Case Study:
PILS™ Assessment
Client Description
The client is a large financial services and investment management company running both mainframe and distributed platforms in multiple locations. The client is running about 13,000 MIPS.
Client Situation
This client approached ISAM with an interest in improving their SAM practices and identifying additional software savings opportunities with respect to software usage. Since the client had access to specific usage data, ISAM recommended its PILS Assessment.
Process for the PILS Assessment
Once the assessment objectives were confirmed, the ISAM process included:
- Signed confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements.
- Collected the client’s mainframe software licensing data.
- Collected the client’s hardware configuration, software licensing and software usage data.
- Loaded the client’s data into ISAM’s Software Intelligence Database.
- Various configuration models were developed to influence LPAR usage and software placement.
- Identified specific improvement areas and software savings opportunities.
- Developed and presented a report with specific recommendations for improvement.
- Products are ranked by software category representing 80, 90 and 100 percent of total cumulative usage by functional activity.
- CPU usage rankings by total cumulative usage by product.
- Core products identified with candidates for consolidation or elimination.
- Guidance to make decisions about specific product licenses.
- The ISAM report also included suggestions for SAM best practices and tools to raise the company to “Best in Class” status for mainframe and distributed software pricing.
Results & Benefits
- The PILS Assessment was completed in eight weeks.
- The client was able to eliminate software products that were functionally redundant.
- The client was able consolidate workload and usage patterns to generate additional software savings.
- The client was able to have a better, more thorough understanding of its hardware and software environments and develop long-term strategies for cost reductions.
- Five-year projected savings: $27.8 million (from a total annual budget of $22 million).