Savings on Software Licensing for London Law Firm Farrer & Co
Farrer & Co have been a client of The SAM Club using our SAM Service for nearly 9 months. During this time, we have achieved cost savings on two separate projects for them with further potential savings identified.
Farrer & Co were one of the first law firms to transition to Microsoft Azure (see our previous article on the move) fully embracing this new technology.
Farrer & Co recently made the decision to transition the firm’s telephony to Microsoft Teams after a successful trial. Following a review of the Microsoft 365 E5 subscription plan and the applications available, including security, the decision was made to fully step-up the firm’s current licensing from their Microsoft 365 E3 subscription plan. Once the budget for the licenses and the project was approved, The SAM Club engaged in conversations with Farrer & Co’s license reseller and with Microsoft to achieve a concession of 11% for the final year for the step-up of the licenses within their Enterprise Agreement.
Ian Nicholls, Managing Consultant at The SAM Club said “The step-up from the Microsoft 365 E3 plan to the E5 plan is a big decision and not just in monetary terms. Microsoft are adding more and more functionality into the E5 plan with Compliance and Security as well as Telephony. Considering the options and ensuring the applications within the E5 plan will be used is essential. If a subset only will be used, then it is worth considering breaking down the E5 plan SKU to license a smaller set of applications. But when taking the full E5 plan SKU then there is a conversation to have with Microsoft!”
Andy Beech, IT Director at Farrer & Co said “Navigating the licensing requirements to ensure compliance, adequate capability and opportunity whilst achieving the best value for money requires in-depth understanding of the vendor portfolio and the licensing options on offer. The SAM Club understand our business challenges and apply their expertise to help us maintain a strong licensing position.”
Prior to this Farrer & Co received their renewal notice for their digital dictation product. One of The SAM Club’s customers had moved to a competitor product which had recently been launched in the UK. Following an introductory call, Farrer & Co. successfully trialled this alternative cloud-based solution and it was rolled out to 250 users at the end of December 2020 resulting in a saving of approx. £10k per annum in licensing costs.
Ian Nicholls said “We work with a number of law firms and are always listening when new products and solutions have been identified and successfully implemented, especially when these new solutions can reduce costs. We are then able to suggest alternative products/solutions to our Clients’ for their consideration. Being independent and not reselling software enables us to keep an open mind to ensure we keep our clients’ interests first and foremost.”
Andy Beech said “It’s reassuring to have the support of those who understand the complexities of software licensing and a keen eye for saving money wherever there’s an opportunity – the savings we’ve made in the first year of our relationship have more than paid for the fees. Not only are we getting great advice and enjoying the benefits of centralised management of all our software assets, but The SAM Club also proactively notify us of pending renewals and are on the front foot in obtaining and negotiating renewal quotations on our behalf. That’s a chore I’m happy to offload!”