Software Vendors Tough on Licenses, Weak on Solutions

In recent years software publishers have stepped up efforts to identify and penalize corporations for the use of unlicensed software. They have also become more aggressive in cases where corporations intended to fully comply with licensing rules, but failed. This is most often the result of IT departments being uncertain of just how many copies…

Assessing Your Software Vendor’s Survivability

The CIO’s job is not an easy one: equal parts IT innovation salesman; global project manager knitting together the wares of multiple suppliers into a coherent, reliable and cost-effective technology strategy; and prognosticator on the success or failure of major vendors in an industry where repeated waves of change regularly swamp unwary incumbents. Just consider…

Technology Contracting is a Job for IT

Who’s making the deal for the business? And how does that impact IT? Historically, corporate finance and procurement have held the reins for vendor and contract management; not surprising given its responsibility for the corporate bottom line. While this seems reasonable on the surface, the results for IT have been mixed. Financial management teams typically…

The 7 Symptoms of a Bad Deal

For many organizations, a good deal is defined at the bargaining table: Did you get the price concessions you wanted? Did you get service add-ons thrown in for free? Are extra features included in the base package? Yes? Well, then it’s a good deal. Software vendors love this line of thinking. It’s lazy and it…