Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Microsoft Licensing an In-depth Webinar Course

For years I've been asked to teach a class on Microsoft licensing. Not the surface stuff you find out easily but the in-depth ins and outs that folks responsible for appropriately licensing (or architecting) their environment need to know about.

My only problem with doing so is that adult retention isn't that great...so I'd pour tons of information into their brains for hours on end and they'd walk away knowing maybe 3 key items. That doesn't solve the problem!

Now, I've finally done it in a way I can feel good about...a webinar series that is recorded and made available to attendees after they walk away! The course is broken down into 5 consecutive weekly webinars lasting 2 hours each (that's 10 hours of actual content, but served in bite sized chunks).

This will allow attendees to:
  • Learn in-depth Microsoft licensing details from an independent expert,
  • Eliminate licensing ambiguities when negotiating Microsoft agreements,
  • Save money through better leveraging licensing and knowing key negotiating tips,
  • Be able to review content "on demand" after completion of the course while saving on travel costs!

Early bird discounts are available for the first series until March 9, 2011...each early bird window closes two weeks prior to the start of training.

Check out the course here.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Software Asset Management - 2011

What is it about 2011 that makes me think...we have officially reached "the future"? 

Is it just that I'm now so old that when I thought forward to the future it was anything after 2010? Probably...but since old age seems to keep growing further and further away from me as I age, I refuse to accept that as the answer, LOL! 

What will happen to Software Asset Management in 2011? My crystal ball is far from perfect but I'll take a stab at predicting this year anyway... 

Software audits rise - sorry, I know you've been hearing that threat for years but based on what I've seen so far in 2011 I think you can count on it as a fact. As the economy (and therefore companies) see an improvement I think you'll find publishers starting to come forward to find out what you have (and haven't) been doing in the past couple of years. They know you've been spending less money with them, so they want to make sure you've been licensing appropriately. Software audits are expensive (even if you're fully compliant and don't have to buy anything), so before you respond please reach out to us to see how we can help! 

Cloud Computing continues to grow and initially companies will manage these in a decentralized fashion (you buy it, you manage it). Hopefully some will remember lessons learned from the past and have these managed centrally by their Software Asset Manager. When I spoke on this topic at the IAITAM Conference two years ago there was a lot of uncertainty from Software Asset Managers as to who owned this responsibility - frankly the role that owns it is the role that steps forward to take control of it. My suggestion is that a saavy SAM Manager will realize that they add value to this function and this function adds value to their position. If you don't have your controls in place for managing Cloud contracts, please talk to us about appropriate processes and controls. 

The role of the CIO will become more ambiguous. OK, so this isn't SAM but it is important to SAM. I think we are clearly seeing the assimilation of IT into the whole of the business. Regardless of industry, IT is critical to all areas of the business and business owners are going to want more control of it. While a certain amount of centralization and segregation of duty is imperative to maintain controls and manage cost, I will not be surprised to see the role of the CIO disappear. However; on the flip side, I think you will start seeing more former CIO's transition into the role of the COO (possibly a natural evolution as CIO's have long been advised to become intimately familiar of all the business units they are serving). If this transition does take place, you might well see the role of SAM Manager follow suite (especially if the SAM Manager has taken on the Cloud Computing aspect). 

Is my crystal ball failing me or do others see the same? Let me know! 

One thing I do know for certain is that Cynthia Farren Consulting will launch an updated website in 2011 (OK, I cheated...since it already launched earlier this month). We tried to simplify matters and provide more valuable content - let us know how we did!

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Walking Away From a Microsoft Licensing Agreement

When finances are tight it's not uncommon for companies to start expiring their maintenance contracts, including software maintenance. As with any maintenance agreement that is allowed to expire, it's important that an organization understand the full implications of their actions so that it is a strategic event rather than a reactionary one. 

This is a big topic so will cover several postings - check back for more updates or e-mail us with specific questions. 

Microsoft has three primary ways for an organization to acquire licensing rights - subscription licensing (Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack aka MDOP is an example), perpetual licensing (their traditional model where once you buy it you own the rights forever), or perpetual with maintenance (Microsoft Software Assurance aka SA). 

Subscription licensing expires at the end of the subscription agreement (unless there is a buy-out option). I'm not going into details on this type for this article. 

Perpetual licensing does not expire but also does not have upgrade rights. So again will not be discussed in this article. 

Perpetual licensing with Software Assurance includes upgrade rights until the SA expires. When SA expires, your organization is entitled to the latest version of the product which has been released to volume licensing customers. Those licenses then become perpetual licenses but inherit the licensing terms from the agreement under which they were acquired. 

For example, a customer who had a full platform Microsoft Enterprise Agreement (which automatically includes SA) which they allowed to expire at the end of May 2010 would walk away with perpetual licenses for the following Microsoft products: Office Professional Plus 2010, Windows Server 2008 Client Access License (CAL), Exchange Server 2010 Standard CAL, SharePoint Server 2010 Standard CAL, System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 Client Management License and Windows 7 Enterprise (but be aware of any subscription components, those are not perpetual). However; those perpetual licenses will always be restricted to the licensing rights under the Enterprise Agreement (for example, no secondary use rights for Microsoft Office which means if a user has a desktop and a laptop each would require its own license). 

While a license is covered under SA, it is at it's most flexible. Consider your future plans prior to allowing SA to expire. A couple of things to think about: 1) Will you be using any of the enhanced functionality of the Microsoft Enterprise CAL Suite? 2) Will you be increasing your server virtualization efforts and will Microsoft Windows Enterprise Server or Microsoft Windows Datacenter edition provide you with a more cost effective solution? 3) Are you licensed under Device CALs when User CALs might be more effective or vice versa - these can only be changed at time of renewal and guess what...you're not renewing. 

However; now is still the time to push the envelope on this (before expiration) as there are ways of getting this changed as long as you still have active SA. The first two scenario's would be covered by "Step-up" licenses from lower versions carrying SA. This allows you to leverage the monies you've already spent on the lesser edition by paying a reduced price for the higher edition but can only be completed while you have active SA on the product. 

Watch for more to come...or if you're considering walking away from a Microsoft Licensing Agreement talk to us first, it can help you avoid future costs and headaches!