Software Asset Management: What’s in it for you?

Article
04/14/2016

Colin Esaias

Hello Partners!

Software Asset Management (SAM) is sometimes misunderstood. I wanted to take a moment and have a high level overview of SAM and the benefits of SAM to both the partner and the customer.

Software Asset Management helps organizations control costs and optimize software investments

Managing software across an entire organization can be complex

Organizations may struggle with:

What is the best way to control costs and manage business and legal risks?
Can we do more with the software we already have?
Will our current IT infrastructure be able to expand as the organization grows?

Implementing SAM protects customers software investments and helps them recognize what they have, where it's running, and if their organization is using their assets efficiently.

Software Asset Management Benefits

Customer:

Increased compliance due to proper licensing
Savings by eliminating unnecessary licenses
Alignment of licenses with business needs
Simplified acquisition, deployment, and management of software

Partner:

Increased business contacts and improved relationships
Capture Incremental revenue by identifying cross sell & upsell opportunities and potential license shortfalls

Software Asset Management Review for Small Business

Software Asset Management License Review for Small Business

Customers headquartered in the US
Active volume license agreement
75 – 250 seats

License Review Purpose

Baseline software deployments with license entitlements
Reconcile & consolidate licensing records into one concise report
- VL, Cloud, OEM, FPP
Educate customers on license concepts and acquisition strategies
Consult on Software Asset Management optimization & best practices

SAM is Committed to Execution Excellence

Deliver value based SAM engagement
Focus on SAM best practice adoption and long term compliance
Connect customers with resources, tools, training and partners
Provide access to SAM specialist and licensing expert

Customer Experience

Value based review, customer experience is top priority
Eliminate waste, redundancy and risk of non-compliance
Assist customers in development and adoption of SAM policies and procedures

Why customers are requested to participate

Extensive data analytics

Leveraging internal & external data sources

Identify customers who will benefit from completion review

Factors vary from customer to customer

Factors include but not limited to:

Inconsistent versioning

Companion product inconsistencies

Server/CAL inconsistencies

Product edition inconsistencies

Inefficient licensing practices

What is the role of the Partner?

Familiarize yourself with the principles, value & best practices of Software Asset Management for small business
Encourage customer participation
Confirm legitimacy of request if customer confusion exists
Support customer with requirements of review & point customers to resources for assistance
- Tool deployment
- License entitlement and proof of license data
Escalate if issues arise
Consider SAM Competency – Microsoft Partner Program

What is the Partner Opportunity?

As a trusted Partner, your company can gain access to key decision makers within the highest levels in the organization and: