Investment Management Organization Rethinks RFP With Outstanding Results
Company Profile
In October 2018, this Financial Services organization was simultaneously balancing the challenge of managing over 400 software publishers while constantly navigating audits. A particularly impactful audit served as a tipping point, leading them to issue an RFP seeking to outsource their complex Software Asset Management (SAM) function, including the requirement for the selected provider to bring their own SAM tool.
Anglepoint was invited to participate, and while they understood the motivation behind the organization’s desire for full outsourcing, they knew this approach would come with its own risks and boldly proposed a collaborative alternative. Anglepoint’s alternative involved assisting the organization in selecting the optimal ITAM tool, establishing the groundwork for an effective and sustainable SAM program, and identifying key publishers. This approach transformed the outsourcing concept into a strategic partnership, thanks to Anglepoint’s thought leadership. The collaboration encompassed SAM tool selection, implementation, publisher onboarding, and program design.
When an unbudgeted software purchase was required to ensure compliance with one specific publisher, the partnership between Anglepoint and the Financial Services organization was reassessed and moved from a point-in-time project to a full managed service for their top 25 publishers. Over five years of collaboration, Anglepoint and the client successfully established an efficient and streamlined Software Asset Management function, delivering enhanced visibility, compliance, consistent audit readiness, and improved internal collaboration.
This Financial Services organization had been continuously hit with software audits and knew they needed to build a more structured SAM program that would incorporate governance and a more robust tooling solution.
They had limited in-house skills and resources and struggled to manage software assets efficiently. With only one SAM Manager responsible for day-to-day operations and managing publishers, they found it increasingly difficult to keep track of compliance across their software ecosystem.
A lack of a structured governance process and collaboration between different internal teams, such as procurement, governance, product owners, and business owners, made defining the SAM processes more complex. This led to software installations without proper license verification or adherence to SAM team recommendations, resulting in non-compliance and increased risks.
The organization issued an RFP to outsource the entire process to a managed service provider that would include a SAM tool and a SAM program that would deliver the publisher management.
In their RFP response, Anglepoint emphasized the risks of the outlined requirements. Ultimately, they would be tied to the managed service provider without an easy exit, as an exit in this case would mean they would be left with no tool.
Anglepoint suggested a new way – one anchored in partnership, collaboration, and education.
Anglepoint proposed a solution that involved assessing the IT landscape, pinpointing the right tools, identifying key publishers for focused attention, and crafting an actionable IT Asset Management (ITAM) program.
Following a careful evaluation supported by Anglepoint, the client chose to adopt ServiceNow’s SAM Professional as the SAM tool to help them effectively manage their software assets and provide enhanced visibility into compliance status as they already had ServiceNow.
Moreover, Anglepoint played a pivotal role in fostering collaboration between different internal teams, including procurement, governance, product owners, business owners, and the SAM team. This facilitated the establishment of a defined governance structure, streamlining SAM practices and reducing compliance gaps and risks.
During this process, the organization came to recognize the complexities of software license management and expanded the managed service to include the management of their major publishers. They knew it was not something they could tackle on their own using their internal resources, but neither was it something that could be completely outsourced. They realized the value of a partnership. This collaborative spirit demanded time, discipline, and active listening from both sides to build a resilient and fruitful alliance.
Anglepoint also took on an active role in the development of an executive dashboard, providing the client with unprecedented visibility into their software asset management practices and compliance status. This custom dashboard serves as a valuable tool, providing actionable insights to stakeholders, and holding internal teams accountable for compliance and software management actions.
Enhanced Visibility: The introduction of an executive dashboard and alignment to internal governance provided the client with enhanced visibility into their software asset management practices, further enhancing the value of the data that was coming from ServiceNow SAM Pro. This heightened transparency holds internal teams accountable for compliance and software management actions. Catering to the diverse SAM needs of stakeholders, this initiative ensures each team can easily access information relevant to them.
Comprehensive Compliance Insights: The client has gained a clear view of the compliance across their software spend. This newfound insight enables them to effectively identify and prioritize proactive management and optimization steps.
Audit Readiness Assurance: Through close collaboration with Anglepoint the client has established robust processes and policies, ensuring consistent audit readiness. This proactive approach reduced the risk of unexpected audit findings, safeguarding the organization from potential multimillion-dollar liabilities and resource drain.
Internal Collaboration: Through joint efforts, the client and Anglepoint fostered collaboration among internal teams, including procurement, governance, product owners, and business owners. This alignment resulted in the development of efficient software asset management processes, optimizing technology and resource spending for organizational success.
Cost Savings: While the client initially prioritized risk mitigation and enhancing the client experiences, the partnership with Anglepoint has not only achieved the required risk mitigation but also yielded significant cost savings through efficient SAM practices such as effective license management.
Today, Anglepoint manages 68% of the client’s high-value software spend and provides guidance and support to enhance internal capabilities in managing the longtail. Acknowledging the client’s team’s strengths and limitations, this approach ensures diligent management of critical software assets, allowing the client to focus on other core aspects of their business.
A lack of a structured governance process and collaboration between different internal teams, such as procurement, governance, product owners, and business owners, made defining the SAM processes more complex.
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