How a Global Telecommunications Org Unifies Software Asset Management Strategy
Company Profile
Outcome:
Unified global SAM strategy using ServiceNow
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This global telecommunications company wanted to simplify its Software Asset Management (SAM) strategy and technology, which was built on two competing platforms, Flexera One and ServiceNow SAM Pro. With its Flexera One contract approaching renewal and with ServiceNow emerging as the organization’s preferred solution – it decided to consolidate its SAM operations onto a single platform and sunset Flexera One. To support this transition, the organization turned to its trusted SAM managed service partner, Anglepoint.
With only five months to complete a project that typically requires at least a year, Anglepoint acted as the liaison point between ServiceNow, which was carrying out the transition, and the client, helping to implement best practices and plug any gaps in the delivery of the new tool. Bringing together core stakeholders, Anglepoint facilitated the migration of entitlement, contract, and catalog items from FlexeraOne to ServiceNow SAM Pro. It captured and reconciled all data from Flexera One to ServiceNow SAM Pro and recommended additional plug-ins and enhancements to streamline operations.
Despite the accelerated timeline, the organization successfully retired Flexera One before renewal deadlines, avoiding significant licensing costs and unified its SAM operations under a single platform.The Challenge
The organization first engaged Anglepoint’s services in May 2022, where they selected the IT Asset Management (ITAM) specialist as its Managed Service provider under a five-year contract. Anglepoint was initially supporting the client’s top 11 publishers levering Flexera One, helping the organization to reduce IT waste, mitigate compliance risks, and optimize software utilization. However, the organization’s software estate was complex. It consisted of numerous software publishers and global business units, and internal teams that relied on different tools. While the SAM team relied on Flexera One as its platform of choice, other parts of the business—most notably the IT teams—had elected to deploy ServiceNow. This dual-platform setup led to rising costs, siloed data, and governance challenges that made it harder to see a complete picture of the software estate. To gain consistency and better control, the client decided to standardize on one platform. With concerns over the data quality from Flexera One, the organization decided not to renew this contract and unify its SAM model under one platform with ServiceNow. With only five months before its Flexera One contract expired, the organization was under significant pressure to implement ServiceNow SAM Pro quickly. While ServiceNow would be managing the technical implementation, the client required additional support to establish best practices, ensure quality, and operationalize the new platform. After three years of close collaboration, the company saw Anglepoint as a trusted advisor. Aware of Anglepoint’s dedicated ServiceNow practice team, the organization sought assistance once again.The Solution
Implementing new SAM technonology—such as ServiceNow SAM Pro—is inherently complex, but it is only a small part of the work involved in achieving ongoing value. To achieve lasting value, organizations need licensing expertise, strong governance, and knowledge of major publishers. Anglepoint’s knowledge in these areas was vital to the smooth transition to the new SAM platform. Anglepoint established a cross-functional team of subject matter experts (SMEs), ServiceNow tooling specialists, and Client Success resources. This team worked closely with the client’s project sponsor, SAM leaders, and ServiceNow technical managers through daily check-ins to keep every milestone on track and every stakeholder aligned. A core focus of the project was the full extraction and migration of data from Flexera One into ServiceNow. Anglepoint’s SMEs manually compiled Flexera One data into ServiceNow templates, performed rigorous data quality checks, and validated all information prior to import. Anglepoint also facilitated the migration of entitlement, contract, and catalogue items, while ensuring ServiceNow SAM Pro properly captured discovery data for Tier 1 software publishers. This project also included a reconciliation exercise to ensure that all business data migrated into ServiceNow SAM Pro from FlexeraOne was accurate. To streamline this process further, Anglepoint led a parallel effort to migrate the client’s Software Request Process from the Flexera App Portal into the ServiceNow Catalog. This integration created a seamless alignment with ServiceNow Software Models and improved visibility across the business. Angelpoint also recommended the implementation of its proprietary ServiceNow Store application for IBM sub-capacity. This enabled the client to meet stringent IBM reporting requirements without the need for the specialist IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT), and reduced audit risk through enrollment in a specialized IBM Program. Despite the tight timeline, Anglepoint maintained structure and clarity throughout the transition. Throughout this process, Anglepoint was on hand to provide education to help the client understand the differences between Flexera One and ServiceNow SAM Pro. With the transition now complete, Anglepoint continues to serve as the organization’s trusted SAM advisor, providing ongoing publisher onboarding, ServiceNow SAM health checks, and recommendations for continuous platform optimization.Results
- Unified SAM platform: The client now operates entirely on ServiceNow SAM Pro, improving consistency and alignment across global operations.
- Reduced technical complexity: The process of consolidation reduced overall costs around the client’s SAM Tool Infrastructure.
- Cost avoidance and efficiency: The client retired Flexera One before renewal deadlines, avoiding major license renewal costs. Additional savings were realized by eliminating the need for Flexera support staff and leveraging the existing ServiceNow team.
- Strengthened partnership: The project further solidified Anglepoint’s role as a trusted advisor, leveraging its deep expertise across both Flexera and ServiceNow to guide the client through a complex, time-sensitive transformation.
With all global business units now using the same SAM tooling, the organization can benefit from greater alignment across operations.