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Free Resources for
Technology Leaders

Executive briefs, scorecards, checklists, and templates — practical tools your team can use before, during, and after renewal season.

Featured Resource

Executive Brief Series

Research-backed briefings designed for CIOs, IT directors, finance leaders, and sourcing teams.

Executive Brief · Series 001 FREE DOWNLOAD

10 Hidden ITAM & SaaS Waste Signals Every CIO Should Review Before Renewal Season

Prepared by William G. Van Nort — this 29-page brief covers SaaS sprawl, premium tier creep, cloud resource waste, AI licensing governance, the Renewal Readiness Scorecard, an interactive SaaS Waste Calculator model, and a full 90-day Renewal Optimization Plan.

10 waste signal deep-dives
Renewal Readiness Scorecard
SaaS Waste Calculator model
ITAM Maturity Model (5 levels)
AI Governance Checklist
90-Day Optimization Plan
Download Free — PDF, 29 pages
LinkedIn · Company Page
Operational ITAM on LinkedIn
Follow the practice for episode releases, article drops, and ITAM market commentary — audits, renewals, SaaS governance, and the AI estate.
Follow on LinkedIn →
Newsletter · Article Series
The Operational ITAM Newsletter
The companion article series to the podcast — practitioner frameworks in written form, including the article behind the Cancellation Governance Timeline guide above. Subscribe on LinkedIn to get each issue.
Read & subscribe →
Free Downloads

Tools You Can Use This Week

Templates, scorecards, checklists, and briefs taken directly from the consulting engagements. Seven are free with no email required; the two Executive Briefs and the Cancellation Governance Timeline ask for a work address.

Workbook · Excel · 4 sheets · New
The Readiness Test Workbook
Five questions to answer in writing before you sign a purchase order for an ITAM platform — Owner, Precedence, Entitlements, Process, Purpose. Verdicts calculate as you answer, the four buy signals are counted against the two-signal threshold, and a one-page Decision Brief assembles itself for whoever approves the spend. Companion to Newsletter Edition 11 and Podcast Episode 010.
Download free
Workbook · Excel · 5 sheets
Consumption Governance Workbook
Register every consumption-priced agreement — AI APIs, SaaS AI add-ons, cloud commitments — log the meters monthly, and get an executive dashboard: run rate, commitment burn-down with projected overage, invoice-versus-contract variance, and a governance score per meter. Ships with a worked sample estate. Companion to Podcast Episode 012.
Download free
Guide · PDF · 15 pages
The Cancellation Governance Timeline
A practitioner's guide to exiting software contracts and SaaS renewals without penalties, data loss, or a surprise auto-renewal — nine gates from T-180 to T+30, the contract fact sheet, a RACI, the risk register, a notice-of-non-renewal letter template, and the T+30 verification checklist.
Download — gated
Brief · PDF · 16 pages
Executive Brief Series 002
The CIO's Guide to Microsoft 365 Copilot Governance — data exposure, permissions hygiene, adoption measurement, and the renewal criteria that decide whether year two is justified.
Download — gated
Checklist · PDF · 7 pages
90-Day Pre-Renewal Readiness Checklist
57 checks across four phases — intake, waste signal analysis, business owner validation, and negotiation. Printable, with owners and evidence named for every item.
Download free
Template · Excel · 4 sheets
SaaS Application Inventory Template
200 rows with ownership, cost, usage, and renewal fields pre-mapped. Calculates utilisation, reclaim candidates, and notice deadlines automatically, with a portfolio dashboard.
Download free
Register · Excel · 4 sheets
AI Tool Inventory & Governance Register
Track approved and discovered AI tools with data classifications, training opt-out status, DPA coverage, approved use cases, and review dates — plus a governance summary that surfaces the gaps.
Download free
Scorecard · PowerPoint · 10 slides
Monthly ITAM Executive Scorecard Template
Ten slides for monthly CIO and CFO reporting — spend, utilisation, waste pipeline, renewal risk, compliance position, and AI governance, with editable native charts.
Download free
Policy Template · Word · 11 pages
AI Acceptable Use Policy Template
Thirteen sections covering approved tools, prohibited data, prompt hygiene, human review, IP, monitoring, and incident escalation — with drafting notes flagging every decision you need to make.
Download free

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Go Deeper

The same thinking, in longer form. Every episode is published with a full written transcript — listen or read, whichever is faster for you.

003
Episode 003·19 min
Software Asset Management: Proving What You Own
Installs are not entitlements. Building an Effective License Position, and why the gap between the two is where the money hides.
Listen & read transcript →
004
Episode 004·16 min
Surviving a Software Audit, Part One: The Letter Lands
The first seventy-two hours decide the outcome. Five opening moves for the moment the audit notice arrives.
Listen & read transcript →
006
Episode 006·15 min
Shadow IT: Reading the Demand Signal
Unsanctioned software isn't a discipline problem. It's your users telling you what IT failed to deliver.
Listen & read transcript →
All Episodes & Transcripts
The Operational ITAM Newsletter

Read It Before Your Next Renewal

IT asset management, licensing, and audit defense for people who have to be right on Monday morning.

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An Executive Briefing applies these frameworks directly to your environment, your renewal calendar, and your specific technology portfolio.

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