Competing in today's global economy entails peak performance and efficiency at all levels of operation. More focus is given to squeezing the most value out of each asset (Asset Efficiency), and on supporting the users of these assets to work in the most productive way (User Efficiency). Enabling cost optimization is essential to successfully manage IT resources. Cost optimization goes beyond typical cost savings to getting the most out of every dollar spent in an organization. To achieve optimization, knowledge gathered using Open iT software usage monitoring tools provides the insights necessary to understand how the assets are being used.
Zoom in on usage data using the Open iT monitoring and optimization solutions. Profile various IT assets (how they are in use, by whom, where and for how long), and users or user-groups (which assets they are using, when and for how long). The information can be grouped and presented in various ways to support each business decision.
Improving Competitive Edge and Profitability
Cost Optimization is crucial for improving a company's competitive edge and profitability. Open iT software asset management tools can support cost optimization initiatives on four levels of the organization:
- IT Procurement. Assist sizing and best terms.
- Cost Savings within IT. Identify opportunities to reduce costs within the current IT budget.
- Joint Business and IT Cost Savings. An overview of how assets are in use and who uses them enables managerial decisions to improve user efficiency and increase business value from IT.
- Innovation and Business Restructuring. With clear insights into how employees are working today, decisions about what is needed tomorrow are easier to make. Cost savings can be reinvested in new and critical technology, in which the organization may not have had the means invest otherwise, for innovation and restructuring.
Revealing Measurable Business Benefits
Open iT customers have taken the initiatives listed below in order to achieve cost optimization on four levels of their organization as indicated. This is by no means a conclusive list, but is meant to show the breadth of areas that Open iT solutions can support. Open iT tools have built-in access control for reporting so that only relevant data is made available for each stakeholder. The tools can mask data, both at the collection and at the reporting stage to comply with privacy legislation.
IT Procurement
| Vendor Negotiations | Negotiate optimal licensing agreements based on actual usage profiles. |
| Better Software Budgeting | Reduce uncertainty by forecasting trends in usage. |
Cost Savings within IT
| Alignment of Support Renewals | Do not renew software maintenance for software that are not used or underutilized. |
| Alignment of Software Lease Renewals | Do not renew software lease for those that are underutilized or not in use. |
| Compliance | Minimize the risk of noncompliance. |
Joint Business and IT Cost Savings
| Targeted User Training | Track and compare usage of applications between user-groups to enable effective user training. |
| Improving Technology Uptake | Shorten transition periods for phasing in new versions of software and applications. |
| Discovering Undesirable User Patterns | Eliminate behavioral factors that constrain application availability. |
| Identifying Power Users and Product Champions | Improve support by enabling peer-to-peer user networks. |
Innovation and Business Restructuring
| Best Practices | Document best practices. |
| Workflow Analysis | Improve workflow analysis |
| Adding New Technology | Add new technology and innovation as usage efficiency improves and budget is freed up. |
Unlocking Flexible Licensing Option
Open iT unlocks the capability of software vendors to provide the most flexible pay-per-use licensing model through its TrueUse™ technology. With Open iT Elastic Licensing, customers can negotiate a more responsive software licensing agreement that would match their needs at any given time. Scale down when it is necessary, or expand when it is needed, and pay only for licenses that are actually used. With its secure, easily integrated, and proven metering technology, Open iT allows the ISV and the customer to securely share usage data collected at the customer site. It is also easily integrated with the ISV’s existing order and billing system for a fully automated system.
If you have questions related to any of these initiatives or would like to discuss success stories in particular areas, please contact our sales department.