About The SAM Club
The SAM Club is a leader in independent software asset management, guiding IT management to streamline their software licensing. Our thorough analysis of your software portfolio ensures alignment with your strategic goals, offering personalized service. We’re proficient in all key vendor licenses, providing expert advice on acquisitions and renewals. Our neutral stance promises unbiased recommendations.
In the rapidly evolving IT landscape, we tackle pressing issues related to technological advancements, organizational scaling, hardware integration, and licensing inquiries. Through diligent record-keeping and consistent compliance checks, including Microsoft audits, we maintain an orderly software environment. Collaborating with SAM tools, we offer insightful analysis. Dedicated to firms with more than 300 staff, The SAM Club is your partner in refined software asset management. Reach out for further details on our services.
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FAQs
What should we do when our Microsoft Enterprise Agreement is about to expire to ensure the best renewal terms?
For both Enterprise and NCE (CSP) Agreements, it’s crucial to begin preparations well in advance, ideally six months prior to the renewal date. Evaluate whether upgrading from M365 E3 to E5 aligns with the company’s strategic goals. Determine which E5 applications are essential and devise a deployment strategy. It’s advisable to compare the cost of acquiring individual E5 components versus the entire suite. When considering an upgrade to M365 E5 under an Enterprise Agreement, engaging in discussions with Microsoft about potential concessions is a viable option.
Additionally, it’s beneficial to review the NCE (CSP) pricing, which may offer more advantageous terms compared to the Enterprise Agreement. At The SAM Club, we guide you through this process, ensuring a comprehensive cost analysis and clear explanations to facilitate informed decision-making for your organisation.
We’ve invested in Office 365 User Licenses; surely that resolves any compliance issues we may have had?
Certain features of the E5 license activate across the entire tenant, which can lead to compliance challenges, especially in organizations that hold a limited number of licenses. Since these licenses are assigned per user, it’s important to manage generic accounts carefully, considering their usage and the individuals operating them. Moreover, there’s an opportunity for cost reduction if service accounts are allocated a complete M365 E3 or M365 E5 license when only an email account is necessary.
Microsoft has invited us to participate in a software license review. While we are open to this process, there is apprehension regarding the potential financial and operational repercussions of our involvement.
Before undergoing any audit activities initiated by a vendor, it’s advisable for organizations to perform a self-assessment of their licensing status or to engage an independent third party for this verification. At The SAM Club we have assisted numerous clients in readying themselves for a Microsoft license review and helping cleanse the installations and advising on ways to mitigate and deficits. We also help our clients complete the audit questionnaires to ensure the right information is being provided.
We have numerous applications that use SQL Server. We are also considering moving applications to the Vendor Cloud. We have a Microsoft renewal that is due, how can we review our SQL Server estate to ensure we are compliant but not be tied into a 3 year contract where the number of installations will reduce.
Given the frequent changes in IT infrastructure, it’s prudent to conduct periodic reviews. The options for SQL Server licensing vary based on the licenses currently held. A thorough review and analysis, informed by the company’s strategic objectives, is essential to formulate an optimal strategy for the acquisition or renewal of SQL Server licenses.
We are using Azure and have switched on Hybrid Benefits for Windows Server. How do we know if we are compliant?
An accurate response requires examining the virtual machines (VMs) utilized in Azure and the existing Windows Server licenses. For instance, Windows Server Datacenter licenses offer dual usage rights for both on-premises and Azure environments. With every Windows Server Datacenter license for 8 cores, you can allocate one Azure VM with up to 8 cores under the Hybrid Benefit. It’s important to remember that Windows Server licenses allocated for Hybrid Benefits should be under active software assurance.
Is it possible to purchase or resell Microsoft Licenses in the EU/UK?
Yes, it is possible to purchase or resell Microsoft licenses in the EU/UK. In the European Union, the resale of software licenses, including Microsoft licenses, is legal even if the terms of the End User License Agreement (EULA) or other contracts prohibit such actions. This is based on a ruling by the European Court of Justice, which established that the principle of exhaustion of the distribution right applies not only to physical copies but also to software distributed via download.