Category: Software

The real costs of being out of compliance with your software licenses

Posted by at 9:29 AM

When it comes to software licensing compliance, manufacturers are stepping up their game. All the major software vendors are ramping up their audit frequency. Gartner and other industry pundits have noted this acceleration for the last few years, and there doesn’t appear to be any slackening of the pace. Just as notable, software vendors are also increasing the intensity of their audits, digging deeper and harder into some of the areas in which they’ve traditionally given customers some leeway.

Most of the penalties a customer can suffer from a manufacturer audit are not immediately apparent or quantifiable. Nonetheless, there are very real costs for poor software license governance and manufacturer audits. They include: Continue Reading…

Adobe Creative Cloud subscriptions: What IT needs to know

Posted by at 3:50 PM

Wave goodbye to the Adobe Creative Suite. On Monday at its MAX conference, Adobe announced that it’ll abandon updates to perpetual licensing for CS and push all its chips behind its Creative Cloud applications.

Creative Cloud, introduced last year, delivers all the applications from Creative Suite, eliminating the shrink wrap and box, and replacing perpetual licenses with a subscription-based model. Here’s everything you need to know about Creative Cloud, what the change means for you, and what you can do about it.

What the shift to Creative Cloud means for customers Continue Reading…

Learn about Microsoft licensing in upcoming SHI Microsoft webinars

Posted by at 10:52 AM

SHI Microsoft Webinar Series

You want the simplest, most cost-effective way to acquire the latest Microsoft technology. Don’t we all?

Do you work for a corporate, academic, charitable, or government organization that prefers to pay for software as you go? Or are you with a small-to-midsize business that wants more control over your investment and access to training, deployment planning, software upgrades, and product support?

Either way, the next webinar in our Microsoft Spring 2013 Webinar Series, “Open Value and Open Business,” is for you. We’ll cover the Microsoft Open Value and Open Business programs from head to toe so you can decide which is the best fit for your organization. Check out this feature comparison chart to get started.

It starts today at 2 p.m. EDT. Simply use these log in credentials to join:

Join online: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/shi2/join
Meeting ID: G673PH
Entry Code: 2{@kTW9
Call in US/Canada: 877.866.2469
Conference ID: 88386838

Then, come back later this month on April 25 for a webinar on the Microsoft Enrollment for Application Platform (EAP) and Enrollment for Core Infrastructure (ECI). In this session you’ll learn about licensing SQL Server, BizTalk Server (Microsoft recently changed the BizTalk Server licensing model), SharePoint Server, Visual Studio, Windows Server, and System Center, and discover how you can realize additional savings. Sign up by scrolling down to #11.

Want to join these webinars but aren’t available on those dates? Don’t worry. We’ll record the sessions and post the files online for you to watch at your convenience. Or feel free to ask us any questions by leaving a comment below.

Did I mention we’re also raffling off an Xbox 360 after each webinar?

Microsoft makes changes to BizTalk Server licensing model

Posted by at 8:45 AM

Earlier this week, Microsoft introduced BizTalk Server 2013 and with it, a new licensing model. Instead of the per-processor licensing model customers had grown accustomed to, BizTalk Server 2013 is now being offered in a new core-based licensing model. This change aligns very closely with the licensing changes applied to SQL Server 2012 last year.

Here are some of the highlights:

  • Enterprise, Standard, and Branch Server licenses will be sold in 2-Core Licensing Packs. So, pricing for a single-processor license under the old model is equivalent to four core licenses under the new model. Customers deploying BizTalk Server 2013 on machines with more than four cores in each processor will end up paying more.
  • To license a physical server, you must license all the cores on that server. There is a minimum of four core licenses required for each physical processor in the server. Servers fully licensed with Enterprise Edition core licenses with software assurance (SA) allow for an unlimited deployment of virtual machines (VMs) running BizTalk on the server (or server farm). This is especially beneficial in heavily consolidated virtual environments.
  • As an alternative to licensing all the physical cores on a server, organizations are able to license individual VMs. To license a VM with core-based licenses, count the number of virtual cores allocated within the VM (minimum of four core licenses per VM). Each VM licensed w/SA can be moved frequently within your server farm.

What does this mean for you? Continue Reading…

SHI Financing: Smarter, better budgeting

Posted by at 11:26 AM

SHI doesn’t just have one of the best selections of hardware and software in the business; we also have one of the best and most flexible financing and leasing programs. Sometimes we don’t do as good a job as maybe we should promoting the fact that we can finance your purchases of software, desktops and notebooks, mobile devices, storage, networking products, and a wide range of other solutions.

With interest rates at all-time lows, financing your purchase of hardware and software has never been easier, or more economical. It’s as easy as 1-2-3.

  1. Talk to your SHI representative about the financing options that are available to you.
  2. Settle on the terms of the financing contract, and choose a payment structure (quarterly, monthly, yearly, etc.).
  3. Sign on the dotted line, and away you go!

What kinds of deals can you finance?

  • Large or multi-year software deals: If a big project comes along, it’s in your best interest to spread the payments out over time. Many software publishers are now selling multi-year terms that allow organizations to use SHI financing and make annual payments.
  • Hardware deals: As technology power goes up and the price goes down, it is logical to lease. Financing lets you more cost-effectively refresh your technology to ensure your organization is always using cutting-edge technology.
  • Surprise requirements: This includes your non-budgeted items, perhaps license compliance issues or end-of-quarter purchases. SHI financing allows organizations to spread out payment of these purchases over time, or even defer them. Continue Reading…

Upcoming SHI webinars: Microsoft Exchange 2013, Licensing 101, and Windows Server and System Center 2012

Posted by at 3:18 PM

SHI Microsoft Webinar Series

What’s new in Microsoft Exchange 2013, Windows Server 2012, and System Center 2012? Why should you migrate to any of these products, and how do you license them? Which Microsoft Volume Licensing program is the best option for your organization?

Our Microsoft Spring 2013 Webinar Series will provide the answers to these questions and more. Attendees will learn about new and discontinued product features, supported migration scenarios, and the ins and outs of Microsoft licensing, whether in an on-premise, cloud, or hybrid scenario.

Here is SHI’s March schedule of Microsoft webinars:

  • Exchange 2013. Learn how to increase user productivity, keep your organization safe, and maintain the control you want with the newest version of Exchange. When: March 14 at 2 p.m. EDT
  • Licensing 101. Uncover the ins and outs of Microsoft product licensing for applications, systems, servers, and software-as-a-service. When: March 21 at 2 p.m. EDT
  • Managing your server environment with Windows Server and Systems Center 2012. Learn how organizations of all sizes can cloud optimize their IT. When: March 28 at 2 p.m. EDT

Registration for all three events is open now. “Exchange 2013″ takes place this Thursday, so be sure to sign up soon.

As always, if you can’t make it but have questions on any of these products and/or Microsoft licensing in general, drop us a note in the comments section below.

SHI simplifies Microsoft True-up for Mid America Computer Corporation

Posted by at 12:08 PM

Properly licensing software in a virtual environment can be a challenge for many organizations, and I’ve heard the process described as everything from a “minefield” to “a ticking time bomb.”

However, an experienced IT Asset Management (ITAM) partner can help you navigate the virtual terrain. Take this customer case study, for example.

THE PROBLEM

Billing and software solutions provider Mid America Computer Corporation (MACC) was approaching its annual True-up reconciliation for its Microsoft software. To make sure the company’s license inventory was in compliance with its contract prior to renewal, MACC needed an accurate, comprehensive look at exactly what software was being used on what devices.

Kourt Jensen, Network Supervisor at MACC, faced three challenges:

  1. He didn’t have the time to collect a complete inventory himself.
  2. He lacked the confidence in the software inventory tools MACC had in place to provide up-to-date licensing information necessary for an accurate True-up.
  3. And he needed help understanding the licensing requirements for a virtual server environment. Continue Reading…

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