Blogs and Articles

Our complete library of the latest blogs, articles, and industry insights.

Blogs & Articles

For years, the International Passport Advantage Agreement (IPAA) has been a familiar foundation for organizations buying, renewing, and managing IBM software. But as IBM continues to evolve its commercial and contractual frameworks, customers are being asked to navigate a different model in which the Client Relationship Agreement (CRA) plays a more central role.

IBM’s current documentation confirms that licensing terms are increasingly being structured through the CRA alongside product-specific License Information documents and transaction documentation.

For large organisations, Software Asset Management is no longer simply about knowing what software you own or preparing for the next vendor audit.

Software estates have become bigger, more complex, and more dynamic. Organizations are managing traditional licenses alongside SaaS, cloud consumption, AI, decentralized purchasing, and an increasingly complex network of software contracts.

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Enforcement of the EU AI Act has begun, but for organisations deploying AI, the first step is practical: understand what AI tools are in use, who owns them and what data they touch. This blog explores the immediate governance priorities, upcoming deadlines and why better AI visibility can support both compliance and cost control.

How should organizations plan their Microsoft budget in 2026?

Microsoft investment now extends beyond licenses and renewals. Azure consumption, Copilot, AI infrastructure, security, storage, and changing commercial models all affect the total cost of the Microsoft estate.

Here are five trends shaping Microsoft budgeting and investment optimization for enterprise organizations.

Blog cover for The efficiency gap: Software waste is hiding in plain sight, featuring a mountain landscape.

Your software estate could be wasting millions. Discover practical strategies to optimise licences, improve visibility and negotiate better renewal outcomes.

AI spend dashboard showing rising usage, cost charts and missing spend controls for a blog on AI governance and software asset management.

Wasted software spend is still a real issue despite optimisation efforts. The thing is, it’s not really the fault of your SAM or procurement teams. It’s complicated. This blog explores the challenge and what organisations can do about it

Why SAP’s licensing strategy is changing and how to stay in control of your costs

SAP licensing changes, how AI affects costs

SAP has been busy reshuffling its product bundles and licensing options and if you’re not paying attention, those changes could sneak unexpected costs into your next renewal. Among the biggest shake-ups? Artificial intelligence features are no longer bundled into premium packages.

If 2025 was the year vendors announced big commercial change, 2026 is the year many organisations will actually pay for it. We’ve pulled together eight trends we think will shape software licensing in the year ahead.

Hot on the heels of major Enterprise Agreement (EA) pricing changes, Microsoft has now announced further global list price increases across its core Microsoft 365 suites. Read on to learn more.

SAP’s licensing mechanics are evolving to match the shift to cloud and subscription models, and the changes impact every customer, whether you’re still on ECC or deep into S/4HANA. The two big areas to understand are Full Use Equivalents (FUEs), and Digital Access. Read on to learn more.

Boards are doing two things at once in 2025: buying companies and cutting people. This blog looks at the impact of these twin forces on your software licensing and what SAM teams need to do to ease the squeeze.

Microsoft ends tiered EA discounts for online services - what to do if your renewal is within 12 months

SAP ECC support ends in 2027 - your options and the licensing implications

Common SAP Licensing Pitfalls You Can Dodge

Livingstone Named a Leader in 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for SAM Managed Services

Gareth Redshaw on optimising software licensing

SAP Tightens Discounting on On-Premise Licenses: What It Means for Your Costs and Risks

EA vs CSP vs MCA-E - which Microsoft license is right for you

SAP Digital Access - what you need to know

In a move that’s already raising eyebrows across the creative and IT communities, Adobe is rolling out an automatic shift to a more expensive subscription tier for Creative Cloud users. And it’s happening whether you asked for it or not. Read on to get the details.

VMware by Broadcom’s New Mandatory Compliance Reporting: What It Means for Your Business

Broadcom’s at it again. A quiet but critical change to VMware’s licensing terms means customers must now submit compliance reports every 180 days—or risk losing access to key software functions. This new clause, buried in updated documentation, has serious implications for IT, procurement, and SAM teams alike. Here’s what it means, why it matters, and how to stay ahead of it.

Software contracts, often overlooked during a merger, can lead to significant. This blog explores how Livingstone’s Contract Intelligence service gives PMI teams the visibility and control they need to untangle contract chaos, identify savings, and fast-track a smoother integration.

S/4HANA Planning Checklist - licensing edition

S/4HANA promises a sleek, streamlined SAP future. But to get there can be a licensing minefield. Before you start migrating, here are the key questions to ask, along with how Livingstone can help you steer clear of trouble.

AI Adoption: What SAM and procurement teams need to know

While the AI push from major vendors like Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, Salesforce, ServiceNow, and SAP is exciting, AI at an enterprise level continues to require enormous amounts of processing time and resources. As it is integrated into more and more products, the running costs will undoubtedly be passed on.

In this blog, we look at what’s changing and provide a handy AI software deal evaluation checklist.

Whether you’re facing a renewal, preparing for an ELP, or trying to make sense of ILMT, this checklist will help you assess your readiness and take control of your IBM environment before it takes control of you.

Simon Leuty, Founder of Livingstone embarks on new AI venture

Oracle Database Licensing - processor metric vs named user plus

A picture of Lisa Maines, managing director of Livingstone

Justin Venables tailspend management with contract intelligence

When an Oracle audit is looming, procurement and IT leaders face significant challenges. With the right preparation, you can reduce your risks and minimize costs during an Oracle audit. Ben Dove shares his top 5 tips on how to do this.

What can IT budget holders, ITAM and IT procurement leaders expect in 2025? With economic uncertainty still a key factor, Livingstone experts share their predictions on what they expect to see in 2025 to help you prepare for the year ahead.

Microsoft licensing changes November 2024

Over the last 24 hours there has been a flurry of speculation after recent announcements came out from Microsoft. We asked Gareth Redshaw, Livingstone Senior Consultant for Microsoft Optimization and Negotiation to share his thoughts on what these announcements include and what they mean.

In the game of software contract renewals, the balance of power has tipped in favour of the mega vendors, particularly for Microsoft.

In this on demand webinar, learn what has changed, get a three-step optimization plan, and discover insider secrets to negotiate a better Microsoft contract.

News headlines that have grabbed our attention. Get a brief round up of the latest news from the IT industry for October 2024.

Oracle ULAs - what they are and do you need one

On the surface, Oracle Unlimited Licensing Agreements (ULAs) look like a tempting all you can eat buffet, or a security blanket. But the truth is, except for a few high growth organizations who will benefit from it, ULAs are a money trap for 99% of organizations. In this in-depth blog, we dig into the subject of ULAs. Plus get access to a video learning series on the topic.

Software license management doesn’t have to be hard. Livingstone’s Andy Gray explains how doing work upfront saves time, money and reduces future risk.

Changes to Oracle Java licensing means your organization could be at financial risk. To help you learn more about this topic, we’ve created an complimentary Oracle Java Mini Learning Series. Six short emails, a whole lot of knowledge.

Every month we do a brief round up of headlines that grabbed our attention. Here are some of the industry highlights from September in case you missed them.

On demand webinar on the next evolution of SAM managed services

In this on-demand webinar, Simon Leuty, Founder and Head of Innovation at Livingstone and Gareth Redshaw, Livingstone Senior Director of Optimization and Negotiation, cover the next evolution of SAM Managed Services.

It’s been 9 months since Broadcom acquired VMware. What impact is this having on organizations who are transitioning VMware licenses to Broadcom? Livingstone Managing Consultant Richard Cannings shares some of the difficulties he has seen clients experience and gives advice on how to tackle it.

Livingstone is a Leader in the 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for SAM Managed services

Livingstone Technologies has – for the fourth consecutive year – been named a Leader in the 2024 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Software Asset Management Managed Services. The report evaluates twelve vendors based on their Completeness of Vision and Ability to Execute.

One of the privileges of assisting some of the world’s largest businesses in negotiating their software contracts is the ability to reflect on how pressures and outcomes have evolved. As we exit the busy season of the Microsoft year-end, it is an opportunity to reflect on the market, the vendor approach, and where current trends are heading.

Rocket Software recent acquisition blog - Senior Consultant Rob Gamon

As Rocket Software completes its acquisition of the Micro Focus Application Modernization and Connectivity business (AMC) of OpenText, Senior Consultant Rob Gamon provides some insights on what to look out for.

Managing Office 365 with ServiceNow's SAM Pro - Adan Urdaneta blog

Learn from Principal Consultant, Adan Urdaneta, how ServiceNow’s SAM Pro platform optimizes Office 365 management, ensuring compliance, cost savings, and efficient license utilization.

In today’s volatile financial landscape, organizations face a multitude of challenges, including macroeconomic conditions, budget constraints, fluctuating interest rates, and ambitious savings targets. To thrive, businesses must adopt a proactive approach.

Do you have a good handle on your software assets? Are you certain that you would be prepared in the event of a software license audit? If the answer is not a confident ‘Yes!’, there are things you can be focusing on to ensure you are in a better position if your team is presented with an audit notification letter.

With the increasing cost and complexity of software licensing agreements and the potential risks associated with non-compliance, Senior Consultant Andy Gray discusses how conducting a SAM Maturity Assessment is imperative for businesses of all sizes.

The field of Customer Success has become a critical linchpin for both product and service-based tech organizations across the last decade. Lianne Murphy, Customer Success Director at Livingstone covers 5 key principles that a Customer Success professional can implement and leverage to ensure a positive customer experience.

By now, most IBM customers will have a general idea of how Cloud Paks work. Alicia Ijaz goes into detail on the differences from the original FlexPoints and what customers should consider when making the decision on whether to purchase standalone licenses or Cloud Pak licenses.

The EU Anti-Trust case against Broadcom - Robert Cannings blog

Managing Consultant Rob Cannings takes a look at what the EU Anti-Trust case against Broadcom means, and what to be aware of if you’ve already made significant investments into perpetual VMware licenses and aren’t quite ready to make the leap into the new subscription offerings.

Demystifying the Oracle Multitenant blog by Ben Dove

Livingstone Principal Consultant Ben Dove explores and explains what the Oracle Multitenant is, why it’s the future of Oracle database and how the licensing works.

Confident in the accuracy and precision of your ILMT reports? Think twice... blog by Alicia Ijaz

Managing Consultant Alicia Ijaz shares her knowlege and experience on how to ensure that ILMT reports are accurate, and why you need to do a lot more than simply deploy an ILMT agent on all IBM servers.

Our SAP senior consultants Lucy Shillito, Marco Claassen and Alex Meijer reflect on 2023 and take a look at all the engagements that took place throughout the year.

Update your IBM Licensing now Cristobal Medina Colmenero blog

Principal Consultant Cristóbal Medina Colmenero deep dives into IBM Sub-Capacity licensing and discusses how your servers, products and hosts go from being eligible one day to ineligible the next.

Are you ready for VMware's licensing metric changes_ Robert Cannings blog

Managing Consultant at Livingstone, Robert Cannings gives his insights on the latest announcements from VMware.

Unveiling ServiceNow impact - Adan Urdaneta blog

Managing Consultant and ServiceNow expert, Adan Urdaneta, shares his insights and knowledge about what you need to know when gearing up for your ServiceNow renewal or contemplating an Enterprise License Agreement.

Microsoft Licensing SQL Server Licensable Components - Tyrone Howland blog

Livingstone’s Head of Microsoft Delivery, Tyrone Howland gives the lowdown on Microsoft’s SQL Server licensing nuances, and the things to watch out for.

With the recent acquisition of VMware by Broadcom, the company has announced some major changes to their future licensing plan.

Six Tips for Optimizing License Spend and Avoiding Audit Risk

Discover how Livingstone offers effective strategies for managing software assets and navigating the complexities of today’s digital environment.

The Livingstone Group’s monthly industry highlights, compiling news and press releases that may impact your business’s upcoming software renewals and software estates from the month of October 2023.

If IBM features anywhere within your software estate, we’ve got the lowdown on what you need to know now and how to prepare.

Our position as a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant for SAM Managed Services recognizes our Completeness of Vision and our Ability to Execute on that vision.

The Livingstone Group’s monthly industry highlights, compiling news and press releases that may impact your business’s upcoming software renewals and software estates from the month of July 2023.

Blog-Key-changes-to-Oracle-Java-Licensing

Oracle have published the latest Global Price List for their Java product as of January 23, 2023 – one of the biggest changes to licensing we’ve seen for many years.

Many organizations are taken by surprise when faced with the total cost of a vendor audit. We’ve got six vendor audit tips for before, during and after an audit to prevent unbudgeted IT spend.

Transaction accelerates Trustmarque’s strategic focus on optimisation and cloud services, bringing the management of the whole software lifecycle to its customers.

On February 1st 2023, IBM made a major update to the Passport Advantage license agreement that will impact all customers, with some customers impacted as soon as May 2023.

Microsoft’s ubiquity means a large number of enterprises and public sector organizations will be gearing up for a contract renewal exercise during 2023 and beyond.

Oracle Unlimited License Agreements (ULAs) are a common sight for any ITAM, IT and procurement professionals.

Livingstone Group has witnessed a marked up-tick in the number of audit letters and new audit requests being sent out to our clients.

Buying a tool without understanding the desired outcome of it is not new, especially in the SAM (Software Asset Management) industry.

The Livingstone Group’s monthly industry highlights, compiling news and press releases that may impact your business’s upcoming software renewals and software estates from the month of June 2023.

The Livingstone Group’s monthly industry highlights, compiling news and press releases that may impact your business’s upcoming software renewals and software estates from the month of May 2023.

Livingstone is proud to announce that we have been featured in the Gartner Magic Quadrant 2022 report for the second year running.