Automated deployment of user-requested software improves turnaround time for fulfillment of requests, while reducing risk.

Background

Company: Wipro Limited

Key services: Information technology, consulting, and business process services

Geographies: The US, Canada, Latin America, Continental Europe, India & Middle East, and Asia Pacific

Challenge

The dynamic nature of today’s IT environment brings with it various software asset management (SAM) challenges for large enterprises. At Wipro, these were around publisher licensing models with a wide range of software license types, license entitlements, contracts management, and more.

Reconciliation between purchased and installed software, controlling unauthorized usage, tracking inventory of purchase orders, proof of entitlements, and balancing end-user delight while meeting compliance requirements were the areas of concern.

Solution

A complete reimagination of the end-to-end SAM process, right from request, acquisition, deployment, management to retirement process, orchestration with market-leading suites, and integration of various systems and business processes, was undertaken. Key components were:

Enterprise SAM Suite

A next-generation SAM, license compliance and optimization solution was used to provide licenses based on entitlements. This provided a comprehensive view of software titles for every managed device. This was integrated with Helpline - the ticketing tool that triggers alerts as and when an incorrect software deployment is detected in a system. Integration with an endpoint privilege manager provided users with the privileges necessary to run trusted applications. Dashboard views provided vital company-wide information on software procurement.

Automated software portal

An underlying industry-leading solution was overlaid with a self-service portal where employees could request the software they needed from a user-friendly catalog. The system addressed the end-to-end process including approvals, enforcing relevant licensing, automated delivery to the user, verification of installation, and maintainance of a detailed audit trail while keeping the users informed of the status.

Simplification of Procure-to-Pay process

All procurement-related processes were brought under a common platform and integrated with ERP that helped manage all purchases pertaining to software and tracked the proof of purchase and deliveries. Additionally, the enterprise SAM suite was integrated with active directory, discovery tool and IT asset management. The SAM team was involved in payment decisions with respect to vendors that helped ensure that proof-of-entitlement documents are secured before vendor payments. The status of the availability of surplus licenses is known and the allocation can be done when needed, curtailing unneccesary procurement.

Business impact

Automated deployment of user-requested software through a self-service app store, deployment of industry-leading tools, and integration of various systems and business processes led to a marked improvement in user experience, license compliance, and cost optimization.

End-user delight

Automated approvals and fulfillments route the request to the appropriate approvers along with built-in escalation features. The SAM team is notified when the supply of licenses for a particular application needs to be replenished. Between may 2017 and 2018, over 130,000+ user requests have been realized with 85% automated deployments. This has been achieved by ensuring shorter approval cycles and a user-friendly interface. Every week, software available on the portal are reviewed and new software is added or deleted as per usage terms

Optimized usage, cost savings

Applications are automatically reclaimed when the lease expires. Till date, 75% of the applications have been automatically reclaimed on expiry of the lease. Underutilized and unused licenses can now be directed and allocated to employees with a higher business need for those applications. The resultant impact is a staggering 62% cost savings on renewals of software purchased from an OEM.

Reduced risk of non-compliance

Software applications which are not authorized are detected by automated alerts and timely corrective actions are taken. There has been an effective minimization of unnecessary local administrator privileges and prevention of malicious software with enhanced control on application deployments at endpoints.

"Organizations can realize cost savings between 5% and 35% by implementing focused software asset management practices. At Wipro, we not only achieved cost savings but also improved user experience, thus providing a modern experience and improved compliance for the organization.”- Pavan Agrawal, Vice President - IT Management Group, Wipro Ltd.