Microsoft License Management Group Test

ITAM News & Analysis

Microsoft License Management Group Test - The Results

02 October 2014

8 minute read

Overview – Microsoft License Management Group Test

It is sometimes said by Software Asset Management (SAM) experts that Microsoft is an ideal software publisher to tackle first when reconciling your software estate. The breadth of devices and systems Microsoft touches and depth of data required; from desktop to server, mobile device to virtual machine, means that any organization performing a good reconciliation of Microsoft stands in good stead for tackling other publishers.

With this in mind we set out to review some leading SAM tools to see what they brought to the table in terms of technology for managing Microsoft.

Tools Assessed:

A high level overview of our assessment criteria is as follows:

Criteria – High Level Overview

How are instances of Microsoft products discovered or inventoried? (I.e. do you provide inventory, what sources do you work with etc.?)
How do you filter Microsoft configuration detail to arrive at information useful for license management?
Describe or list any features that aid Microsoft product family recognition or identification of Microsoft suite components
What Microsoft licensing types can your solution manage?
How does your solution work with statements of entitlement provided by Microsoft?
Describe any features relevant to managing Microsoft in virtual environments (Virtual machine, streaming, terminal services etc.)
What features aid customers ensure they are spending the least possible with Microsoft whilst maintaining compliance and avoiding shelf ware?
Describe features that allow customers to manage Microsoft contracts and agreements and prepare for true ups?

We were looking for tools that took away some of the heavy lifting and Spreadsheet crunching when managing Microsoft:

Taking multiple data feeds from different inventory sources and enterprise systems to gather a single version of the truth
Sifting through the enormous amount of configuration detail generated by systems such as SCCM to focus on the details that matter – The Microsoft titles that require a license and the product use rights for that particular install
Grouping Microsoft titles into logical suites and product families to aid the reconciliation process
Helping identify redundancy and overlap so organizations can reduce waste
Expose license shortfalls so organizations can remove risk
Deal with the myriad of Microsoft license types
Deal with the myriad of devices and systems where Microsoft technology resides
Working with statements generated by Microsoft
Working with Microsoft Contracts and Agreements

Comparing Apples with Apples

Aspera, Brainware and Snow Software offer a broad set of license management features for Microsoft license management. The ITAM Review considers these providers as leading SAM tools and recommends shortlisting these technologies when selecting a SAM tool.
1E is focussed on license reclamation and is not considered a full SAM tool

Best in Class – Aspera SmartTrack

We selected Aspera’s SmartTrack as Best in Class for managing Microsoft licensing. SmartTrack has best in class features for reducing risk and supporting efficient spend in large Microsoft estates. SmartTrack also has extensive capabilities for managing Microsoft license models, agreement types and the nuances of Microsoft licensing on the desktop, datacentre and virtual environments.
Brainware and Snow Software also have strong offerings for managing Microsoft software with impressive features for getting to grips with Microsoft. 1E, whilst not a fully rounded SAM tool, is a pioneer in removal of unused desktop software.

Microsoft Review Scoring
	1E	Aspera	Brainware	Snow Software

General features that aid Microsoft license management	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]
Microsoft Software Recognition	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]
Microsoft Product Family and Suite Recognition	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]
Management of Microsoft Licensing Types	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]
Efficient Microsoft Spending (low risk, no waste)	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]
Microsoft Contracts Management	n/a	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]

Key

[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	Strong	Market leader
[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	Good	Well executed and competitive offering
[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	OK	Adequate, meets requirements
[icon name=”star”][icon name=”star”]	Weak	Poorly or partially executed
[icon name=”star”]	Absent	Missing key requirements

	Strengths	Weaknesses
1E	Pioneer in reclaim of unused desktop licenses in a user friendly fashion Intuitive interface with business focussed reporting	Partial coverage of Microsoft licensing types Microsoft SCCM focussed as a data source Reporting only – limited license records and contracts management
Aspera	Best in class license management features for reducing risk and supporting efficient spend in large Microsoft estates Extensive capabilities for managing license models, agreement types and the nuances of Microsoft licensing on the desktop, datacentre and virtual environments. Priced per qualified desktop. No complex pricing for different publishers.	Global presence and partner network not as extensive as competitors, being addressed by Aspera No in-house inventory, but exhaustive list of inventory sources and enterprise data sources to connect with.
Brainware	Strong competitive offering for inventory and license management of Microsoft for small to large enterprises Comprehensive coverage of Microsoft license types, devices and platforms Datacentre, Virtual and Desktop coverage for Microsoft titles Microsoft product use rights calculations and software assurance management	Historically focussed in Central Europe –it would be good to see implementation support and market participation in other major markets Interface perhaps not as slick as others in this review
Snow Software	Intuitive and easy to understand interface Breadth of coverage in Microsoft license types, products and devices VDI, Virtual and Datacentre coverage Microsoft Product use rights and automatic optimization	Reporting weaker than competitors in this review – especially providing recommended actions for Software Asset Managers rather than just data. Contracts and financial management elements weaker than competitors in this review.

Strengths and Weaknesses Summary

	1E	Aspera	Brainware	Snow Software
Environment
Desktops	[icon name=”check”]	[icon name=”check”]	[icon name=”check”]	[icon name=”check”]
Datacentre	[icon name=”close”]	[icon name=”check”]	[icon name=”check”]	[icon name=”check”]
Key market focus
Small	[icon name=”close”]	[icon name=”close”]	[icon name=”check”]	[icon name=”check”]
Medium	[icon name=”close”]	[icon name=”close”]	[icon name=”check”]	[icon name=”check”]
Large	[icon name=”check”]	[icon name=”check”]	[icon name=”check”]	[icon name=”check”]
SKU Catalogue	[icon name=”close”]	[icon name=”check”]	[icon name=”check”]	[icon name=”check”]
User based licensing	[icon name=”close”]	[icon name=”check”]	[icon name=”check”]	[icon name=”check”]
CALS	[icon name=”close”]	[icon name=”check”]	[icon name=”check”]	[icon name=”check”]

Tools Assessed:

Disclaimer, Scope and Limitations

The information contained in this review is based on sources and information believed to be accurate as of the time it was created. Therefore, the completeness and current accuracy of the information provided cannot be guaranteed. Readers should therefore use the contents of this review as a general guideline, and not as the ultimate source of truth.

Similarly, this review is not based on rigorous and exhaustive technical study. The ITAM Review recommends that readers complete a thorough live evaluation before investing in technology.

This is a paid review, that is, the vendors included in this review paid to participate in exchange for all results and analysis being published free of charge, without registration.

For further information, please read our Disclosure page.

Microsoft License Management Group Test - The Results