM: “By 2028, organizations maximizing SAM tool AI capabilities will increase SAM team productivity significantly, resulting in doubled cost savings and greater efficiencies compared to 2025.”
Gartner Key Recommendations for SPVM leaders According to USU
USU identifies that the SAM tool landscape is rapidly evolving as Gartner describes in the Market Guide. Although vendors provide extensive features and the market is moving toward integrated platforms, USU sees that Gartner still recommends SPVM leaders focusing on strong foundations as follows:
• Engage cross-functional stakeholders to understand software needs, deployment, and the impact of new AI-driven metrics across the organization.
• Build a clear three- to five-year SAM strategic roadmap and vision that prepares for future software and infrastructure needs, including the anticipated integration and value realization from AI capabilities.
• Prioritize data quality, integration, and governance by breaking down silos and collaborating with FinOps teams (or their equivalent) to aggregate and standardize data across disciplines.
USU’s View on the SAM Market
“We are proud to be recognized once again in the 2026 Gartner Market Guide for Software Asset Management Tools. In our opinion the market developments described in this report reflect exactly the direction USU has been taking with its portfolio: SAM is moving beyond audit defense toward a central role in cost governance, cloud optimization and AI readiness. That is why our solutions unify SAM, FinOps, SaaS and cloud data—further strengthened by the integration of SaaS management specialist saasmetrix into the USU portfolio.
On top of that USU offers a range of software asset management services that complement the tool. That’s what we believe sets us apart: We support customers master complex licensing and operational SAM processes. Together, our software and service solutions for IT and customer service management and embedded AI-driven features ensure that organizations are well equipped to address the market developments and recommendations outlined in the Gartner Market Guide,” says Benjamin Strehl, CEO at USU.
Gartner, Market Guide for Software Asset Management Tools, Yolanda Harris, Angelica Wekwete, Jaswant Kalay, 15 January 2026
This press release is available at https://www.usu.com/en/news
Gartner disclaimer
GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s Research & Advisory organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
About USU
As a leading provider of software and service solutions for IT and customer service management, USU helps customers optimize IT resources in the cloud and AI era. Organizations worldwide rely on USU to modernize their IT infrastructure, minimize cloud costs, and enhance service excellence.
USU technologies provide comprehensive transparency and control over hybrid IT environments—from on-premises data centers to cloud-based services and hardware assets. Additionally, USU's AI-powered platform serves as a central knowledge base, delivering consistent information across all communication channels and customer services.
More information: https://www.usu.com/en/
The latest Market Guide for Software Asset Management (SAM) Tools provides a detailed overview of the SAM market, including key trends, challenges and vendor capabilities. USU sees this market guide as a tool to help sourcing, procurement and vendor management (SPVM) leaders in the process of selecting a SAM tool that meets the complex demands of their software environment. The complimentary copy of the study is available at USU website.
AI as a Key Driver and Challenge for SAM
Gartner explains that “The software market’s rapid evolution, driven by new licensing rules and metrics, simplified purchasing methods, the shift to hybrid infrastructure, and the growing adoption of AI-powered solutions, continues to increase the complexity of software management.”
As a result, Gartner states: “The requirement for organizations to manage the complete software life cycle continues to be a burning topic among IT leaders. Client interest in SAM tools will continue to be a priority topic, as indicated by Gartner client interactions on SAM tools increasing by 18% during the last 12 months.”
In this context, Gartner shows how AI is affecting SAM: “By 2028, organizations maximizing SAM tool AI capabilities will increase SAM team productivity significantly, resulting in doubled cost savings and greater efficiencies compared to 2025.”
Gartner Key Recommendations for SPVM leaders According to USU
USU identifies that the SAM tool landscape is rapidly evolving as Gartner describes in the Market Guide. Although vendors provide extensive features and the market is moving toward integrated platforms, USU sees that Gartner still recommends SPVM leaders focusing on strong foundations as follows:
• Engage cross-functional stakeholders to understand software needs, deployment, and the impact of new AI-driven metrics across the organization.
• Build a clear three- to five-year SAM strategic roadmap and vision that prepares for future software and infrastructure needs, including the anticipated integration and value realization from AI capabilities.
• Prioritize data quality, integration, and governance by breaking down silos and collaborating with FinOps teams (or their equivalent) to aggregate and standardize data across disciplines.
USU’s View on the SAM Market
“We are proud to be recognized once again in the 2026 Gartner Market Guide for Software Asset Management Tools. In our opinion the market developments described in this report reflect exactly the direction USU has been taking with its portfolio: SAM is moving beyond audit defense toward a central role in cost governance, cloud optimization and AI readiness. That is why our solutions unify SAM, FinOps, SaaS and cloud data—further strengthened by the integration of SaaS management specialist saasmetrix into the USU portfolio.
On top of that USU offers a range of software asset management services that complement the tool. That’s what we believe sets us apart: We support customers master complex licensing and operational SAM processes. Together, our software and service solutions for IT and customer service management and embedded AI-driven features ensure that organizations are well equipped to address the market developments and recommendations outlined in the Gartner Market Guide,” says Benjamin Strehl, CEO at USU.
Gartner, Market Guide for Software Asset Management Tools, Yolanda Harris, Angelica Wekwete, Jaswant Kalay, 15 January 2026
This press release is available at https://www.usu.com/en/news
Gartner disclaimer
GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s Research & Advisory organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
About USU
As a leading provider of software and service solutions for IT and customer service management, USU helps customers optimize IT resources in the cloud and AI era. Organizations worldwide rely on USU to modernize their IT infrastructure, minimize cloud costs, and enhance service excellence.
USU technologies provide comprehensive transparency and control over hybrid IT environments—from on-premises data centers to cloud-based services and hardware assets. Additionally, USU's AI-powered platform serves as a central knowledge base, delivering consistent information across all communication channels and customer services.
More information: https://www.usu.com/en/
Verena Fahrbach
USU GmbH
+49 7141 48670
email us here
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