Cost control
Accurate recording avoids unnecessary costs for duplicate or unused licences
SoftwareOne case study
City of Frankfurt am Main and SoftwareOne set new standards in licence management
Frankfurt am Main is a significant financial centre and home to the European Central Bank. It is the most populous city in the state of Hesse, and the fifth-largest city in Germany. The city administration's IT landscape is complex, comprising many software manufacturers and licences. Professional support and an effective license management tool are essential to maintaining an overview. However, implementing such a tool requires careful planning and consideration of the specific regulations of the public sector, which differ from those of commercial companies.
Compliance
Compliance with all licence terms
Budget planning
Long-term planning and forecasting of future expenditures
- Client
- City of Frankfurt am Main
- Industry
- Public sector
- Services
- Introduction and implementation of a licence management tool
- Country
- Germany
Before introducing the licence management tool, we lacked efficient tools and clear processes. We aimed to establish operational licence management with a complete technical and commercial inventory and the associated processes.
Susanne Junkel
Strategic License Manager at the City of Frankfurt am Main
Decentralised structures and manual processes
Frankfurt am Main faced the challenge of having no central tool or defined processes for city-wide operational licence management. Licence counts, e.g., for a Microsoft true-up, were carried out using a range of decentralised inventory solutions, including manual counts. This activity was time-consuming and resource-intensive. Frankfurt am Main needed a comprehensive solution enabling automated inventorying, accurate recording, and management of all software licences to simplify and expedite management.
The limited oversight and control over licence usage have led to potential compliance risks. It has been challenging to track software expenditures to avoid unnecessary costs. To address these issues, Frankfurt am Main, with the assistance of an experienced partner, planned to implement a licence management tool to optimise city-wide licence management.
We were impressed by the professional project coordination and detailed planning throughout the project. SoftwareOne mastered the complex procedural challenges in the public sector to support us effectively.
Project Manager at the City of Frankfurt am Main
Successful implementation of the Snow Licence Manager
The City of Frankfurt am Main sought an efficient licence management system to fulfil its technical and commercial requirements. After thorough evaluation, they selected Snow's tool to satisfy their needs. SoftwareOne, a partner with certified expertise, assisted with the implementation.
In addition to strategic IT Asset Management (ITAM) proficiency, SoftwareOne provided comprehensive commercial expertise, ensuring the correct integration of contracts and licences into the new tool. Their technical expertise was crucial for successfully implementing the Snow Licence Manager. In addition, the SoftwareOne consultants trained client administrators and users to gain the necessary knowledge and skills to operate the entire Snow system independently.
Experienced project managers facilitated meticulous planning, conceptualisation, and ongoing project support. This was essential to navigate procedural challenges and adhere to administrative regulations. Additionally, numerous consultations were organised across all offices and stakeholders involved.
With the implementation of Snow Licence Manager, a thorough technical inventory can now be conducted at the city level. This includes the integration of commercial contracts and licences. In Snow, technical and commercial data are consistently compared to ensure compliance, create licence balances, and enable effective licence management according to established processes.
SoftwareOne training sessions have effectively ensured staff familiarity and skill in operating the new system.
The collaboration between the City of Frankfurt am Main and SoftwareOne shows how efficient and legally compliant licence management can be established through targeted planning, technical expertise, and comprehensive training.
Strategic License Manager at the City of Frankfurt am Main
Efficient licence management in practice
- Cost control: Snow's licence management tool helps the city administration monitor costs by accurately recording licences and avoiding paying for unused or duplicate licences in the future.
- Compliance: The city of Frankfurt am Main must ensure that it uses all software licences in accordance with legal and contractual agreements. The new tool now supports this and assists in adhering to licence conditions to minimise the risk of legal consequences due to licence violations.
- Efficient management: The Snow Licence Manager enables central management of all relevant hardware and software components, making tracking and reducing administrative workload easier. It quickly shows which licences are available, which are in use, and which may be missing.
- Identification of consolidation potential: Analysing decentralised procurement processes identifies potential for future contract consolidation, helps increase efficiency, and reduces costs.
- Centralised tracking of products used throughout the city: Uniformly tracking products enables optimised resource management and more efficient cost control.
- Budget planning: A comprehensive overview of the existing licences and their degree of use supports the municipality in long-term budget planning and forecasting future software expenditures.
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