VAR Assistance with SAM, like the fox counting the chickens

Is asking your (LAR) or (VAR) to help you prepare a declaration to your software vendor like the farmer asking the fox to count his chickens?       It never fails to amaze me how many organizations rely on their value added reseller (VAR) to help them prepare their true-up, certification, declaration or similar submission to a major software vendor. I’ve heard all the arguments why there is no conflict of interest but the reality is very different when the results are compared after engaging a 3rd party. Let us assume that a VAR can resist the usual pressures of “no license sale no fee”, vendor rebate, Maintaining Partner Level, cross selling, etc. Why do they under perform a 3rd party license consultant? A 3rd part advisor has a far greater incentive to get you the best deal possible because it is the only measure of success for them , not to mention their reputation (future business) relies on it. This also means that they’ll have both the short and long term interests of their client in mind. The VAR will most probably do an adequate job and for many organizations this will be enough. In large organizations especially, to on-board another supplier is additional effort for a service you probably only use twice a year. So what will a 3rd party advisor do that a VAR won’t?

  1. More likely to suggest strategies to reduce license purchase
  2. Suggest ways to maximize deployment where unlimited license agreements are in play
  3. Will suggest lower cost alternative from other vendors
  4. More likely to interpret the rules, supported by evidence, in favour of the client
  5. Engage earlier and not just 60 days before renewal

A VAR is an important ally to an organization in executing on their IT strategy but there are certain tasks that are better done by a trusted 3rd party and license advice is one. Why not put it to the test on your next vendor declaration, when you compare the results I think you’ll be surprised!  Recommended Reading: If you have access to Gartner report there’s are some good (if a little old) papers on this topic:

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Piaras MacDonnell