In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, efficient software asset management (SAM) is crucial for organizations to stay compliant and optimize their software investments. ServiceNow’s Software Asset Management (SAM) Pro platform provides robust tools to manage licenses for Office 365 (O365) and Microsoft 365 subscriptions.
In this blog, I'll explore how SAM Pro can support and optimize your Office 365 management, ensuring compliance, optimizing licenses, and driving significant cost savings.
Jump to a specific section:
- Understanding Office 365 Support in ServiceNow SAM Pro
- How we can help you achieve success
- Key Benefits of Using SAM Pro for Office 365 Management
- Conclusion
Understanding Office 365 Support in ServiceNow SAM Pro
ServiceNow’s SAM Pro platform integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, enabling organizations to manage Office 365 and Microsoft 365 subscriptions effectively. Here’s how SAM Pro supports and optimizes your Office 365 environment:
License Compliance and Optimization
SAM Pro helps maintain compliance with your Office 365 licenses by providing a clear overview of your subscription status, ensuring that you are neither under-licensed nor over-licensed.
User Activity Tracking
The platform tracks the activity of individual components within O365 subscriptions. By leveraging ServiceNow’s capabilities, you can determine how users are interacting with different Office 365 applications and services, such as Exchange, SharePoint, and Teams.
Automated License Recommendations
SAM Pro provides automated recommendations to optimize licenses based on actual usage. This ensures that your organization can adjust licenses according to user needs, preventing over-purchasing and underutilization.
Cost Savings Analysis
The platform calculates potential savings when acting on the optimization recommendations. This allows organizations to make informed decisions on license adjustments and understand the financial impact of these changes.
Optimization Workflows
SAM Pro enables the creation of optimization workflows to implement recommended actions within the O365 tenant. These workflows streamline the process of reallocating licenses, ensuring efficient and timely execution.
Dashboards and Reporting
Establish dashboards to capture total spend vs. potential savings, and track user activity by subscription. These dashboards provide a visual representation of your optimization efforts, making it easier to monitor progress and identify areas for further improvement.
Reclamation Candidates
Set up criteria to identify reclamation candidates—licenses that are underutilized or no longer needed. This helps in reclaiming and redistributing licenses to maximize value.
How we can help you achieve success
As a Managing Consultant for Livingstone, I specialize in helping organizations like yours implement and optimize software asset management solutions. Here’s how I can assist you:
Assessment and Planning
We’ll start with a thorough assessment of your current Office 365 license usage and compliance status. Based on this, we’ll develop a tailored plan to address any gaps and optimize your license management.
Implementation Support
I will guide your team through the implementation of ServiceNow’s SAM Pro platform, ensuring that all features are correctly configured to meet your specific needs.
Training and Enablement
To ensure your team can fully leverage the platform, I’ll provide comprehensive training on using SAM Pro’s tools and dashboards effectively.
Ongoing Optimization
Once the platform is up and running, I’ll work with you to continuously monitor and optimize your license usage, providing regular reports and recommendations to keep your costs in check.
Cost Savings Realization
By acting on SAM Pro’s automated recommendations and our ongoing optimization efforts, you’ll see significant cost savings, which we’ll track and report on to demonstrate the value of our partnership.
Key Benefits of Using SAM Pro for Office 365 Management
• Enhanced Compliance: Ensures that your organization meets all licensing requirements, avoiding costly penalties and compliance issues.
• Increased Efficiency: Automated processes and recommendations reduce manual efforts, allowing your IT team to focus on strategic tasks.
• Cost Savings: Optimizing licenses based on actual usage can lead to significant cost reductions, improving your organization’s bottom line.
• Actionable Insights: Detailed dashboards and reports provide valuable insights into license usage and optimization opportunities, driving data-driven decision-making.
• Streamlined Operations: Optimization workflows automate the license management process, ensuring timely and accurate implementation of changes.
Conclusion
ServiceNow’s SAM Pro platform offers a comprehensive solution for managing Office 365 and Microsoft 365 subscriptions. By leveraging its capabilities, organizations can ensure license compliance, optimize usage, and achieve substantial cost savings. Implementing SAM Pro for your Office 365 environment not only streamlines your software asset management processes but also empowers your organization to make smarter, data-driven decisions.
If you’re ready to start optimizing your Office 365 licenses or have any questions about managing your Office 365 subscriptions with ServiceNow SAM Pro, feel free to reach out. I'm here to help you unlock the full potential of your software investments.
Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn if you want to discuss further how we can optimize your Office 365 environment together. Let's make the most out of your software investments!
About the author:
Adan Urdaneta
Managing Consultant
Managing Consultant at Livingstone, Adan is based in the United States and is passionate about ITAM, ServiceNow, Software Asset Management, and is highly experienced in SAM, IT Asset Management, and on top of it all, is a FinOps Practitioner.
Connect with Adan →
