Feb
27
2008:
Published by ScottR under Uncategorized
We are hosting another webinar and it’s coming up rather quickly – it will be held next Tuesday, March 4th, at 1:00 PM. This time around we will have a guest speaker, Paul Vallee, president of Pythian, to talk about Supply Management techniques for cost savings.
Here is the link to register and more info below – “see” you there!
The Supply Management Promise
Date: March 4, 2008, 1 pm ET (60 minutes)
Speaker: Paul Vallee, President, Pythian
Businesses in many sectors regularly apply supply management techniques that achieve annual savings of 10% or more in their contracts with suppliers. Yet these annual savings are rarely experienced in the field of IT infrastructure management; in fact, most long-term contracts in this field include inflationary clauses rather than anticipated savings.
Using database infrastructure management as an example, Paul Vallée will illustrate how supply management techniques can be extended to the field of IT infrastructure management, to place enhanced purchasing power in the hands of infrastructure managers.
Click here to register or to receive a reminder.
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/204538076
Feb
26
2008:
Published by ScottR under Uncategorized
SearchOracle.com just wrote an interesting piece this week on the trials and tribulations of going through an upgrade process on existing enterprise software.
Mark Brunelli emphasizes the importance of doing your research ahead of time – know what the new features are, or what features may have been done away with – before making the decision to upgrade. Just because it’s called an upgrade, doesn’t always mean that it will serve as an advantage to your business.
Another important factor to keep in mind is that sometimes older versions don’t come with support on maintenance and security functions – so an upgrade may be necessary.
Being one of the first adopters of a new version of software can sometimes be scary – some hold back until it’s been “tested” by others and then take the plunge.
The key is a strong relationship with your Oracle CRM so that problems and fixes can be executed on quickly. Upgrades have been put in place to make the software work better, for example Oracle 10g Release 2 has two features called Oracle Data Vault and Oracle Audit Vault, which actually help business remain SOX compliant.
Feb
25
2008:
Published by ScottR under Uncategorized
Private and public sector executives alike are under pressure today to increase their understanding of governance, risk and compliance (GRC) issues -and their ability to respond to them. They are expected to deliver against a range of key performance indicators, including profitability, customer satisfaction, revenue growth, etc. And then there’s increasing demands from regulatory bodies, including Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), Gramm Leach Bliley (GLBA), the 21 CFR Part 11 regulations concerning IT controls, and others - now and soon to follow.
They are also operating in an environment more prone to risk, as increasingly companies have either a global reach and/or their supply chain partners do. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) only add to complexity and risk as networks of multiple business partners are brought together.
Compliance with a web of new regulations adds another dimension of complexity and risk. We’re talking about compliance more broadly across the enterprise and specifically beyond the realm of software license compliance.
None of this helps executives to sleep well at night. They are battling against a tide of information, and frontline staff struggle to cope. That said, regulators hold them responsible for acting on such information.
What to do? Well, many of you will wait. It’s human nature to. Wait until a crisis strikes that triggers your company’s scrutiny of its GRC processes and systems. Then the “blank hits the fan” and reputations -even jobs- are on the line. Executives are usually aware of the threat posed by viruses and hacking, but some may fail to truly grasp the full implications of IT risk to their business. IT applications are today behind almost all critical processes needed to run the business. Security and transparency should be built into everything you do these days. And not just to mitigate the risk of system failure, but to mitigate as well the risk of regulatory risk.
Well, folks, it more than software licensing and compliance we have to worry about.
Feb
22
2008:
Published by ScottR under Uncategorized
In the News This Week
· Asia Times Online: Microsoft plays cool after DVD blow
Chairman Bill Gates stated that the concept should prevent learning barriers for students which would include high software licensing fees.
· BusinessWeek: The Secrets of Microsoft’s Sync
Adding to the cost are the licensing fees for Microsoft’s software, and the voice-recognition technology from software maker Nuance Communications (NUAN). Between hardware and software-licensing costs, and assuming the markup of three to four times cost typical to the automotive electronics business, Robinson figures the system costs $100 to $150 to make.
· Inquirer: Microsoft fiddles with Vista Ultimate Assurance licensing
· SearchOracle: With software upgrades, pain leads to gain
In Oracle 10g Release 2 there are [two features] called Oracle Data Vault and Oracle Audit Vault, which are incredible for compliancy and security
· PC Retail: Software license agreements attacked
A survey by the National Consumer Council has claimed that the majority of software licensing agreements contain confusing jargon that is unfairly biased
Feb
20
2008:
Published by ScottR under Uncategorized
Another “victim” of the BSA – a Denver, CO based door manufacturer was hit with over $92,000 to settle claims on unlicensed use of Microsoft and Symantec software.
For a small local company that makes doors, that’s a serious amount of money to part with for something like this. According to the BSA, 35% of the software installed in 2006 was installed without legal licenses, amounting to nearly $40 billion in global losses because of software piracy and that 21% of software in the United States is unlicensed.
Don’t’ let yourself get in this type of situation – manage your software assets appropriately and be sure to keep licensing up to date! You may think you are getting around fees by downloading software or getting pirated copies from your IT guy, but organizations like the BSA won’t let businesses get away with this anymore!
Here is the press release from the BSA.
Feb
19
2008:
Published by ScottR under Uncategorized
More exciting news on the Miro leadership front – We’ve appointed Wayne Federico to Chief Information Officer. Wayne has been a valuable asset to Miro; he truly understands our customers and what issues are most important for their businesses. Wayne previously served as the company’s Vice President of Technical Services and will continue to hold this title. He will continue to work alongside of our Fortune 100 clients in order to align their Oracle licensing with their business needs.
This is a very exciting time for us!
Official announcement here.
Feb
11
2008:
Published by ScottR under Uncategorized
So, Microsoft is knocking some dollars off its software licensing costs for small and mid-sized businesses with subscription-based licensing for small businesses. The plan is called Open Value Subscription program and it costs about 1/3 of the expense of software licensing. Basically, Microsoft offers discounts when the software is initially purchased through the subscription program. The benefit: SMBs has an option of decreasing or increasing licensing over a 3-year period if their business needs change.
So, the total cost of ownership (TCO) for Microsoft software licensing falls by an estimated 66%.
Feb
06
2008:
Published by ScottR under Uncategorized
In Computerworld today, Brian Fonseca reported on Forrester’s not-so-shocking findings from a recent survey –Corporate IT departments are fed up with software licensing. Noted by Forrester Analyst Ray Wang: “The whole point of buying a perpetual license was not to be beholden to the vendor.”
Read the entire ComputerWorld article.
Feb
05
2008:
Published by ScottR under Uncategorized
I wanted to post a brief entry today with some exciting news. Eliot Arlo Colon has been appointed to President of Miro, effective today. Eliot has served as the company’s COO for the past seven years where he has negotiated over $700 million in software licensing transactions, saving our clients more than half a billion dollars in licensing, support and consulting fees. Eliot is our go-to guy when it comes to Oracle software licensing which has been a tremendous asset to our clients and partners. He keeps us on our toes and in the know on the latest and greatest licensing updates – helping us to keep our clients in compliance and avoiding the unfortunate audit.
You will find the official announcement here.
Thanks, Eliot, for your continued expertise and hard work!
