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

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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
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