Mainframe software license management at the IRS is not being adequately performed, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has said.
It said the IRS runs about 200 different software products on its mainframe computer systems, but that the agency is not adhering to federal requirements and recommended industry best practices.
In particular, the IRS does not have policies, procedures, and requirements for mainframe software license management and does not have a centralized, enterprise-wide organizational structure for managing mainframe software licenses, the IG found.
It said inadequate mainframe software license management has resulted in an estimated waste of $11.6 million and over-utilization of $1.5 million in license and software subscription support fees.
The IRS agreed with recommendations to develop policies, develop an enterprise-wide organizational structure to manage mainframe software assets and licenses, and to develop a software license inventory and maintain it with a specialized tool.
