Software Compliance and Cost Savings with SAM Transformation

Software compliance and cost savings with SAM transformation

How HCLTech enabled a global biopharmaceutical leader to improve license compliance, enhance audit readiness and achieve multimillion-dollar cost savings with a mature software asset management operating model

10 min Lesen

Overview

A global biopharmaceutical leader with a significant presence in India operates a complex IT landscape that supports critical research, manufacturing and business operations. With a diverse software estate spanning multiple publishers including IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Adobe, Broadcom, Red Hat and others, the organization required a robust software asset management (SAM) framework to ensure compliance, optimize license usage and maintain audit readiness.

Partnering with HCLTech, the organization initiated a comprehensive SAM transformation focused on improving compliance visibility, simplifying processes and strengthening license management practices. The engagement introduced automation, governance and continuous improvement mechanisms to enhance operational efficiency and deliver measurable business value.

The Challenge

Managing complex license compliance across a multi-vendor software estate

Managing software assets across a global, multi-vendor environment introduced several operational and compliance challenges:

License non-compliance risks due to entitlement data discrepancies and incomplete or inconsistent software deployment information
Missing edition and version details for deployed software impacting accurate license reconciliation and compliance reporting
Limited license harvesting practices resulting in underutilized software assets and unnecessary license expenditures
Lack of automation in entitlement reconciliation and compliance reporting leading to manual effort and potential delays
Requirement to support up to 10 publisher audits annually across a diverse portfolio of 36 onboarded software vendors
Inefficiencies in license request management, entitlement tracking and audit snapshot generation processes

These challenges highlighted the need for a structured, automated and scalable SAM framework to improve compliance posture and cost optimization.

The Objective

Establishing a scalable and audit-ready SAM operating model

The organization set clear strategic objectives to strengthen its software asset management capabilities:.

Improve software license compliance across major publishers through accurate entitlement reconciliation and normalization
Enhance audit readiness by implementing automated reporting, entitlement tracking and audit support mechanisms
Optimize software utilization through proactive license harvesting and cost avoidance strategies
Simplify and standardize license management processes to reduce manual effort and improve operational efficiency
Enable end-to-end visibility across software inventory, entitlement data and license consumption
Establish a mature, scalable SAM framework capable of supporting ongoing compliance and governance requirements

The Solution

Delivering a structured, automated and scalable SAM transformation

1. Strengthening compliance through entitlement normalization and process improvements

HCLTech implemented software model configuration enhancements and discovery model normalization to improve compliance accuracy across publishers. Entitlement data discrepancies were identified, corrected and aligned with compliance reporting systems to ensure accurate license reconciliation.

The team also remediated entitlement import errors caused by integration between the SAM tool and reseller portals, improving data accuracy and compliance reliability.

2. Enhancing IBM compliance through bundling and ILMT optimization

Working closely with product owners, HCLTech implemented software bundling configurations including Cloud Pack enablement in IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT), which significantly strengthened compliance visibility and ensured accurate license tracking and reporting.

Custom load data functionality was introduced to import part numbers, product mappings and discovery information, enabling accurate entitlement reconciliation across multiple software publishers.

3. Automating compliance monitoring and reporting

HCLTech integrated ServiceNow with Adobe, Microsoft and IBM ILMT to streamline license management workflows and improve compliance tracking.

Automated Effective License Position (ELP) reporting was implemented for multiple publishers including Microsoft, Red Hat, VMware (Broadcom), Adobe and TechSmith. Scheduled ELP report generation provided timely compliance visibility, enabling proactive remediation and improved governance.

This automation significantly reduced manual license creation requests and improved overall SAM tool maturity.

4. Improving license lifecycle management and audit readiness

HCLTech provided end-to-end support across:

License management and entitlement tracking
Software request and catalog management
Compliance reporting and audit snapshot generation
License harvesting and optimization initiatives
Audit support across major software publishers

This structured approach ensured improved compliance, governance and operational efficiency across the software estate.

The Impact

Driving measurable improvements and multimillion-dollar cost savings

Strengthened compliance and audit readiness

Improved compliance visibility and accuracy across 36 onboarded software vendors
Strengthened IBM compliance posture through optimized bundling configurations and ILMT enhancements
Delivered timely compliance reports and audit support across multiple publishers, supporting up to 10 audits annually
Improved entitlement reconciliation and reduced compliance risks through automated reporting and normalized data

Significant cost savings and license optimization

Achieved approximately $3.2 million in cost savings and avoidance through proactive license harvesting recommendations
Enabled identification and reuse of underutilized software licenses, improving asset utilization
Reduced unnecessary license purchases through improved entitlement visibility and optimization strategies

Improved operational efficiency and SAM maturity

Reduced manual license management effort through automation and integrated workflows
Enhanced SAM tool maturity and improved license lifecycle management capabilities
Enabled faster compliance reporting and improved decision-making through automated compliance monitoring
Established a scalable and sustainable SAM operating model to support future growth

Conclusion

Building a scalable foundation for ongoing compliance and cost optimization

Through its partnership with HCLTech, the global biopharmaceutical leader transformed its software asset management capabilities, improving compliance, strengthening audit readiness and delivering measurable cost savings.

By implementing automation, enhancing governance and optimizing license utilization, the organization established a mature, scalable SAM framework that enables continued operational efficiency, compliance assurance and cost optimization.

This transformation positions the organization to maintain robust software governance while maximizing value from its software investments.