Software Asset Optimization White Paper
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Driving Down Costs with Software Asset Optimization
By Colin Bartram, Director of Technology, Vector Networks (Page 4 of 6)
Optimization: the High Level Business Drivers
Once data has been collected and analyzed, optimization decisions can be made and prioritized in accordance with the organization's objectives. The key business drivers to consider are –
Compliance
It is not uncommon for an organization to revert to its initial objective of ensuring compliance, but with the usage information indicating where unused copies are installed, there is now the opportunity to reduce the cost of compliance by ensuring maximum use of the copies already owned. I.e., where an application is under-licensed compared to the deployment, the first focus should be to ensure that the deployed copies are being used, before any additional copies are bought.
Reduction of ongoing costs of ownership
Each PC can carry a significant cost in the annual maintenance of the applications. When the application copy is not being used, or an alternative provision can be made for occasional use, then the copy should be de-installed, and its maintenance cancelled unless the copy is needed elsewhere. Either way, the objective is to not pay for maintenance on unused software.
Maximum return on the investment of application ownership.
A first priority under this heading would normally be the redeployment of unused copies of applications, but it may also be appropriate to assess whether usage would increase if user training were increased. Going down this path requires an organization to understand that application software can and should be a source of user productivity, and not just a pure overhead.
It may also be appropriate to purchase additional application copies to match requirements, to increase organization productivity without compromising compliance.
Next page: The Opportunities of Optimization »