This document discusses implementation techniques and common pitfalls for software asset management (SAM) solutions. It provides details about Aspera, a SAM company, including their mission, facts, portfolio, and survey results. Implementation techniques include developing a SmartTrack architecture model, integrating with various systems, and planning an implementation project. Common pitfalls are not accounting for historical license entitlements, unclear organizational scope, incomplete discovery of details, focusing only on cost savings, and having an initial scope that is too broad. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of understanding an organization's full software estate.

1. Implementation Techniques &
Common Pitfalls
18/11/2014 ITAM Review European Tools Day
Mathias Knops
Product Manager &
Head of Presales

2. Aspera – The Company
Our Mission
Provide ONE SAM solution that fits all customer scenarios
Be industry leading not by ideas but by available function
Be complete OOTB for all relevant vendors, products and licence metrics
Be fast in adopting customers’, partners’ and market’s requirements
Be flexible as required to maintain this ONE solution
Our aim is high: Be the best SAM solution on the market!

3. Aspera – The Company
Some Facts 2014
120
>25%
growth rate p.a.
14
years in business
3/3
founders still
“on board”
1
catalogue
(all from one source)
part of an
innovative
group
employees

4. Aspera – The Company
Some Facts 2014
20
new
customers
143
customers
worldwide
> 1.2 m
lines of
code
40,000
clients in ave.
(150 – 300,000)
97%
strategic
tool

5. Aspera – The Company
Our Portfolio
5
modules
(so far …)
> 10
service
offerings
3
6-8
steps
(updates)
per year
> 10
standard
trainings
delivery
options
> 7
strategic
roadmap
items

6. Aspera – The Company
Surveys and Certificates
Rank 1 100 %
CapGemini
(10/2014)
KPMG
(Germany)
“… scores well ahead of all certified
publishers.”

7. Aspera – The Company
Surveys
Aspera - Best in Class for Managing Microsoft
ITAM Review (10/2014)

8. Implementation Techniques
Organisations Providing SAM Service on ST
Customer since 2008
International roll-out (60+ countries), 120,000 devices
Services: Licence Clearing, Software Recognition, Extended Catalog,
Consulting
Specifics: 300 legal entities worldwide, with over 80 different data
sources that had to be consolidated/connected.
Customer since 2009
International roll-out (20+ countries), 50,000 devices
Services: Licence Clearing, Software Recognition, Extended Catalog,
Application Monitoring and Interface Troubleshooting, ASP (Hosting)
Specifics: SmartTrack covers 95 % of all devices (all types). Fully
integrated financial management into SAP for ERP.
Customer since 2011
International roll-out (200+ countries), 500,000 devices
Services: LaaS
Specifics: 1,059 legal entities worldwide, complex structure
mapped out in SmartTrack and recorded all licenses allocated
throughout the enterprise for a global overview of licenses,
entitlements, and contracts.

9. Implementation Techniques
1 SmartTrack Architecture Model
2
SmartTrack - Integration (Minimum)
7
3
Excel/CSV
D: Licenses
T: File
3
ADS
D: Users
T: LDAP
7.1
Legend
D: ata
T: echnology
ID
SCCM
D: Systems,
Software
T: DB
2.2

10. Implementation Techniques
1 SmartTrack Architecture Model
SmartTrack - Integration (More Complex)
SAP
D: Licenses
T: SAP query
2
1
BMC
IBM Tivoli
D: Systems,
Software
T: DB
SCCM
2.1
D: Systems,
Software
T: DB
Altiris
D: Systems,
Software
T: DB
USU Valuemation
D: Systems
T: DB
Peregrine (HP)
Novell ZEN
D: Systems,
Software
T: DB
2.2
2.3
2.5 2.4
D: DMS
T: HTTPS (API)
4
IXOS
D: DMS
T: HTTPS (API)
5
5.2
D: Requests
T: SOAP
(Connect-IT)
D: Requests
T: File
6.2
eDirectory
D: Users
T: LDAP
7.2
8
SAP SRM
SAP HR
Excel/CSV
Legend D: Users,
D: ata
T: echnology
Cost Centers
T: File
7
D: Licenses
T: File
3
6
ADS
D: Users
T: LDAP
7.1
SAP Archiv
5.1
D: Catalog
T: OCI
1 4 6.1
3
ID
8

11. Implementation Techniques
Project Planning & Management
WP06 Balance
WP04 Data Cleansing
Software Inventory | Licence Inventory
WP03 Interfaces
WP02 Administration
WP01 Organisation
WP05 Processes & WP07 Trainings

12. Common Pitfalls
1. Historical Licence Entitlements
Dig up Windows NT 3.5 boxes from your basement
Investigate procurement records like “ordered as quoted on March 17th”
or “Microsoft application, quantity 1, amount ₤20,000”
No consolidated data source
Multiple suppliers
M&A of publishers

13. Common Pitfalls
2. Organisational Scope
Where to retrieve data from?
To what level of granularity do we want to depict the organisation?
Link from users/devices/licenses to organisational units

14. Common Pitfalls
3. Discovery of all Necessary Details
Which discovery solution to choose?
Identify gaps in data provisioning
Ensure completeness
No silver bullet discovery solution

15. Common Pitfalls
4. Conviction to Being on Top of a Publisher
“We don’t want to start with Microsoft. Microsoft is easy and we manage
it via Excel”
Too many traps and details
Dynamic and automated calculation
Focus on other important tasks

16. Common Pitfalls
5. Upcoming Contract Renewal
Time sensitivity/pressure
Not strategically, but rather operationally driven decisions
No bargain to flatten the licence inventory
Unnecessary investments

17. Common Pitfalls
6. Only Focus on Possible Cost Savings
Should not be the only motivation
More eminent to understand one’s estate
SAM is an upfront investment (tool, implementation, internal resources,
compliance)

18. Common Pitfalls
7. Initial Scope Too Broad
100% of all publishers from the get-go
No focus > no learning curve
No feeling of success

19. Conclusion
The One Thing to Take With You …
The most important thing in licence
management is to understand your
estate (technically & commercially).
Everything else sits on top of that
foundation.

20. Questions?

21. Thank You
Mathias Knops
Phone: +49 (0) 151 – 647 166 94
Email: knops@aspera.com
Aspera GmbH – Dennewartstr. 25-27 – 52068 Aachen - Germany - www.aspera.com
Aspera GmbH and Aspera Technologies Inc. check and update the information in this presentation on an ongoing basis. Despite this, data may have changed. Therefore, Aspera cannot be held liable for the up-to-dateness of this document. The content and structure of this document are protected by
copyright. Any reproduction of the information and data contained herein, especially the use of texts, text passages or illustrations, requires written prior consent of Aspera GmbH. Aspera, SmartTrack, FlowControl, OSM, ADM, ICM, CMM, FM, DMM, and the license management logo are registered
trademarks of Aspera GmbH in Germany and/or other countries.