Microsoft Software Asset Management (SAM) Helps Handle Growth, Update Licensing (case study)
Hey folks -
I know that many of you MAP fans out there are either from our SAM partner community or have used MAP in a SAM engagement. Here’s a re-post of a recent case study performed by our friends over in volume licensing touting the value of the MAP toolkit.
Enjoy!
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Have you grown quickly through acquisition and had trouble keeping track of all the software and licenses you’ve acquired in the process? Carousel Industries was in a similar situation and reconciled software assets while saving costs by updating its licensing strategy. It accomplished this by working with Universal Management Solutions to undergo a complimentary Software Asset Management (SAM) Baseline engagement using the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit to gather inventory data. Read more in the Microsoft case study, Carousel Industries: Technology Consultant Handles Growth, Updates Licensing Strategy with SAM.
Carousel Industries has provided technology services to enterprise customers across the United States for 20 years. In 2009, the company entered into a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement, part of Microsoft Volume Licensing. Just two years after entering into the agreement, Carousel Industries doubled its employee count, through both acquisitions and hiring, to reach its current size of more than 1,150 employees; three quarters of these employees are remote workers.
Dell, the Microsoft Large Account Reseller (LAR) for Carousel Industries, introduced Universal Management Solutions (UMS), a Gold SAM Competency member of the Microsoft Partner Network, to conduct a SAM Baseline. The process of collecting an accurate inventory and matching it with purchases and licensing records took two weeks. The tool helped the company confirm what software was deployed on the computers used by its many remote workers. Upon completion of the inventory, Carousel Industries learned that the company’s license usage data was outdated and needed correction. Further, UMS and Dell provided guidance on the optimal Volume Licensing program for the company.
Resulting benefits for Carousel Industries included a firm grasp on software obtained through acquisition, confidence in the inventory results, improved asset management policies, and time savings for end users. According to Brian Gibb, IT Manager at Carousel Industries, “The biggest benefit of the SAM Baseline was getting an understanding of what software had been transferred through the acquisitions.”
Carousel Industries also saved costs through a new licensing agreement. Inventory data illustrated how Carousel Industries could benefit financially from renewing the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement and adding an Enrollment for Application Platform for the company’s Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2
licenses.
To learn more, visit the web pages for Microsoft Software Asset Management (SAM) Services, which includes a downloadable flyer on the SAM Baseline engagement option, and the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit, a free download from Microsoft. Also check out the Microsoft Medium Business blog post by Daniel Langton, Software Asset Management: Stay legal and save money, featuring tips on how to avoid over-spending on licensing and make sure that you’re not inadvertently using counterfeit software.
Don’t forget to share comments below and follow us on Twitter (@Msft_VL) for more news around Microsoft Software Asset Management, the Enterprise Agreement and other Microsoft Volume Licensing programs.
Cheers -
Rob