The impact of remote working on IT license management
Changes brought about by remote work
It's not exactly the case that only the pandemic has put remote working on the agenda in many companies. However, prior to 2020, the ability to work from home was more of a privilege, often only granted to employees due to special circumstances and often on a case-by-case basis. The events of the pandemic have changed this dynamic, making remote work a commonplace work model – especially for computer workstations. Some previously difficult-to-solve and, more importantly, hard-to-control requirements and challenges for a remote workplace were suddenly resolved at the onset of the pandemic and have been successively improved since. These include, among other things, the equipment and ergonomics of the remote workplace, compliance with corporate guidelines or legal regulations, or concerns about the visibility of corporate data in the private environment.
Challenges for license management
Two years before the pandemic, I was once asked whether the widespread introduction of remote working was problematic from a license management perspective. In fact, there were a number of challenges that immediately came to mind in this context. At the time, these included:
- Adjusting licensing models: With the shift to remote working, companies may need to adjust their licensing models to accommodate the new working conditions. This can lead to increasing costs.
- Additional licenses required: Remote work may require the use of additional software licenses to enable employee access and collaboration. This may result in a further financial burden.
- Extending software and infrastructure: Remote work often requires the use of VPNs, security solutions and collaboration tools. Companies may need to expand their software landscape, which can lead to additional costs.
- Transparency and analysis capabilities: Working outside the on-premises network can complicate visibility and analytics capabilities in license management. Maintaining visibility into licenses and compliance is a challenge.
At the time, I considered the pending and, in my opinion, necessary individual case reviews to be particularly burdensome. I could not argue it away. The project came to nothing – remote work was only implemented in individual cases and when really necessary.
The pandemic and the turnaround for remote work
In 2020, the pandemic forced most companies to switch to remote working overnight and across the board. On-site work was temporarily allowed only in emergencies. This sudden change was a great opportunity for many software vendors, and in retrospect, I wonder what was being discussed and worked out in software vendors' strategy meetings at the time..
While the share prices of TeamViewer and Zoom were skyrocketing, Microsoft made the communication tool "Microsoft Teams", which actually has to be purchased as part of Office 365, available for free. Jared Spataro, corporate vice president for Microsoft 365, wrote about the rationale on the Microsoft blog at the time: "We are committed to helping organizations everywhere stay connected and productive during this difficult time." This social, commitment was not unique; many other software vendors offered similar promotions. This deserves recognition – even if these free measures were only temporary.
Rising software costs for companies
Like Microsoft, many software vendors initially provided short-term, often free, solutions to enable remote working. The continuing trend of remote working caused them to rethink their terms of use and licensing models and adapt them to the evolving remote working landscape. Clauses have been included that are specifically tailored to remote use. Some software vendors have even incorporated technical measures to restrict remote access, forcing enterprises, as well as public sector entities, to change their existing licensing models. This typically involves moving to user-based licenses, which increases the financial burden and administrative complexity associated with managing software systems.
Conclusion
The benefits of remote working are undeniable, but as responsible license managers, it is our job to help companies ensure compliance, identify potential and avoid unnecessary costs. This requires a close look at the challenges associated with remote working. Through targeted adaptation of license models, effective license management and clear policies, companies can maximize the benefits of remote working.
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Author: Volker Albrich