Live from SAMPARIS16 - French SAM market growing, beware HP software audit risk

14 October 2016
3 minute read
Best practice

Live from SAMPARIS16 - French SAM market growing, beware HP software audit risk

14 October 2016
3 minute read
SAMPARIS2016

SAMPARIS2016, Le Duplex Paris Etoile 2 bis avenue Foch

I’m at SAMPARIS2016 in Paris for the second annual SAM event hosted by Easytrust. I attended the event last year too and it’s great to see even more SAM professionals discussing all things SAM in the French market.

I had a conversation with a well-respected and experienced SAM professional and we were discussing the news of HPE’s ‘merger’ with Microfocus. HPE has spun off key parts of its software business to Microfocus in an $8BN deal.

In SAM and auditing terms; Microfocus is where software goes to die. For some of their portfolio it is where innovation has been exhausted, market share is on the decline and the owners want to milk the intellectual property for as long as possible.

Other high threat audit targets within the Microfocus portfolio are Borland and Attachmate, historically aggressive and highly litigious auditors. So it might be time to revisit your license position for HP Software over the coming months to ensure your house is in order, as I predict the tone of audits is likely to be very different under new ownership.

Speaking of the merger, one ITAM Review reader in Paris said:

“Start looking into HP software. Do an ELP, get a concrete compliance position and make sure you are fully covered. If not it will cost you an arm and leg, because Microfocus get legal very quickly”

On a lighter note, it is great to see continued interest and investment in SAM from French corporates. Speaking of the current state of the French market, Guillaume Parsy, French country manager at Aspera, said:

“The French market is slower than UK and Germany but French corporates are waking up to the real potential of SAM. SAM is a real practice and they want to invest. French companies are really beginning to understand the ROI of SAM”

A sentiment echoed by Nicolas Schaeffer of IMUO:

“We’ve seen a huge change in the maturity of SAM in the French market over the last two to three years. Many French companies are being audited by the likes of Microsoft and Oracle, but the targets for audits are also changing. The Editors are auditing much smaller companies, and also auditing very large customers, key strategic accounts and references customers, that they might not have dared to audit in the past. The gloves are off and nobody is safe.”

“More and more companies are seeing the cost saving opportunity. Our customers tell us that it’s an easy saving, in that it’s a real cost saving without impacting the delivery of services, in contrast to production savings, which are typically harder to achieve, impact production and result in less savings. Customers are cutting out waste, not services or infrastructure.“

Nicolas Schaeffer (left) and Guillaume Parsy (right)

Nicolas Schaeffer (left) and Guillaume Parsy (right)

Thanks to Easytrust for inviting me to their event, we look forward to joining you again next year.

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