An audit letter from a software publisher creates urgency, and urgency leads to mistakes: sending too much data, agreeing to a broad scope, or accepting a tight timeline. The first 30 days set the tone for the whole audit. These ten steps keep you in control.
The first 30 days
The ten steps
Days 1–7: organize
Acknowledge receipt politely and say you will respond on scope and timing.
Notice requirements, frequency limits, scope, confidentiality, and who pays the auditor's costs.
All communication with the publisher and auditor goes through one person.
Legal reviews obligations; procurement knows the commercial relationship.
Days 7–21: assess and scope
Do not make sudden, large changes to deployments that could look like concealment, but do correct obvious errors with documentation.
Before sharing anything, calculate your own effective license position for the products in scope.
Which products, legal entities, countries, environments and time period.
Days 21–30: set the rules
How data will be collected, which scripts or tools will be used, and how results will be validated.
Share what the contract requires, reviewed for accuracy. Keep a log of everything sent.
For large publishers and complex estates, an experienced advisor can save far more than they cost.
Why scope matters so much
The scope agreed in the first weeks determines how large the audit can become. A broad scope, covering every entity, every product and several years, gives the auditor more places to find gaps.
Common mistakes
- Ask for the scope in writing before collecting data.
- Understand what every data-collection script gathers before running it.
- Keep a log of every file and figure shared.
- Correct known gaps properly, with documentation.
- Accepting the auditor's proposed scope without question.
- Running scripts across the whole estate "to be helpful".
- Letting several people talk to the vendor.
- Discussing commercial purchases before findings are agreed.
How MI One helps
Frequently asked questions
How long do we have to respond?
Check the contract. Many specify a notice period before an audit begins. Acknowledge quickly; agree the timeline deliberately.
Should we tell the auditor about known gaps?
Discuss with legal counsel. Correcting known issues properly is usually better than having them discovered.
Can we ask for the audit to be postponed?
Often, within reason, for example during a year-end close or a major migration. Ask in writing and propose a date.