Balancing software asset management with an efficient ... - Softcat

Case Study
Balancing software asset management with an
efficient means of monitoring and controlling costs
Man Group plc
With 225 years of trading experience, Man Group plc
has evolved into one of the world’s largest independent
alternative investment managers, driven by an objective
to deliver strong and stable returns for investors.
Headquartered in London with some 1300 employees
worldwide, the business is responsible for managing
$54.8 billion of investments (as at 31 March) and is part
of the FTSE 250 Index.
The Challenge
For a global operation like Man, strict cost management is fundamental
to its business. With a considerable software estate, they believed there
was a big opportunity to better manage software assets and create a
more efficient means of monitoring and controlling costs.
Following consultation with IT analyst Gartner and with the buy-in from
a cross functional steering group composed of Procurement and IT, the
business decided to go out to tender on a bold project to outsource
software asset management and overhaul how software would be
managed and acquired across their business. The intention was to identify
an expert partner who would become their software Centre of Excellence.
Adrian Clewley Head of Global Procurement at Man explains the
project origins. “There are some excellent Software Asset Management
tools on the market but you still need someone to manage the software
assets and interpret the data generated by the tool. We had heard
about companies not deploying the right resource around their project
then finding it failed”.
By outsourcing the project Man would obtain the Software Asset
Management tool needed, complemented by technical expertise to
manage it plus vital knowledge of the complex licensing models they are
Key Facts
• One of the world’s largest
independent alternative investment
managers
• 225 trading history
• $54.8bn under investment
• 1300 employees worldwide
Critical Success Factors
• Create a more cost effi cient
means of monitoring, managing
and controlling Software Assets
• Establish software Centre of
Excellence in business
• Deploy best-of-breed Software
Asset Management tool
• Outsource to an expert partner
with the right blend of expertise
who could join process and
technology
Softcat | Fieldhouse Lane | Marlow | Buckinghamshire | SL7 1LW
W: www.softcat.com | T: 01628 403 403 | E: sales@softcat.com

subject to. The partner would also be expected to use the
information collected on their estate and experience in Software
Licensing to successfully negotiate vendor software audits and
obtain the best possible value for Man from future software
acquisition and license renewals.
The Solution
As a partner to GLG, Man’s discretionary investment management
business, acquired in 2010, Softcat were delighted to be invited to
tender, following a recommendation from Andy Archer, IT Director at
GLG. Liam Dennison, Account Director at Softcat picks up the story
“Man wanted to deploy a best-of-breed Software Asset Management tool
and create a Software Licensing Desk (SLD) to then manage all software
assets. With a business the size of Man we felt it important that our
proposal demonstrate a high degree of flexibility with the opportunity to
evolve as knowledge on the estate became clear over time”.
The objectives for the Software License Desk were clear; manage the
software assets, provide a consistent ordering platform and maintain a
software inventory. With a vast amount of experience in Software Asset
Management and Software Licensing, Softcat believed that the success
of the project would be dependent on the right mix of resources. Liam
Dennison continues “Man wanted the Software License Desk to be the
‘go to people’ for anything software related and wanted it to inspire
an attitude change surrounding software use and acquisition. We knew
large chunks of the task would be operational; meaning we could, on
the whole deploy more cost effective resources to undertake the day-today
responsibilities, supplemented by a senior Software Consultant as
part of the governance committee Man proposed to set up. Crucially,
this resource mix kept our response commercially attractive”.
“Softcat stood out from the other three bidders” comments Adrian
Clewley on the Softcat response to the tender. “They were energetic,
enthusiastic and creative. The people we met were very motivated,
very keen and very eager to win the business. Conversely, the other
bids were very traditional, very corporate and very rigid which did not
give us confidence in how the service might need to develop”.
Solution Highlights
• Onsite outsourced service to
create Software Licensing Desk
• Highly fl exible service capable
of changing with demands of the
business
• Mix of experienced operational
staff and SAM experts
• Utilised leading Software Asset
Management tool; SNOW
Software
Man was also very impressed with SNOW; the Software Asset
Management tool Softcat recommended in its bid. “We have a strong
track record working with SNOW” says Liam Dennison “and believed
it offered everything Man required and more”. “Softcat’s close
relationship with SNOW was very reassuring” adds Adrian Clewley.
The Benefits
As the chosen partner Softcat, has been operating the Software License
Desk for over two years, and a recent contract extension is testament to the
achievements made with the software estate during this time. Softcat has
audited 1,273 applications from mainstream brands such as Microsoft
and Symantec to more exotic ISV’s like Dart Communications and US
Softcat | Fieldhouse Lane | Marlow | Buckinghamshire | SL7 1LW
W: www.softcat.com | T: 01628 403 403 | E: sales@softcat.com

ased Business Intelligence provider Splunk. Furthermore, Softcat is now
managing 1300 users and 5250 devices at any one time.
The results have been both powerful and immediate. Within only a few
months of running the Software License Desk Softcat examined a large
provider’s licensing position and helped them avoid a multi-million pound
maintenance renewal as a result of accurate data on what was deployed.
“The project has accomplished every goal we set out to achieve. Every
year Softcat has more than covered their costs in real savings. Add to this
what we have achieved in cost avoidance and the return is in excess of
10 times their annual fee for the service!” enthuses Adrian Clewley.
With SNOW agents deployed on every desktop and nearly every server
in the estate Softcat is able to monitor application usage and challenge the
business on how much or whether software is even needed. The result is
an accurate software inventory and a ‘pool’ of software licenses that can
be re-purposed rather than buying further software unnecessarily.
All of this information is available to business stakeholders in a dashboard
which feeds into a quarterly forecast on software renewals, prompting
cost centre managers to confirm important estate information like licensing
levels and support contract requirements. This is finally run past the CTO
and CFO for final approval.
Armed with an Effective Licensing Position and granular intelligence on
the software estate, Softcat then proactively approaches Man software
vendors to negotiate the best possible commercials on software
renewals and related support.
The flexibility Softcat promised at the outset has proved invaluable to
the project. From the original service scope they are now managing
10 times more software vendors than initially anticipated, and are
responsible for overseeing the uninstallation of software from machines
demonstrating how quickly a project of this kind can grow.
At a Glance:
• Instant benefi t avoiding multimillion
pound contract renewal
with Oracle
• 10x ROI on annual fee for the
Softcat service in real savings
and cost avoidance
• Substantial savings in time and
resource deployed
• Successful audit of 1273
applications
• Managing up to 1300 users at
any one time
Why Softcat
According to Adrian Clewley, Softcat has fundamentally changed
software management and acquisition within Man. “Cost centre
managers now don’t need to try and carry all of the knowledge
surrounding software themselves – they simply go to the Software
License Desk and can be assured they know what’s deployed and
what’s needed”.
Like any service there have been hiccups but Adrian Clewley believes you
can always tell the integrity of a supplier by the way they react when there
is a problem. When this occurs “Softcat listen, they are not defensive,
they talk to us and they take remedial steps quickly”.
The flexibility Softcat promised at the outset has proved invaluable to the
project. From the original service scope they are now managing 10 times
more software vendors than initially anticipated, and are responsible for
overseeing the uninstallation of software from machines demonstrating
how quickly a project of this kind can grow.
Softcat | Fieldhouse Lane | Marlow | Buckinghamshire | SL7 1LW
W: www.softcat.com | T: 01628 403 403 | E: sales@softcat.com

Summary
Now that the original objectives have been achieved Man is
continuing to develop the service further. “50% of the tasks
we undertake today were not on the original scope of work –
demonstrating just how much the service has evolved in the time we
have been managing it. We started with one License Administrator
and now have two” comments Liam Dennison.
The project and the experience gained have also enabled Softcat
to enhance its Software Asset Management services. “Working with
Man has been a step change to our traditional SAM services. As
people and consultants my team has matured as has SAM within
Man’s business. We now have multiple Software License Desks
around the square mile and know we can make a real difference
to any business and more importantly show a good ROI almost
immediately” declares Matt Ward, SAM Manager at Softcat.
“Working with Softcat
has been a real
pleasure...”
”...We are very
pleased with the
service they deliver for
us and look forward
to developing it further
in the future”.
Adrian Clewley
Head of Global Procurement
MAN GROUP PLC
Adrian Clewley concludes “Working with Softcat has been a real
pleasure. From the word go they have delivered tangible benefits
to the business and have proved themselves to be straight talking,
responsive and dynamic. We are very pleased with the service they
deliver for us and look forward to developing it further in the future”.
About Softcat
Softcat is a leading provider of software licensing, hardware, security and related IT services. Softcat was founded in 1993 by
Peter Kelly, remains privately owned and currently employs over 500 people. It achieved a turnover in excess of £300 million
in its last financial year and has been profitable since inception, resulting in a strong balance sheet and very firm financial
foundations. The company sells and supports products and solutions from all the world’s leading IT companies. On all its
portfolio products and solutions it offers a full range of services, including advice and guidance, technical design, product
sourcing, implementation, support and project management. It enjoys a trading relationship with over 5,000 longstanding
customers, predominantly from the UK corporate sector but also including large enterprises, small businesses and public sector
organisations. As an organisation Softcat cares passionately about two things – outstanding employee satisfaction and world
class customer service. It believes the former drives the latter.
Softcat | Fieldhouse Lane | Marlow | Buckinghamshire | SL7 1LW
W: www.softcat.com | T: 01628 403 403 | E: sales@softcat.com