Cost control
Accurate recording avoids unnecessary costs for duplicate or unused licenses
SoftwareOne case study
City of Frankfurt am Main and SoftwareOne set new standards in license management
Frankfurt am Main is a significant financial center 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 licenses. 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 license 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 license management tool
Before introducing the license management tool, we lacked efficient tools and clear processes. We aimed to establish operational license management with a complete technical and commercial inventory and the associated processes.
Susanne Junkel
Strategic License Manager at the City of Frankfurt am Main
Decentralized structures and manual processes
Frankfurt am Main faced the challenge of having no central tool or defined processes for city-wide operational license management. License counts, e.g., for a Microsoft true-up, were carried out using a range of decentralized 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 licenses to simplify and expedite management.
The limited oversight and control over license 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 license management tool to optimize city-wide license 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 License Manager
The City of Frankfurt am Main sought an efficient license management system to fulfill 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 licenses into the new tool. Their technical expertise was crucial for successfully implementing the Snow License 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 management facilitated meticulous planning, conceptualization, and ongoing project support. This was essential to navigate procedural challenges and adhere to administrative regulations. Additionally, numerous consultations were organized across all offices and stakeholders involved.
With the implementation of Snow License Manager, a thorough technical inventory can now be conducted at the city level. This includes the integration of commercial contracts and licenses. In Snow, technical and commercial data are consistently compared to ensure compliance, create license balances, and enable effective license 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 license management can be established through targeted planning, technical expertise, and comprehensive training.
Strategic License Manager at the City of Frankfurt am Main
Efficient license management in practice
- Cost control: Snow's license management tool helps the city administration monitor costs by accurately recording licenses and avoiding paying for unused or duplicate licenses in the future.
- Compliance: The city of Frankfurt am Main must ensure that it uses all software licenses in accordance with legal and contractual agreements. The new tool now supports this and assists in adhering to license conditions to minimize the risk of legal consequences due to license violations.
- Efficient management: The Snow License Manager enables central management of all relevant hardware and software components, making tracking and reducing administrative workload easier. It quickly shows which licenses are available, which are in use, and which may be missing.
- Identification of consolidation potential: Analyzing decentralized procurement processes identifies potential for future contract consolidation, helps increase efficiency, and reduces costs.
- Centralized tracking of products used throughout the city: Uniformly tracking products enables optimized resource management and more efficient cost control.
- Budget planning: A comprehensive overview of the existing licenses and their degree of use supports the municipality in long-term budget planning and forecasting future software expenditures.
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