Active

License Compliance Verification

The organization shall periodically verify software license compliance to ensure software usage does not exceed licensed quantities and licensing terms are met. Verification shall include reconciliation of license inventory with usage data, identification of compliance gaps, and documentation of compliance status.

Requirement ID
AST-008-R005
Parent Control
AST-008
Domain Code
AST

Requirement Details & Guidance

AST-008-R005 · AST-008
Why This Requirement Exists

This requirement exists to verify that software use remains within licensing quantities and contractual terms and to support accurate, accountable, and secure asset management.

Implementation Guidance

Establish a documented process for verify that software use remains within licensing quantities and contractual terms. Define accountable roles, required inputs and outputs, approval or validation points, evidence requirements, review frequency, and escalation criteria. Integrate the process with the authoritative asset inventory and related security, procurement, operations, and lifecycle processes. The organization should retain sufficient records to demonstrate that the requirement is operating as intended.

Practical Application & Audit Readiness

AST-008-R005 · Field Guidance

Business Examples

    Common Audit Findings

      Common Mistakes

        Best Practices & Ownership

        AST-008 · Recommended Approach

        Recommended Practices

          Typical Owner

          Cross-Mapped Regulatory Frameworks

          Harmonized Control Mappings
          FRAMEWORK CODE FRAMEWORK NAME & DETAILS FAMILY / CATEGORY VERSION ACTION
          IRDAI IRDAI Information & Cyber Security Guidelines IRDAI information and cyber-security requirements... Clause: §2.2-3.1 – Information asset profiling
          India
          Guideline
          		 vLatest View →
          RBI-CSF RBI Cyber Security Framework / Master Directions RBI cyber-security requirements and directions set... Clause: 2) Preventing execution of unauthorised software – 2.1 Authorised/unauthorised software inventory and application whitelisting
          India
          Regulation
          		 vLatest View →
          SEBI-CSCRF SEBI Cyber Security & Cyber Resilience Framework SEBI’s Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience Framewor... Clause: 2.1 ID.AM: Asset Management
          India
          Regulation
          		 vLatest View →
          DORA Digital Operational Resilience Act The EU Digital Operational Resilience Act establis... Clause: Article 8(1) – Identify, classify and document ICT-supported business functions, information assets and ICT assets Article 8(6) – Maintenance and periodic updating of relevant inventories
          EU
          Regulation
          		 vCurrent View →
          NIS2 NIS2 Directive The NIS2 Directive establishes EU-wide cybersecuri... Clause: Article 21(2)(i) – Human resources security, access control policies and asset management
          EU
          Directive
          		 vCurrent View →
          COBIT2019 COBIT COBIT is an enterprise governance and management f... Clause: 4.3 – Build, Acquire and Implement (BAI) > BAI09 – Managed Assets > BAI09.01 – Identify and record current assets.
          COBIT
          Governance Framework
          		 v2019 View →
          NIST-CSF NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) The NIST Cybersecurity Framework provides high-lev... Clause: ID.AM – Asset Management | ID.AM-05 – Assets are prioritized based on classification, criticality, resources, and impact on the mission ID.AM – Asset Management | ID.AM-08 – Systems, hardware, software, services, and data are managed throughout their life cycles
          NIST
          Framework
          		 v2 View →
          NIST80053 NIST SP 800-53 NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 presents control families, i... Clause: 3.5 – CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT; CM-10 – SOFTWARE USAGE RESTRICTIONS, CM-8 – SYSTEM COMPONENT INVENTORY
          NIST
          Control Catalog
          		 vRev. 5 View →
          CIS-V8 CIS Controls CIS Controls are a prioritized set of cybersecurit... Clause: Control 02 – Inventory and Control of Software Assets: 2.1 – Establish and Maintain a Software Inventory
          CIS
          Best Practice
          		 vv8 View →
          SOC2 SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria SOC 2 is an independent examination and reporting... Clause: CC2.1 – Information and Communication – COSO Principle 13: The entity obtains or generates and uses relevant, quality information to support the functioning of internal control.
          AICPA
          Audit Framework
          		 vLatest View →

          Parent Domain Context

          Governance Domain Baseline
          Domain Name:
          Asset Management (AST)
          Purpose:
          To manage the lifecycle of technology assets from procurement to disposal.
          Scope:
          Enterprise
          View

          Parent Control Context

          Control Baseline
          Control Name:
          Software License Management (AST-008)
          Summary:
          Establishes comprehensive software license management including inventory, allocation, usage monitoring, compliance verification, renewal management, and vendor reconciliation.
          Business Description:
          Establish and maintain processes to manage software licenses, entitlements, usage, renewals, and compliance throughout the software lifecycle.
          View