For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Aligning Your VMware Licensing Strategy With Your Broader Virtualization Plans

by Christopher Voce, Galen Schreck, November 12, 2009

It's not easy for enterprises evaluating their licensing options with VMware. In addition to worrying about the mechanics of how an enterprise licensing agreement (ELA) fits with your internal deployment plans, you need to consider a shifting competitive . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Do Your Software Contracts Permit External Use?

Buyers Should Act Now To Avoid Excessive, Unexpected Charges For Basic Third-Party Access To Their Business Systems

by Duncan Jones, November 12, 2009

Many IT sourcing managers are facing unexpected additional software costs because they have used their enterprise systems to work more closely with third parties, only to find that their license agreements include unreasonable extra charges for, or even . . .

For Information & Knowledge Management Professionals

The Four Decision Factors For Open Source Enterprise Content Management

by Stephen Powers, August 5, 2009

Open source enterprise content management (ECM) initiatives are common in small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) or in department-level projects. Yet information and knowledge management (I&KM) professionals in major enterprises have started to . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Plan Now For Licensing Windows 7

Analyzing Your Options For Upgrading Today Can Save You Down The Road

by Christopher Voce, Benjamin Gray, July 22, 2009

Windows XP has remained the corporate desktop operating system (OS) standard for most enterprises for several years, but its reign will end with the availability of Windows 7 to IT professionals as early as August 6, 2009. Windows 7 is shaping up to be . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

An Enterprise Software Licensee's Bill Of Rights, V2

Forrester Redefines 47 Basic Rights That Licensees Should Expect From Vendors

by R "Ray" Wang, July 7, 2009

Of all the assets that an enterprise acquires, enterprise software brings with it the most unusual, onerous, and restrictive set of constraints. In most cases, licensees may not resell, reuse, or share their license. Licensees often encounter numerous . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Inquiry Insights: BSS/OSS For Communications Service Providers, Q2 2009

by Michele Pelino, June 10, 2009

Forrester receives thousands of inquiries each year on a variety of topics that provide insight into the key issues and challenges facing our clients. Analysis of inquiries related to the business and operational support systems (BSS/OSS) issues facing . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Decoding Mainframe Pricing Mechanics And Metrics

by Brad Day, June 10, 2009

Unraveling the complex pricing metrics and mechanics of IBM System z hardware and software requires tapping your most investigative infrastructure, operations, and procurement specialists. The first order of business is to understand the performance metrics . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

Software Budget Outlook And Preferred Purchasing Channels By Company Size: 2008 To 2009  (244 KB PPT)

by Ellen Daley, June 5, 2009

Software budget outlook and preferred purchasing channels by company size that provides insight into how the current global economic climate is affecting IT budgets, an overview of software budget breakdowns, and a comparison of preferred purchasing channels . . .

For B2B Market Research Professionals

Software Budget Outlook And Goals By Region: 2008 To 2009  (256 KB PPT)

by Ellen Daley, June 5, 2009

Software budget outlook and goals of North American and European firms for 2008 to 2009. An overview of spending on new initiatives versus ongoing software operations and maintenance, as well as budget breakdowns for software spending, and goals that . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Enterprise Software Licensing And Pricing Update, Q2 2009

by R "Ray" Wang, June 1, 2009

Rapidly deteriorating market conditions led to a shift in the major enterprise apps vendors' overall software licensing and pricing strategies. Forrester examined the status and progress of 12 vendors and their responses to client requests and concerns. . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Yes We Can (Cut Our Software Maintenance Costs)

IT Sourcing Executives Can Take Advantage Of Increasing Flexibility To Obtain The Cost Savings They Need

by Duncan Jones, May 8, 2009

It's one of the unwritten rules of software that maintenance costs only go up — never down. But we used to say that about house prices too. Today, software vendors are coming under increasing pressure from customers to cut maintenance bills, but the vendors . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

The Real Problem Of Counting Virtual Licenses

Software Sourcing Managers Should Understand The Licensing Impact Of Their Colleagues' Plans For Server Virtualization

by Duncan Jones, April 23, 2009

Software license agreements that vendors created and buyers accepted years ago fail to make clear how definitions of hardware-based metrics such as per-processor apply to today's virtualized data centers. Enterprises, hoping to cut costs by improving . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Desktop Virtualization: The Updated Rules Of The Road For Virtualizing Windows

Understanding Windows Licensing As It Applies To Your Desktop Virtualization Initiatives

by Natalie Lambert, April 9, 2009

You asked, and Microsoft listened. At the beginning of the year, Microsoft updated its Windows licensing for desktop virtualization. This means that IT professionals exploring the use of desktop virtualization to support various scenarios, such as contractors . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Craft Your Negotiations Strategy To Reflect New Packaged Apps Licensing And Pricing Trends

by R "Ray" Wang, April 3, 2009

Results from Forrester's Enterprise And SMB Software Survey, North America And Europe, Q4 2008 reveal three major trends shaping contract negotiations strategy: 1) declines in software spending; 2) improved negotiating leverage for buyers; and 3) vendor . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Predictions 2009: ePurchasing Market

Growth Slows Both Overall And For eProcurement But Is Strong In Other Areas

by Andrew Bartels, March 26, 2009

The ePurchasing market — software solutions for eProcurement, eSourcing, contract life-cycle management (CLM), automated spend analysis, accounts payable electronic invoice presentment and payment (AP-EIPP), services procurement, supplier performance . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Is Open Source Software Confusing To CIOs?

Identifying The Most Urgent Communication Challenges For Vendors

by Stefan Ried, Ph.D., March 16, 2009

The budget situation in many IT organizations today means that CIOs are paying more attention to the open source discussion than ever before. We created a fictitious discussion between two CIOs to identify the major concerns and even confusion about the . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Base Your Oracle "Red Stack" Negotiations Strategy On Your Oracle Adoption Strategy

Preparation And Product Expertise Are Key To Winning

by R "Ray" Wang, John R. Rymer, Noel Yuhanna, March 13, 2009

Amidst worsening economic conditions and a rapidly consolidating vendor landscape, applications professionals will have the opportunity to consolidate their own landscapes by committing to single-vendor "platform stacks." IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

What App Dev Pros Need To Know In Building A Recession-Proof Packaged Apps Strategy

by R "Ray" Wang, February 9, 2009

The economic recession brings increased pressure on application development professionals to rationalize budgets in the context of both packaged apps and applications development. As app dev leaders and their business stakeholders scrutinize existing . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Q&A: Licensing Microsoft Cloud Services

How Sending Your Infrastructure Into The Cloud Impacts Microsoft Licensing

by Christopher Voce, February 9, 2009

Microsoft communication and collaboration customers are at a crossroads. How should they handle Exchange and SharePoint — keep running it themselves and try to manage the costs, or ship it off to one of a growing number of hosted service providers? Microsoft . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Shape Your Apps Strategy To Reflect New SaaS Licensing And Pricing Trends

by R "Ray" Wang, January 14, 2009

Recessionary forces drive applications professionals to seek new delivery models such as software-as-a-service (SaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS), and other XaaS (X-as-a-Service) models. But with these options' upfront benefits in choice, value, and . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

What Apps Professionals Need To Know About Packaged Apps Software Licensing And Pricing

Apps Professionals Can Apply Client Insights To Shape Their Apps Strategy

by R "Ray" Wang, January 8, 2009

Applications professionals continue to inquire about software licensing and pricing topics for packaged apps. Clients grapple with escalating maintenance fees, complex licensing agreements, and the definition of a fair deal. Topics run the gamut but typically . . .

For Information & Knowledge Management Professionals

Should Your Email Live In The Cloud? A Comparative Cost Analysis

Cloud-Based Email Is Often Cheaper Than On-Premise Email

by Ted Schadler, January 5, 2009

When Google launched Google Apps Premier Edition for $50 per user per year, it raised the question, "How much should we be paying for email?" But it's not just this eye-popping price that should trigger the question about where you should run your email. . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

The Spread Of Remarketed Software Could Be A European Response To The Economic Crisis

German Enterprises Have Paved The Way In Trading Used Software Licenses

by Peter O'Neill, December 22, 2008

The software industry continues to immerse itself in restrictive business practices, as vendors: fiercely defend their output as intellectual property; boldly charge for product maintenance, including fixing product defects; and restrictively control . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Trends 2009: Customer Relationship Management

Strategy And Business Value Are The Watchwords For The Next 12 Months

by William Band, December 11, 2008

In light of the sudden and dramatic economic downturn, what are the key trends that will drive customer relationship management (CRM) strategies and technology adoption in 2009? Our recent surveys and interviews with customer-oriented business and IT . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Inquiry Spotlight: Enterprise Apps Software Licensing And Pricing

Clients Want Equal Footing At The Negotiation Table

by R "Ray" Wang, Elisse Gaynor, December 8, 2008

In both good and bad economic times, software licensing and pricing is a frequent motif among client inquiries. Clients grapple with escalating maintenance fees, complex licensing agreements, and the definition of a fair deal. Topics run the gamut but . . .