4 easy ways to optimize your Adobe licensing spend

Adobe users, are you getting the most out of your licenses? It’s understandable if you haven’t asked yourself this yet – and you’re not alone.

A recent YouGov report found 50% of enterprise organizations waste at least 10% of their annual budget on unused, unaccounted for, or mismanaged software and software as a service (SaaS) applications.

Many organizations are now looking to optimize SaaS spending – without sacrificing management capabilities and security measures.

Not to fear, we’ve got you covered. Here are four ways to maximize your Adobe licensing purchases:

1. Lock in a multiple-year commitment

Price increases happen all the time. Signing a multi-year agreement locks you into an annual fixed rate, so these price hikes won’t impact you. Even if the license cost goes up, you pay the same amount for the duration of your contract.

Joining a 3-year commit is the best way to benefit from these yearly savings and lock in pricing to avoid price increases. It can even help provide an additional discount for organizations looking to migrate from Teams to Enterprise or Enterprise PRO.

Benefits of a 3-year commit include:

• Increased discounts on all purchases for Commercial and Government customers.
• Annual payments.
• Pricing commitment from Adobe: This includes the discount level, which cannot be changed during your term, and applies to the standard pricing of all products available on a price list at the time of acceptance, even those products which you may not have purchased.
• Flexible licensing: When you accept 3-year commit, you commit to maintain the quantity of licenses which you have at signing through the 3-year commit term. License quantity may be increased incrementally, but you’re only required to maintain the minimum committed quantity.

Ultimately, by committing to a certain number of licenses (10 or more) for three years – paid annually – you can expect to see even deeper discounts, which you can put into other initiatives.

2. Consolidate for volume discounts

It’s not uncommon to find multiple agreements and buying programs spread throughout the organization. We’ve seen anywhere from 15 to 20 different agreements in place at one time.

While most users are licensed under your standard Adobe agreement, you may also have multiple users purchasing individual direct licenses or even through Adobe.com directly, missing the discount provided through a solutions provider like SHI.

These scenarios are problematic because they can lead to unchecked subscriptions, out-of-control costs, and security risks.

Instead, consolidate these licenses under Adobe’s Value Incentive Plan (VIP). This subscription-based licensing program offers centralized control, simplified deployment, and, best of all, savings opportunities.

SHI can work with Adobe to provide a report of all those individual licensed users, so they can cancel their monthly or yearly individual licenses and migrate their license and information to VIP, taking advantage of the better pricing and management.

The more Adobe licenses you can purchase under one common arrangement, the greater the discounts you can achieve – anywhere from 5% to 50%.

3. Utilize bulk purchasing

Speaking of volume discounts, we have two words for you: bulk purchasing.

A bulk purchase typically starts with 100 licenses, but the more you buy, the more you save. Consider bulk purchasing of Acrobat, for example. When buying over 100 Acrobat licenses, you have the option to seek special pricing with Adobe. This is typically on a case-by-case basis, but it’s usually designed for organizations still using perpetual models.

If you’re willing to switch from perpetual to subscription licenses, purchase in bulk, and move them under a single VIP agreement, you can achieve even greater discounts.

4. Go the ‘a la carte’ route

Following an ‘a la carte’ approach is another way to take advantage of your Adobe licenses – especially when it comes to Creative Cloud.

A full Creative Cloud Suite has over 20 apps, but who’s to say your employees are – or will be – utilizing all of them regularly? Maybe they only use two or three apps consistently, like Photoshop or Illustrator.

In this case, it’s more cost-effective to break up the full suite or purchase the most widely used apps individually. That way you maximize your investment, reduce waste, and save money.

A strategic partner for all your licensing challenges

Underestimating the intricacies of software licensing can put your organization in a bind. Fortunately, you don’t have to take on this complicated subject alone.

Our dedicated Adobe experts can assist you with all these points, plus anything else you would like to discuss to ensure you leverage the correct purchasing methods and buying programs. From customer-facing Adobe specialists who review your agreement with practical insights, to renewal specialists who proactively track renewals and provide renewal reminders, our team is in place to support your Adobe journey. We also work with Adobe to provide complimentary health checks, aimed to locate rogue licensing or provide our guidance on potential money savings options to benefit your investment.

Whether it’s Adobe or any other major software vendors, SHI has the experience to put your mind at ease. Utilize our strategic licensing advice to help you optimize your software license strategy, maximize the value of your purchases, and support you through the entire software lifecycle.