Whether developing new solutions or putting out fires, IT organizations often have more on their to-do lists than they can realistically handle. In fact, software lifecycle and adoption management commonly drops off the priority list despite its many performance, health, and cost-savings benefits. But the good news is that it can be outsourced to a skilled managed service provider (MSP). If you’re on the fence, explore these ten reasons organizations should consider outsourcing software lifecycle and adoption management.
1. Save Money
Engaging a managed service provider with deep expertise in software lifecycle and adoption management can help organizations save money through strategic buying models. For example, as organizations grow, they often purchase from multiple vendors. By consolidating those purchases into a single enterprise agreement, we’ve found that an organization can cut costs by 15% or more. By consolidating their Cisco purchases into an enterprise agreement, this Fortune 500 bank saved around $3 million. Additionally, an MSP with expertise can help optimize and right-size an organization’s license usage to avoid unnecessary expenditures.
2. Make Informed Decisions
Software lifecycle management can be incredibly complex, and organizations rarely have the in-house expertise or the tools to do it well. An MSP can do the work for you, tracking renewal, end-of-support, and other critical dates—and minimizing the risk of support issues and financial penalties.
3. Avoid Unexpected Costs
It’s not uncommon for software companies to conduct audits to confirm that their customers comply with licenses and ensure that unlicensed software isn’t being utilized. Companies often experience heavy penalties because they delay addressing their software licensing. Outsourcing software lifecycle management ensures that preparation takes less time and helps reduce the risk of penalties and unexpected true-up costs.
4. Focus on Growing Business
Outsourcing software lifecycle management allows internal IT organizations to focus on core business functions and strategic initiatives rather than getting bogged down by administrative tasks. This shift improves efficiency, and it enhances the ability of IT staff to contribute to the company’s growth and innovation.
5. Align Software with Business Needs
An MSP can help ensure that software purchases align and integrate with an organization’s business processes and workflows and uncover and address adoption barriers. As part of software lifecycle and adoption management, an MSP interviews key personnel from different business units to ensure software needs are adequately addressed. In doing so, they can also help embed any product features to meet the demands of different business units.
6. Accelerate Adoption
User adoption is critical to value realization. Improved adoption rates optimize software investments by enhancing efficiency, productivity, and collaboration. An MSP can provide extensive training sessions for end-users, including “train-the-trainer” sessions for in-house personnel.
7. Embrace Scalability and Flexibility
As a company grows, the complexity and volume of software licenses increase. An MSP can scale its services to meet a company’s evolving needs without the overhead costs of hiring additional in-house staff. This flexibility allows organizations to adapt quickly to changes in the market and technology landscape.
8. Improve Compliance
An MSP can help mitigate risks associated with software licensing and ensure compliance with various regulatory requirements. This includes managing end-of-life software, ensuring software is up to date with security patches, and maintaining compliance with industry standards. This proactive approach can prevent costly fines and security breaches.
9. Streamline Vendor Management
Managing relationships with multiple software vendors can be challenging and time-consuming. An MSP can handle vendor negotiations, contract renewals, and dispute resolutions on an organization’s behalf. By leveraging the MSP’s established relationships and expertise, companies get the best possible terms and service levels from their vendors.
10. Improve Reporting and Analytics
One of the biggest limitations that organizations face is comprehensive visibility and reporting across their IT estate. Choosing an MSP that uses a state-of-the-art IT asset management tool can provide deep insights into software usage, costs, and compliance status. These insights can help organizations make informed decisions about software investments, usage patterns, and optimization opportunities, leading to better financial and operational outcomes. To learn more about the importance of a robust IT asset management solution, read 4 Very Important Reasons You Need an Effective IT Asset Management Tool.
Call on the Experts at GDT
Developing a comprehensive software lifecycle and adoption management plan is a lot for organizations to take on in-house. Relying on experts to deliver those benefits can save time, eliminate headaches, and tap economies of scale. Turning to tenured professionals with expertise in software lifecycle and adoption management will also free up valuable IT resources to work on the forward-thinking initiatives they were hired to deliver in the first place.
The experts at GDT can help you transform software and maintenance contracts into strategic enablers that accelerate business outcomes through comprehensive buying models, resources, platforms, and lifecycle services. GDT offers lifecycle consulting, adoption services, contract management, and more, providing comprehensive reporting and visibility through our GDT Asset Management Platform (GDTamp). Explore our software lifecycle and adoption management services, or reach out to us today.
