SAM by Vendor
So many vendors; and so many rules to abide by – we look at some of the biggest
From the everyday software of Microsoft and Adobe...
...to the more complex licensing of Oracle and Autodesk.
The rules of engagement
There are so many software vendors out there – from the multinational ones whose apps our daily lives depend on, to a single person coding away on their own to offer the wider world something more niche.
All different; and at the same time, all similar in that how they can be used will be governed by some form of licensing. Whether it’s freeware or eye-wateringly expensive, there’ll be an agreement dictating what usage is allowed; and what might find you in a bit of trouble.
Because there are so many vendors out there, and the landscape of IT is constantly evolving, that brings with it a myriad of different rules to abide by (even if you’re dealing with just one vendor).
We’ve zoned in on a few key software vendors to consider when looking into a SAM programme of your own. With our extensive knowledge and experience, we are perfectly placed to help you identify the key priorities – but in the meantime, have a look below for some of the manufacturers that should already be on your mind when it comes to important targets.
Let's take a look at some of these vendors...
Adobe
Adobe are one of the software vendors that are often overlooked with regards to SAM in recent times – most likely because of their move to Creative Cloud.
However, non-compliance risks associated to sharing devices and user accounts still exist. This is as well as the usual overspend risk that comes with self-managed subscriptions (in that there are probably subscriptions you are committed to at present that you don’t require!). Or even worse, you could be paying too much for individual element subscriptions when a Creative Cloud for Teams license would be cheaper.
We also find organisations over-licensing on functionality – applying (for example) a full Acrobat license where Reader would be more than sufficient.
Autodesk
Autodesk audits are amongst some of the most common. This could be attributed to the fact that Autodesk have some visibility as to the install and usage data for certain products. So this is often a software vendor that customers categorise into their ‘Tier 1’ listings for frequent monitoring on a SAM level.
There are also substantial gains to be seen by monitoring their software regularly; as even though Autodesk have moved to a subscription-based licensing model (which means simpler administration for you), there are equal opportunities here for over-allocation. As an expensive investment, a good SAM programme that includes Autodesk optimisation could save your organisation a considerable amount of your IT budget.
Microsoft
Microsoft remain one of the highest risks in terms of SAM. This is partially because they have a relatively active auditing team, but also because virtualisation licensing is quite complex and has had some significant changes over the years. The good news is that it also remains the software that companies can find the greatest ROI (return on investment) on when effectively managed.
Not only are there great benefits to be seen in terms of standardisation and the effect this has on internal training & end user support, but effective management can also see reduced costs; and better fit solutions to make BAU tasks a lot simpler under the right licensing selections.
A baseline review of Microsoft includes an Effective Licence Position (ELP), which is a Microsoft accepted output, and can be shared (at will) with your Microsoft Account Manager to help better plan for the future.
Oracle
Most people are familiar with Oracle and their aggressive auditing campaigns. In fact, Gartner reckon that Oracle are the second most likely vendor to audit your environment!
Oracle database licensing also has some strict restrictions around virtualisation that can often be misinterpreted and the variety of different licensing models for their applications is a minefield of historic acquisition conquests. Not to mention Oracle’s acquisition of Java and the fact that this is also now licensable under similarly strict terms with regards to virtualisation.
These are all very good reasons to continually make Oracle a priority with your organisation.
VMware
Although VMWare is really good at knowledge sharing/education when it comes to their products and licensing, one cannot forget that there they have an ever-increasing repertoire of software offerings – with a range of different metrics that would be best managed/monitored independently from each other.
With modern times being more cloud-centric, there is also this platform for VMWare (and you) to navigate and understand.
EasySAM’s SAMplicity offerings can help you target and manage the plethora for VMWare options available. Not only to ensure you demonstrate compliance, but so you have a good handle on the current infrastructure and its licensing in order to plan for future upgrades and expansion.
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