Blogs

IBM’s year-end is looming: time to plan your negotiation strategy – Part 3

October 20 2020

InPart 1andPart 2of‘IBM’s year-end is looming: time to plan your negotiation strategy’,we looked at how to ensure your IBM estate is optimized and future-proofed, looking at everything from the IBM Effective License Agreement (ELA) renewal process, getting audit ready and creating a ... Read More Read More

A best practice guide for IT procurement professionals

October 13 2020

IT procurement professionals face increased pressure to deliver efficiencies and cost-savings as businesses assess their finances amidst evolving demands.Finding innovative ways to deliver value back to the business and gain the competitive edge requires effective IT procurement processes. All soft... Read More Read More

IBM’s year-end is looming: time to plan your negotiation strategy – Part 2

October 06 2020

In Part 1 of‘IBM’s year-end is looming: time to plan your negotiation strategy’we looked at how you could plan your next steps to ensure your IBM estate is optimised and future-proofed, looking at everything from the IBM Effective License Agreement (ELA) renewal process, to getting a... Read More Read More

Why the public sector needs to optimise its software costs now more than ever

September 28 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has deeply impacted industries across the globe and the UK’s public sector has been no exception, with increased pressure felt beyond central government, impacting all public institutions. All eyes are on the public sector’s handling of the current situation, and o... Read More Read More

IBM’s year-end is looming: time to plan your negotiation strategy – Part 1

September 21 2020

IBM’s year-end in December is just around the corner, and it’s never too early to start planning your IBM roadmap and to decide on your future Enterprise License Agreement (ELA) strategy. To ensure you are able to negotiate the best deal for your organisation, you’ll need a defined s... Read More Read More

Re-booting ITAM for the cloud era

August 21 2020

Most US enterprises today have well organized, highly-skilled IT departments that are laser-focused on supporting and enabling wider business objectives. As part of this, the department typically has a dedicated software asset management (SAM) team, whose job it is to ensure that the company has the s... Read More Read More

Careless talk: undermining your software vendor negotiations

August 12 2020

We know that getting into negotiations with vendors is a daunting process. There are many facets to consider, from having clarity on product requirements through to having a market view of what commercial terms you should be able to achieve. Being confident in your commercial position is a must, yet i... Read More Read More

Do you know your audit risk? Part 2

July 28 2020

In my previousblog, I looked at the some of the most common triggers that will spur a supplier into asking to audit your IT estate. These varied from the differing ‘personality’ traits of various publishers, to global economic forces. These factors – and many more – all have a ... Read More Read More

IBM ILMT: the good, the bad and the complicated

July 07 2020

An increasingly common topic of discussion when we’re talking to clients about their IBM deployments is the IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT) or, to be more specific, the importance and value of using it.There is no getting round that fact that ILMT can be extremely complicated to install, let alon... Read More Read More

Do you know your audit risk?

June 09 2020

When it comes to software audits, organisations typically keep a keen eye on the vendors that they spend the most money with. Afterall, if they’re audited by a tier one provider, the financial ramifications could be significant. Focusing on the bigger providers also makes a great deal of practic... Read More Read More

Understanding and eradicating your technical debt

June 04 2020

As we continue to while away the hours in lockdown, we have been provided with the opportunity to reflect on some of the indirect issues revealed by COVID-19, including where the need to implement rapid business transformation has been hindered by the unforeseen consequences of historical IT technical... Read More Read More

Will 2020 be the year we reach ‘peak audit’?

May 26 2020

Software vendors usually send out their audit letters on a fairly predictable basis. The most common triggers are a contract term or ULA coming to an end, or indeed the end of the publisher’s financial year, something we covered in more detail in a previous blog aboutOracle’s audit strateg... Read More Read More

The Software Vendor negotiation game has fundamentally changed, do you understand the new rules?

January 24 2020

I have worked across a wide range of Public Sector organisations with a multitude of software licensing programs throughout my career. Common themes always remain “am I getting a good value from my investment” and “do I have enough confidence in my current & future requirements t... Read More Read More

Managing software applications post-COVID

August 20 2020

As organizations settle into the new normal, it’s time to take back control of your software applications and address all the changes that will have been implemented during the Pandemic to allow ‘Business As Usual’ to reign. In this 15 minute session Livingstone Group’s Chie... Read More Read More

Not long until IBM year end; time to get moving on your negotiation strategy!

July 23 2020

With December looming, so too is IBM’s year end. Give yourself enough lead time to plan your IBM roadmap and decide on your ELA strategy. To ensure you are able you to negotiate the best deal you will need this strategy defined along with a clear visibility of any vulnerabilities within your IBM... Read More Read More

Vendor audits are on the rise in 2021; here’s how to prepare

February 05 2021

Over the last three or so months, Livingstone Group has witnessed a marked up-tick in the number of audit letters and new audit requests being sent out to our clients. Our conservative estimate is that requests are up by 40 percent when compared to pre-pandemic levels. While worrying for ITAM profe... Read More Read More

Managing technical debt and legacy investments: Microsoft SQL Server 2012

July 05 2021

In our previous blog, Understanding and eradicating your technical debt, we looked at the concept of ‘technical debt’ in software estates. At how, without proper attention to detail or if upgrades have been passed over one too many times, technical debt can accumulate massively. That, if b... Read More Read More

The importance of choosing the right ITAM partner

May 25 2021

The need for software and cloud management has never been greater – spending on software and cloud solutions continues to rise in the changing world of work. With more people being empowered to make purchasing decisions, the ways in which we consume and deploy applications is continually evolvin... Read More Read More

Five ways to ready your organization for vendor audits

July 27 2021

Livingstone Group has witnessed a marked up-tick in the number of audit letters and new audit requests being sent out to our clients. Our conservative estimate is that requests are up by 40 percent when compared to pre-pandemic levels. While worrying for ITAM professionals and the organizations the... Read More Read More

3 Key IBM considerations to keep in mind

July 30 2021

l From how to plan your negotiation strategy to the importance and value of IBM’s License Metric Tool, our blog provides regular advice on how to get the most out of your IBM investment. With this blog, we look at three further considerations that you should always keep in mind when dealing... Read More Read More

Livingstone Industry Highlights November 2021

October 22 2021

Livingstone Group's Software Asset Management and Licensing specialists provide insights and experiences through our monthly Industry Highlights. These insights are a compilation of news and press releases that may impact your business’s upcoming software renewals and estate. Fina... Read More Read More

Livingstone Industry Highlights December 2021

November 26 2021

Livingstone Group's Software Asset Management and Licensing specialists provide insights and experiences through our monthly Industry Highlights. These insights are a compilation of news and press releases that may impact your business’s upcoming software renewals and estate. Fina... Read More Read More

Free Online Summit: Software Vendor Insights 2022

February 17 2022

Livingstone Group joined the ITAM Review at the Online Summit and discussed how software vendors fared in 2021 and what to expect from them in 2022 – including audits, product focus areas, licensing and more.Knowing where the vendors are coming from, and going to, will help you – and other... Read More Read More

Livingstone's IBM Practice: Meet our team

March 28 2022

IBM is one of our key focus vendors here at Livingstone Group, representing one of the top five vendors by spend for our customers. In many cases, significant portions of our customers’ businesses are run on IBM software, representing a value to them beyond the cost of the licenses. Because of t... Read More Read More

Livingstone's IBM Practice: More about our team of experts

March 29 2022

IBM is one of our key focus vendors here at Livingstone Group, representing one of the top five vendors by spend for our customers. In many cases, significant portions of our customers’ businesses are run on IBM software, representing a value to them beyond the cost of the licenses. Because of t... Read More Read More

Another year of IBM: trends, predictions and how your organization should respond

April 05 2022

Part 1: 2021 IBM Trends Livingstone Group recently joined the ITAM Reviewfor the Online Summit: Software Vendor Insights 2022 to discuss year end results from some of the key vendors and what to expect from them in 2022. We focused on the trends seen from IBM in 2021 and how that will impact audits... Read More Read More

Another year of IBM: Predictions and how to build your IBM management plan

April 21 2022

Part 2: Predictions and how to build your IBM management plan Livingstone Group recently joined the ITAM Reviewfor the Online Summit: Software Vendor Insights 2022 to discuss year end results from some of the key vendors and what to expect from them in 2022. We focused on the trends seen from IBM i... Read More Read More

The past, present and future of ITAM

May 06 2022

Part 1: Software Asset Management’s (SAM)origins and the evolution of services Livingstone Group recently joined The ITAM Reviewfor an episode of its podcast to discuss ITAM, the cloud, and creating business value from ITAM. We covered everything from the origins of SAM, to the evolution of I... Read More Read More

When to use a SAM Managed Service Provider

May 13 2022

Why a SAM Managed Service makes commercial sense; download the Gartner® Report: Infographic A regular discussion point on this blog – and one that is often raised in conversations with our clients and prospects – is SAM tools. Or to be exact, the comparative merits and limitations o... Read More Read More