IBM license management - insight into a microcosm

Anyone who needs to delve further into software license management in the course of his professional life, can quickly get the impression that delve into a microcosm own.

Whether Microsoft, Oracle or IBM, each provider has developed other methods for licensing its software. The license terms from IBM are among certainly the most complex. Besides nested software products (the so-called software bundling) is available from IBM around 100 different metrics, based on which the software may be licensed - and rising.

In addition to the legal protection can the effort, periodically to review the existing license conditions, worthwhile for companies financially well, especially since the various licensing options are continually adapted and changed by the manufacturer.

Potential for cost savings

A variation that has a high potential for cost savings, is the licensing on the basis of so-called PVU metric (Processor Value Unit). Here the cost of the software are determined not on the number of users or installations, but on the performance of the processors. After a points table each processor model is depending on the performance and configuration associated with a certain number of points, which forms its PVU value. This value is then multiplied by the number of available cores. From these figures the required number of PVU licenses that will be charged as a basis for calculating the price to be licensed Software.

TCO Calculator for Office 365

On Premise or rather a practical cloud solution for Office? The TCO Calculator mod of IT services to help IT decision-makers to find the right solution. These 20 questions must be answered, which are then tool-supported and evaluated manually.

Whether IT decision makers should resort to a locally installed or a cloud alternative of Microsoft Office is not always so easy to clarify. Many parameters must be considered when making that decision, to find the most cost effective solution for a company. With an online TCO calculator for Office 365 would like to help in this decision mod IT Service IT managers. The free cloud computer of the overall IT service provider in the SME sector compares according to the supplier the total cost of ownership of OnPremises solution and the cloud alternative of Office products from Microsoft for each individual company.

20 Questions

In order to perform an accurate TCO analysis, requires mod IT Service some information about the company. According to the IT service provider with locations in Einbeck and Hannover has an IT manager online answering 20 questions first, this process takes about 15 minutes. For example, ask the TCO Calculator Information size of the company and the status of the current license agreements.

7 Trends for Workplace of the Future

The workplace is changing. Especially collaboration technologies will shape the workplace of the future more productive and efficient and help of all sizes to cost savings company, says Polycom.

New, mobile devices enable employees to work from anywhere - work is no longer tied to the office. Polycom has seven top technology trends identified that determine our work in the future:

1. Growing importance of collaboration tools

Globalization leads according Polycom means that more and more people work together across multiple time zones, borders and cultures with others. Tools that allow companies to enable their business activities and cooperation of its employees over time and distance away, would be more important. Successful companies are but only if they establish a culture of cooperation, while their employees can choose which tools they use - whether it is e-mail, phone, social media or video and content sharing. In particular, the visual communication will continue to grow, according to Polycom this year in importance and help to overcome barriers in communication.

Select Microsoft server licenses correctly

How will Microsoft server products licensed correct This clarifies the following contribution, taking into account the different rules, styles and approaches to licensing Microsoft servers.

For many products, Microsoft provides the conventional Server licensing with associated user or computer licenses on. There is must be licensed not only individual servers, but also their processors, sometimes the cores, as in SQL Server 2014. In the Standard Edition, you can, for example, buy a server license and for each user a user license (CAL) (see also Microsoft Client Access Licenses - when and which licenses are required). You also have the option to license on a per processor core.

What is ultimately cheaper, you have to calculate with a license specialist. You must license at least four cores per processor; CALs are no longer necessary in this case. The Business Intelligence edition of SQL Server 2014, you can turn to license only after the CAL model. The Enterprise Edition of the new server version only offers the possibility to license by processor cores; you must license at least four cores. That is, you need a license for each core and must purchase four licenses. This also applies if you are installing the product on a single-processor server and only two cores, even if this may be a relatively improbable constellation.