In the past few years a number of companies have developed tools to address a big problem: how to automate the collection of SPLA (Service Provider License Agreement) usage data – on a monthly basis – interpret that data and put it in the form of a reseller-ready report. Of course, it needs to be optimized so Service Providers do not overspend while at the same time, maintain compliance.
WORD OF ADVICE: Don’t simply base your SPLA reporting on your billing data. That approach is fraught with error and is a huge SPLA Audit risk.
What we’ve listed below are paid tools, developed specifically to capture SPLA usage. Most also do some level of analysis, optimization and in the end provide a summary of what you are obligated to report based on Microsoft’s SPUR (Service Provider Use Rights).
However, whenever Altaris Cloud engages with a Hoster or Service Provider, we always explore what other tools they already have deployed so that additional licensing and implementation costs can be avoided. These could be tools used for monitoring or patching but could also be leveraged for SPLA data collection. The data from the environment is what we ultimately need (VMware, Hyper-V, Active Directory, Software Install Exports, Hardware configuration etc.). How we get it is something we can be flexible with.
System Center is a great example of a tool that may be deployed in your environment that can be leveraged to collect SPLA data using scripts we’ve developed specifically for this purpose. It’s also very cost effective when purchased as a bundle through the SPLA program - CIS (Core Infrastructure Suite) - where you get both Windows Server and System Center at a reduced cost.
Examples of SPLA Software Asset Management Tools:
1. Octopus Cloud: (https://octopus.cloud/) Agentless SPLA inventory appliance
2. Block 64: (https://block64.com/) Agentless inventory and metering solution. Goes beyond asset management and provides Public Cloud assessments and relative costing
3. Movere: (https://www.movere.io/) Agentless Inventory and Metering application (acquired by Microsoft in September 2019)
4. License Watch: (https://splamanager.com/ ) Agent based or leveraging a remote server agent
5. Snow: (https://www.snowsoftware.com/) Large range of applications and platforms but no specific focus on SPLA
6. CPL24: (https://www.cpl24.com) Leverages an application housed in a German Datacenter to compile and interpret data. Doesn’t require any inbound traffic
7. ActivAeon: (http://www.activaeon.com/) SPLA focused tool. Free 15 day trials available.
8. Map Toolkit: (https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/download/details.aspx?id=7826) Developed by Microsoft, this collection of scripts takes a one-time snap shot of your hosted environment. It’s known to miss inventory that might be offline when that snapshot is taken. It’s free and there’s a reason.
At Altaris Cloud, we are tool agnostic. Each tool has its own strength and weaknesses, depending on your environment. The right solution not only delivers an optimized, compliant report each month, but does so with minimal overhead and lastly, provides a solid audit trail.
The cost of a SPLA audit is not only the penalties that can occur if under reporting is detected but also the enormous amount of resources required to facilitate the requests from the auditors. In the event of a Microsoft SPLA audit, a well-documented SAM practice and carefully archived audit trail can save hundreds of hours of IT resources.
At Altaris Cloud we’ve worked with almost every tool in the market and would be happy to share our experiences with you. If you want to discuss the right tool for your environment or explore what you might be able to leverage that you already have deployed, click on the button below to book a complimentary consultation or email us at info@altariscloud.com
Your Microsoft Licensing Experts at Altaris Cloud