IT Licence and Hardware Audits for a Complete View of Your IT Assets
Our IT licence and hardware audits help you understand exactly what software and equipment you own, how it is being used and where there may be compliance, security or cost issues. HTL’s team provides independent, expert audit services so you can make informed decisions and stay on the right side of the law.
Our audits and lT licencing services allow our clients to gain a complete understanding of their IT assets. Our professional team can provide independent external auditing services to an expert standard. Whether we are auditing for licencing, software, hardware, networking or security our team is at your disposal.
- Independent IT security and licence audits
- Experience with financial and professional services firms
- Detailed reports your finance and compliance teams can use
Why Might You Need an IT Audit?
Software Licencing
Every business has a legal obligation to ensure that it is up to date with it’s software licencing. If you don’t you are under risk of prosecution from many organisations including the BSA, FAST and SIIA, as well as of course the Police and other Government Law Enforcement Agencies.
Don’t panic! It happens to so many successful businesses. When they grow fast, other things take priority.
IT management structures change, organisations merge or IT support teams get replaced. Some companies such as Microsoft offer special discounted programs to incentivise you to get things legal.
HTL can perform alicence audit quickly and cost effectively, and make recommendations on how to bring your software licencing up to date in the cheapest way possible.
Where appropriate, we can also help you plan follow-up work with our IT Consultancy and Managed IT Services teams to keep your environment compliant in future.
FSA Compliance
As a service provider to many Financial organisations we are often asked to help FSA compliancy officers to ensure that key aspects of their IT systems are up to scratch. Specific issues of concern may be Countering Financial Crime Risks in Information Security and Data Security in Financial Services. Our support team are standing by to assist you compliancy team.
Many of these engagements run alongside our IT Service Continuity and Cyber-security Solutions services, helping financial organisations address both compliance and resilience.
Asset Sheet
Your accountant or finance team may need to know exactly what equipment you have to ensure that it is listed on your balance sheet accurately.
Where needed, we work alongside your compliance team to prioritise remediation steps and make sure controls are practical for day-to-day operations.
Our hardware audits produce a clear inventory that finance, procurement and IT can all rely on, helping you plan upgrades and avoid unnecessary purchases.
ISO 27001
Sometimes considered essential for FSA Compliance, but often used for other purposes is the “ISO/IEC 27001:2005” Published by the International Organization for Standardization. It largely deals with the security of an organisations’ data both in storage and as it crosses the network. Unlike ISO auditing companies we help our clients by recommending and implementing the changes required to achieve the ISO27001certification.
Where needed, we work alongside your compliance team to prioritise remediation steps and make sure controls are practical for day-to-day operations.
IT Management
Knowing exactly what you have is the first step to planning where you want to go. Once you have this information, you can plan your future IT strategy, check warranty or service status, and even save yourself money. The government saved 80% of HMRC’s costs by implementing more effective IT management.(read here)
Once you have an accurate asset and licence picture, we can help you align it with IT Support London and IT Infrastructure & Operations to reduce risk and waste.
Benefits of Regular It Licence and Hardware Audits
A one-off audit is useful, but building audits into your IT governance gives you ongoing control and better value from your IT spend.
Reduce compliance risk
by ensuring software is properly licenced and documented.
Avoid surprise costs and fines
from vendors or industry bodies.
Optimise licence usage
by identifying unused or underused software.
Support budgeting and refresh cycles
with an accurate asset inventory.
Improve security
by spotting unsupported systems, old software versions and unmanaged devices.
How an IT License and Hardware Audit Works
We follow a straightforward process that gives you useful information and clear next steps, not just a spreadsheet full of serial numbers.
Scoping & Objectives
We agree what you want to achieve – software licencing review, hardware inventory, security-focused IT security audit, or a combination.
Data Collection
Using a mix of automated tools and manual checks, we collect details of installed software, licences, hardware and key configuration data.
Analysis & Findings
Our team compares what you have against what you believe you have and against vendor and regulatory requirements.
Report & Recommendations
You receive a clear report highlighting risks, gaps, duplicate spend and opportunities to save money or simplify your estate.
Remediation Support
Where requested, we can help you act on the findings through IT Consultancy, IT Systems Support or Managed IT Services.
Who Our IT Security, Licence and Hardware Audits Are For
We work with organisations of all sizes that need a clear, defensible picture of their IT environment.
Growing SMEs
that rely on core systems for day-to-day operations and invoicing.
Financial and professional services firms
with strict regulatory and client obligations.
Businesses with on-premise or hybrid infrastructure
that can’t tolerate extended downtime.
Organisations that have experienced a major outage or data loss
and never want a repeat.
Related IT Services
IT licence and hardware audits often tie into wider IT projects and ongoing managed services. These are the pages most commonly involved:
Our IT Partners
& Technology Vendors
HTL collaborates with world-class technology vendors and certified partners to deliver reliable, secure, and scalable IT solutions. These partnerships ensure our clients benefit from cutting-edge products and seamless system integration.
Licence & Hardware Audits
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between a licence audit and a hardware audit?
A licence audit focuses on your software – what’s installed, how it’s licensed and where there may be compliance or cost issues. A hardware audit looks at the physical equipment you own, its age, specification and how it’s being used.
Will an IT audit disrupt our staff or systems?
We design audits to be as unobtrusive as possible, using a mix of automated discovery tools and targeted checks. In most cases staff can carry on working as normal while we gather the information we need.
Can you help us fix issues found during the audit?
Yes. Once you’ve seen the findings, we can help you plan and implement remedial work, such as regularising licences, retiring old kit or tightening security. This often ties into IT Consultancy, IT Systems Support and IT Infrastructure & Operations.
Is this the same as a vendor audit (for example from Microsoft or Adobe)?
No. We work for you, not the vendor. Our audits are designed to give you a clear picture and options before you ever face a formal vendor or regulatory audit.
How often should we run licence and hardware audits?
Many organisations find an annual or bi-annual audit works well, with lighter-touch updates in between. The right frequency depends on how fast you’re growing and how often systems change.
Ready to get a clear picture of your IT estate?
If you’re unsure exactly what software and hardware you own, or whether you’re fully compliant with licencing and security obligations, an IT licence and hardware audit is a low-risk way to find out. We’ll give you clear, practical recommendations – not just a list of issues.