The SPLA Program is quite different from a traditional Perpetual or Subscription agreement, mainly because there are no acquired or fixed number of entitlements, setting limitations on usage.
Therefore, it is not the history of acquired license entitlements in relation to the number of installations, but the current need for licenses in a complex and ever-changing environment that is important.
A traditional SAM tool is built to keep track of the balance between acquired entitlements and usage, typically for the contractual period and beyond.
SPLA compliance is about ordering licenses based on the actual license need per reporting month.
An inventory tool will give you the actual numbers on installation/access which is the foundation for calculating your licensing needs, but it does not assist you in keeping track of the rules and requirements from the SPLA agreement(s) or SPUR documents, especially the use rights which may change through your SPLA agreement period – or across several agreements, if you have more than one.
At the end of the day what you need for running an SPLA business is support for the full process, including compliance documentation for Inventory, License calculations and what you have ordered to give the full overview.
SPLA Manager is tailor-made for the sole purpose of doing this – and nothing else.
For more information, request a free demo.
I assume that you are reading this as a Service Provider with questions to SPLA licensing. If that is the case, you will highly probable agree on the following statement:
“Keeping up-to-date with SPLA licensing rules and pricing… can be quite challenging!”
If you do not agree on the statement, then consider the questions beneath:
The SPLA Manager is tailor-made for Service Providers and is built with the SPUR documents as the governing framework. We implement the changes to the SPUR document every month. We also update relevant data, like Part Numbers, License Metrics and minimum buys every month. This enable us to calculate the most optimal licensing option, where available. We even keep track of the $ 1.000 limit for individual reporting.
As always, inventory is the foundation for being able to apply licenses in a correct and accurate manner.
LicenseWatch has been doing inventory since 2003. This, together with our knowledge of the SPLA program, enables us to calculate every relevant aspect of licensing in a Service Providers environment.
Based on the inventory we calculate the licensing requirements and available options on each and every installation and suggest the most optimal solution – every month!
SPLA Reporting Made Accurate & Automated