Working with our Software Asset Management clients we regularly come across new licensing rules that can catch organisations out as they have not necessarily been made aware, VMware is a prime example.
Did you know that unless your organisation has an Enterprise License Agreement with VMware, there are strict rules for compliance around the country or region a license was purchased in and the country of use for the license?
We found a copy of the VMware end user license agreement and under Section 1.14 it states, “Territory” means the country or countries in which you have been invoiced. So, for example if you have been invoiced within any of the European Economic Area member states, you may deploy the corresponding Software throughout the European Economic Area.
Unless you have been explicit with your reseller partner in stating the country or region of your VMware purchase or they know the specific rules around VMWare licensing, you may find your organisation is non-compliant.
Note: vCenter licenses purchased in the EEC can be used to manage vSphere licenses purchased and used in a different region for example.
Another potential issue arises with the management of the licenses within the MyVMware portal. For licenses purchased for a specific country or region, do you annotate the notes section for the license within the portal?
Setting up specific folders for locations can help ensure the licenses purchased for a specific region are managed correctly. Without proper management of your VMware licenses, it can be easy to get into a mess and become non-compliant.
Please contact us at The SAM Club if you would like to know more about how our software asset management service can help you manage your software licenses.
The SAM Club, are independent trusted advisors who work with organisations to help them manage their software assets, allowing them to focus on their business needs. Being independent means, we do not resell any software, so we are completely unbiased in our advice.
Our service is tailored to your individual needs, we maintain records of software assets and their status in a SAM Workbook, assisting with maintenance and support renewal management. We also work with client’s through vendor audits to help minimise expenditure and maximise the support benefits offered by software vendors.
It’s our business to understand the licensing rules and provide the advice and guidance to our clients with new purchases and renewals. We become part of your internal IT team managing your software assets and taking the time to understand: what is currently owned what is installed and the future business plans, providing valuable, objective and unbiased advice tailored to suit their requirements.
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