Software Asset Management might sound simple but the reality is far from simple.

For SAM success to be realised, you first need to define what SAM success looks like for your organisation. You then need to break this down into smaller, specific chunks that can be reported against.

Click here to see License Dashboard's suggestions for how to tackle SAM in the right order

Introducing License Manager's new notifications dashboard - your instant view of all the critical information you need to know about your licence compliance position, software usage, system health and much more!

Click here to access License Dashboard's video page where you'll find short and insightful overviews of our solutions and how they address your software licensing and SAM challanges.

It’s no secret that many inventory solutions – even the most popular ones – fall short when it comes to present user-friendly data and reports. But does that mean throwing out the baby with the bathwater when it comes to initiating a new Software Asset Management programme? No, probably not.

To understand why, have a read of License Dashboard's new white paper: “Software Asset Management: much more than Inventory” and decide for yourself whether you really need a new inventory solution if your primary aim is managing software and licences.

Download it here
Read more at http://www.licensedashboard.com/samblog/post/How-to-turn-inventory-from-a-cost-to-a-cost-saver.aspx#3gUULA3T0hr57AJf.99

Phoenix added another accolade to their stash recently by achieving the Microsoft Silver Identity and Access competency.

Earning this competency helps demonstrate our expertise in building solutions that help our customers access and protect corporate information across data centre and cloud.

Our customers can now be confident that we have the know-how, training, and support to enable secure access to corporate applications and data from any location and any device, while ensuring unauthorised users are prevented from accessing sensitive information.

Phoenix already hold Gold Microsoft competencies in Volume Licensing, Software Asset Management, Server Platform and Midmarket Solution Provider as well as a Silver competency in Devices & Deployment.

Leading developer of advanced software licence management solutions, License Dashboard, today announced the launch of License Manager 5.7, its flagship software asset management (SAM) tool.

Available immediately, License Manager 5.7 is the first SAM solution to offer accurate in-product management of software licences in virtual server environments, including modelling the effect of Dynamic Resource Allocation (DRA). With License Manager 5.7 organisations can realise the desired cost savings from virtualisation with the peace of mind that their software licensing position remains fully compliant.

Other notable enhancements include a new 'Intelligent Import' function for simplifying the import of software install and hardware configuration information from a range of different inventory solutions, further improvements to the recently launched License Dashboard Cloud Console and additional reporting functionality.

Click here to see the full press release

FIND OUT MORE
 
To see what's new in License Manager 5.7, why not attend a brief webinar? Click here to register.

In the meantime, you can also watch a short video which will give you a brief overview of the new features and functionality.
 
For further information and pricing, contact your Phoenix Account Manager on 0845 265 1265 or email info@phoenixs.co.uk

In addition to Gold Competencies in Volume Licensing and Software Asset Management, we now hold the Gold Midmarket Solution Provider Competency.

To earn Gold Certification, we had to meet rigorous standards for competency, including revenue, service, support and customer satisfaction requirements set forth by Microsoft.

Sam Mudd, Director of Phoenix Software, said: “By attaining the Gold Midmarket Solution Provider Competency, we can demonstrate our expertise in providing critical infrastructure solutions, based on the most current Microsoft desktop, business-management and server technologies, that are tailored to help midmarket businesses with their unique challenges.  It assures our customers of the highest levels of knowledge and customer service - something they have rightly come to expect of Phoenix.” 

Janet Gibbons, Director of Partner Strategy and Programmes at Microsoft UK, concluded: “Partners with Gold status in competencies represent organisations and associated individuals that have demonstrated the highest, most consistent capability and commitment within a targeted business solution area. We are committed to supporting our Gold level partners by enabling them with the right set of tools, training and information that will help them delight our customers through leading edge Microsoft-based solutions and services offerings that address the customer’s technology requirements.  With a Gold competency in Midmarket Solution Provider, Phoenix Software has made an investment in developing their capability to deliver an integrated and customised technology solution to support today’s customer demand.”

We are also Microsoft's largest EdLAR (Education Large Account Reseller) and one of the largest LARs by revenue within the Public Sector in the UK.

Other Microsoft accreditations held by us include the Server Platform Silver Competency, Messaging Silver Competency and Desktop Silver Competency.

Phoenix is also a Microsoft Small Business Specialist and one of only a few Microsoft Cloud Accelerate Partners offering cloud computing services which make it easy to leverage and rapidly deploy familiar Microsoft server products on a flexible subscription licensing basis.

License Dashboard, the leading developer of advanced license management solutions, have announced the launch of License Manager 5.5 - its flagship software asset management (SAM) tool.

Available immediately, License Manager 5.5 adds unrivalled support for the management of Microsoft Enterprise Agreements (EAs) and other volume licensing agreements, enhanced financial modelling to evaluate the cost and value of software installed on the network, and a flexible new management reporting engine.

Read the full press release here

Find out what's new here

Watch the 'Why Choose License Manager' video here

For more information contact us on 0845 265 1265 or email: enquiries@phoenixs.co.uk

The ITAM Review, written by Martin Thompson, is aimed at worldwide ITAM professionals providing independent industry news, reviews, resources and networking opportunities to Vendors, Partners, Consultants and End Users working in the areas of IT Asset Management, Software Asset Management or Software Licensing.

In his recent independent review of License Dashboard Enterprise Suite Martin points out that "the majority of Software Asset Management (SAM) offerings available on the market today have developed from inventory, auditing or asset register systems. It is clear the 'License Manager' solution from License Dashboard has been built from the ground up for the sole purpose of SAM".

In a previous review earlier this year Martin reported "…it is evident that ‘License Manager’ from License Dashboard developed from Claret crunching. It demonstrates all the hallmarks of a great software auditor yet in an automated fashion. It meticulously combs through the evidence as a licensing specialist would and presents an auditors picture of both compliance and usage."

In his Executive Summary Martin could find 'no weaknesses' in this License Dashboard product.

Click here to see the full report

Pocklington-based provider of software licensing and Software Asset Management solutions, Phoenix Software Limited, has been named as the highest-ranked Yorkshire business and 14th in the UK in the inaugural Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200.

Published in the Sunday Times on 8 July 2012, the Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 ranks Britain's private companies with the fastest-growing international sales.

Samantha Mudd, Director at Phoenix Software, explained why Phoenix has been so successful in helping customers throughout the world to buy and manage their software:

"It is difficult to attribute our success to any one thing. Phoenix is fortunate to have a highly-focused, long-standing and dedicated team who work tirelessly towards our ethos of delivering excellent service and quality. We have already seen this recognised by the numerous IT industry awards we have received but it is particularly satisfying to achieve this ranking from the Sunday Times - especially for our international achievements.

"In addition, Phoenix has been pivotal in re-defining the Software Asset Management process with the development of our bespoke service and the launch of our unique licence management software operation, License Dashboard. We recognised as early as 2003 that many organisations were losing track of their software assets and struggling with the compliance situation this creates.  Our deep knowledge of software licensing and our commitment to helping our customers enabled us to create a world-class operation which now has partnerships with some of the world's largest software resellers including Computacenter (UK), SHI (USA) and iComply (Australia)."

With Microsoft's recent change to the eligibility criteria for Housing Associations (HAs) potentially increasing some prices by up to 300%, we at Phoenix are seeing an immediate requirement for genuine licence management. 

In the past, Software Asset Management (SAM) has generally been considered a route to ensure that you are compliant as an organisation - we are increasingly seeing, however, that the true value of SAM is ensuring HAs are only procuring software that is actually needed.  Over-licensing is a large scale problem and with many Housing Associations having complex group structures that have been formalised over the years with mergers and acquisitions, it is all too easy for software to be purchased without understanding the need, or indeed if you could utilise some of your current licence estate that you just don't have visibility of in a single area - it is about strategic procurement.  Phoenix has been working with a number of Housing Associations to help them get to grips with the software assets they currently have and to help them introduce a true robust SAM programme in order to manage their estate moving forward. 

Whether you want to achieve an initial 'line in the sand' and baseline your current licence position, or perhaps you are investing in a deployed solution allowing you to manage the lifecycle of your estate from cradle to grave via a managed service, one thing is clear - whichever method works best for you as an organisation, the savings and benefits are huge. 

Can your Housing Association afford not to make the investment in SAM?

If you are keen to find out more, please call the Phoenix Voluntary Team on 0845 265 1265.