In today’s rapidly evolving IT landscape, managing software assets has become a critical challenge for organizations. The proliferation of SaaS subscriptions with a legacy environment of perpetual licenses has left organizations struggling with selecting a single software asset management (SAM) tool or a collection of specialized point solutions. SAM tools aim to decipher the complex world of license and SaaS subscription management. This has led to a diverse set of software asset management (SAM) requirements. This blog explores our understanding of the key findings, recommendations and other sections from the Gartner® Market Guide for Software Asset Management Tools1, to help…
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How to Choose a Software Asset Management Tool: Insights from the Gartner® Market Guide
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3 Recommendations to Safeguard Your SaaS Budget: Insights from the Gartner® Report
In the ever-evolving landscape of Software as a Service (SaaS), organizations are grappling with significant price increases in their contracts. To address this issue, a comprehensive research report by Gartner®1 has been conducted to shed light on the three primary factors driving SaaS vendors to raise their prices. Additionally, the report provides recommendations for sourcing, procurement, and vendor management (SPVM) leaders to navigate negotiations effectively. 3 reasons behind SaaS price increases The report delves into three key drivers behind the escalating SaaS prices, which are causing organizations to face budgetary challenges: Vendors will link price increases to inflation: One of…
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Save more with Product Use Rights and Product Use Case Templates
With the formation of FinOps and its convergence with ITAM, effective software license management is an increasingly critical required capability for organizations of all sizes. It impacts compliance, cost control and overall IT governance. But the complexity of software licensing agreements and the evolving nature of software distribution models make it challenging to maintain compliance while optimizing costs. Product use rights (PUR) and the application of product use right templates are crucial components in software license management that enable cost savings across your IT estate. Let’s learn how to understand them and how to get the most out of your…
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IT Visibility: mission-critical for 2024
Houston, we have a visibility problem.1 According to the 2024 IT Priorities Report, 75% of IT leaders felt there was a risk of visibility gaps within their IT ecosystem. But a lack of visibility isn’t the only obstacle facing IT executives: Decentralized purchasing patterns, the rise of generative AI tools — like ChatGPT — and black holes created by SaaS sprawl all present their own unique challenges. It’s not that IT leaders are unaware of these dynamic forces. In fact, integrating AI into their operations was the top priority for IT leaders in 2024 (35%), alongside reducing IT costs (28%)…
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Key Stages of the IT Asset Management Lifecycle
Organizations employ multiple information technology (IT) assets at a time, from hardware and software to networks and data. IT asset management (ITAM) using the best IT asset management software (or IoT asset tracking software) helps deal with these components by recording and tracking each one, which helps reduce costs, mitigate risks and maximize technology investments. To better implement ITAM, it’s a good idea to follow IT asset management practices–one of which is to take a lifecycle approach to implementation. This starts with understanding the key stages of the ITAM lifecycle: planning, acquisition, utilization, maintenance, and renewal or disposal. What is…
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Unlock the Full Potential of Your SaaS Investments Through SAM Maturity
No matter where you are in your SAM program maturity, you’re likely focusing on optimizing your software vendor relationship. According to the latest Flexera 2023 State of ITAM Report, negotiating contract terms with software vendors is a key practice for half of organizations in managing their SaaS. As asset managers prepare for renewals and major contracts, it’s crucial they highlight user adoption and identify optimization opportunities, while also developing strategies focused on reporting and governance to maximize their investments. A whopping 32% of SaaS spend is estimated to be underutilized or wasted (Flexera 2023 State of ITAM Report). With SaaS…
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Key Stages of the IT Asset Management Lifecycle
Organizations employ multiple information technology (IT) assets at a time, from hardware and software to networks and data. IT asset management (ITAM) using the best IT asset management software (or IoT asset tracking software) helps deal with these components by recording and tracking each one, which helps reduce costs, mitigate risks and maximize technology investments. To better implement ITAM, it’s a good idea to follow IT asset management practices–one of which is to take a lifecycle approach to implementation. This starts with understanding the key stages of the ITAM lifecycle: planning, acquisition, utilization, maintenance, and renewal or disposal. What is…
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New Microsoft 365 licenses: A game changer for business leaders
The power of AI tools to drive business success In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, businesses are constantly seeking ways to streamline processes, boost productivity and enhance content creation. With industry giants like Salesforce and Microsoft leading the charge in utilizing AI tools, Microsoft 365 Copilot has emerged as a game changer for business leaders and users. This powerful tool promises significant business value through time-saving capabilities, such as the ability to find and build content quickly and easily. Unleashing productivity with Copilot Microsoft 365 Copilot has garnered rave reviews from customers who have reported immediate productivity improvements. By leveraging AI…
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Why you need to consider vendor certifications in your SAM strategy
Let’s face it, software licensing is complex. Even on an individual level, managing subscription-based licensing models can be a massive headache… Can you effortlessly recall all your monthly subscription expenses? Are you paying monthly or yearly? Have any of your subscription costs unexpectedly surged? Are you optimizing your subscriptions, or could you use a family plan to reduce costs? Are there subscriptions quietly draining your wallet without providing any value? Do you have a clear picture of how much each subscription impacts your weekly activities? For an enterprise business juggling thousands of software licenses, each with its own set of…
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ITAM trends and insights: 2024 State of ITAM Report
Flexera’s 2024 State of ITAM Report highlights the latest IT asset management (ITAM) trends and statistics, including strategies, challenges and initiatives from a broad cross-section of industries and organizations. It draws on the wisdom of 503 IT professionals and executive leaders from a survey conducted in the beginning of 2024 and highlights year-over-year (YoY) changes to help identify trends. As in previous years, the 2024 State of ITAM Report provides insights into the makeup and focus of ITAM teams at enterprise-level organizations and offers perspective and advice on these current trends. The report takes a high-level view of IT investments…
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Simplify your ServiceNow license management
In 2023, our customers voiced a common challenge—obtaining an accurate license position for ServiceNow. The licensing model for ServiceNow can be exceptionally complex, and this complexity often leads to confusion—or worse, exorbitant unnecessary spend. But fret not, because we’ve been hard at work finding a solution that brings clarity and transparency to your ServiceNow licensing. What’s new? With this game-changing release, we’re introducing a powerful combination of user interface and Power BI reporting to empower our customers. You can expect: Reproducing the ServiceNow audit report: Now you can access a trusted third-party view of your license consumption right within Flexera…
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Optimize your Salesforce orgs with key insights
Before discussing some of the challenges and opportunities for you to better understand your adoption, utilization and potential savings for your Salesforce investments, it’s important to recognize that for most customers, their relationship with Salesforce is positive, mutually beneficial and mission critical, meaning most customers will not consider another CRM solution for the foreseeable future. Many procurement professionals and executives will ask, “Can’t we shop this out?” Even if another option is considered (some customers are using Microsoft Dynamics ERP and have migrated to the Microsoft CRM solution) and works great for them. But for most customers, the migration plan…
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How generative AI (GenAI) and subscription models are reshaping the IT landscape: Our insights from the Gartner® report
A recent Gartner® report, Predicts 2024: Geopolitics, SaaS and Generative AI Impact IT Vendor Risk explores the implications of trends for organizations and third-party support providers (TSPs), offering strategic insights and recommendations. The shift toward subscription models and its impact on TSPs Gartner predicts that by 2028, one of the major third-party support providers will fail due to the increasing adoption of subscription-based models by software vendors, creating potential vendor ecosystem risks for organizations. Software vendors often release new functionality on cloud-based versions that typically are offered on models before making it available on on-premises versions as part of their…
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Maximizing software subscription value: 4 strategies for ITAM professionals
The world of software pricing is notoriously dynamic. With frequent shifts in monetization models and evolving vendor strategies, IT asset management professionals are constantly adapting to new pricing landscapes. Effectively managing subscription-based software can unlock significant cost savings and deliver more value. Below are four essential strategies that will help ITAM teams get the most from their software investments. Embrace flexible capacity planning One of the most common pitfalls in software procurement is purchasing based on peak usage, which often leads to unnecessary overspending. Instead, a more strategic approach is to start with a smaller subscription tier and scale up…
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Flexera and containers: ITAM and FinOps capabilities reaching deeper into your tech stack
Containers allow businesses to deploy applications consistently across environments. But managing these containerized applications – especially when it comes to cost and license compliance – can be a significant challenge. Flexera steps in to offer both ITAM and FinOps capabilities for managing containers in on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments. But first, let’s take a look back. A brief history: From chroot to Kubernetes In the late 1970s, a few members of the Unix V7 development team introduced the chroot command, which enabled the root directory of a process and its children to reside in a new location within the Linux…
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8 ways to reduce spending on SAP
Organizations across the world spend millions on their SAP® systems, typically increasing their license expenditure every year. The processes and solutions to control and limit this upward curve represent huge cost saving opportunities. Industry Analysts state that enterprises who mature their SAM processes and use tools to focus on license optimization typically report up to 30% in spending reductions within one year. They also enable the SAP team to spend less time on license administration and turn their focus to mission-critical tasks. SAP licensing is complex and although the data required to understand it is available natively, consolidating the data…
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6 Common Shortcomings of Systems Management Tools When Used for IT Asset Management
Software asset managers and IT pros tasked with taking on license optimization, risk management and audit readiness frequently come to us after months or years of frustration because the data they are using to perform these tasks isn’t fit for purpose. The source of this problem is systems management tools have some IT asset discovery and inventory capabilities, and may perform some ITAM functions, such as detecting vulnerabilities (and patching them) or identifying EOL software on a subset of devices. But that is where the similarities between systems management and IT asset management platforms end. These platforms perform different functions…
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Cutting carbon in computing: Practical tips for sustainable IT
In a world where environmental sustainability is no longer a choice but a necessity, businesses need to adopt green strategies. The green technology and sustainability market is currently valued over $19 billion and expected to grow to more than $89 billion by 2032.1 Adopting sustainable practices not only reduces a company’s carbon footprint but also unlocks financial and operational benefits. In fact, 88% of organizations with robust sustainability practices report improved operational performance.2 Below are key ways organizations can make a positive impact on both their bottom line and the environment. Critical moves for greener, more efficient IT operations 1.…
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Navigating Microsoft’s new licensing changes: What ITAM professionals need to know
Are you aware of Microsoft’s latest licensing changes? Microsoft is undergoing a series of licensing changes aimed at improving partner engagement and customer experience, with added AI advancements. Here’s what you need to know to ensure you’re managing costs, staying compliant, and aligning with your business strategy. Key changes to Microsoft’s licensing model Changes to Cloud Enterprise Agreements (EA) — Effective January 2025: Microsoft is phasing out the traditional Enterprise Agreement (EA) in select markets, with renewals no longer available. For enterprise customers, Microsoft is pivoting to the Microsoft Customer Agreement for Enterprise (MCA-E), a more streamlined, digital solution. This…
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Unlocking the strategic value of Software Asset Management: 4 critical keys
You may not realize it, but software asset management (SAM) could be the fairytale princess of your organization. Hear us out: 1. SAM works hard. Instead of being at the beck and call of ugly stepsisters, great SAM helps you understand usage, prepare for audits, lower security risks, keep your employees trained… you get the idea. 2. SAM is woefully underappreciated. All too often, other functions wrongly view SAM as mere “bean counting” focused on license numbers and costs, when it’s really a strategic enabler for organizations, enabling cleaner data, greater team collaboration and more. 3. SAM deserves recognition—and a…
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