IBM’s IASP Partners Can Choose Snow
Approximately four years ago, as part of a corporate mandate, IBM’s Sanjay K. Saxena, Director, WW IBM Authorized SAM Provider (IASP) Offering, met with customers around the world to better understand their software compliance audit concerns and to see how IBM could respond to help improve the client experience. Industry wide, organizations reported feeling as if most software vendors could do more to help them remain compliant. As a result, IBM announced the IBM Authorized SAM Provider Offering (IASP) as an alternative way to manage and confirm a customer’s IBM software consumption and improve customer satisfaction.
“Feedback from clients on licensing IBM software over hundreds of software acquisitions, combined with regular software audits, led to IBM creating an alternative that seems to have been well-received amongst the global client base,” said Sanjay.
As IBM continues to evolve IASP, we are excited to share that Snow SAM tools can be leveraged to supplement the verification procedures carried out by IBM’s four IASP partners to measure software consumption.
Improving your compliance position
The IASP offering is currently designed for enterprise customers and run on a “by-invitation or client request” basis. Invited organizations need to select one of the four authorized SAM partners – Anglepoint, Deloitte, Ernst and Young or KPMG – to proactively manage their IBM software assets. This provides the customer with a continuous, transparent way of managing license compliance, combined with various other benefits.
How the IASP program works
- A client of IBM software, signs the IASP Agreement with IBM and signs a Statement of Work with its preferred IASP partner after due selection process to receive SAM Managed Services
- The IASP partner establishes the necessary reporting processes, including the setup of eligible sub-capacity measuring tools and assist with SAM Tool configurations and their optimization
- The first report, a baseline report, after due consultation between the IASP and the client, is submitted to IBM, by the client
- Any gaps between license entitlement and software deployments, at this stage, can be remedied by purchasing additional licenses either directly from IBM or from an existing IBM authorized software reseller at standard commercial terms
- The subsequent quarterly periodic reports are submitted to IBM by the client, after the IASP has performed the ongoing SAM Managed Services
What are the benefits?
While organizations are part of the IASP program they receive significant benefits, including:
- Audit exemption from verification reviews
- The IASP partner ensures that the necessary data collection process is optimized and compliant for Sub-Capacity licensing and eligibility
- Customers receive commercial pricing for any excess use software and they can elect to purchase through their preferred resellers
- Customers have options, with the knowledge & technical support of the selected IASP partner, to use SAM Tools like Snow, and discover areas to optimize the future state of their software environment
According to IBM’s Saxena, “There seems to be an inflection point in the marketplace, as most businesses accelerate their transition to the different models of hybrid cloud, the clients are demanding and expecting more efficient options of verifying consumption of software and the publishers are actively looking at ways to satisfy that demand. The growth of SAM Tools in the market place is a good indicator to underpin the client requirements. It is also important to recognize that not all clients are choosing SAM and would prefer to be audited, once every so often.”
With Snow’s SAM Tools inclusion within this offering, customers can use the Snow technology intelligence platform to its fullest, to supplement the IASP partner’s processes to achieve reliable and predictable results for IBM software consumption, as part of their wider SAM program. We look forward to providing more transparency and flexibility to our customers seeking visibility into their IBM investments.
If you want a better understanding of Snow’s overall technology get in touch with one of Snow’s Solutions Consultants to learn more.