The Importance of Licensing Audits & Management

In business today, staying optimised is more crucial than ever. One area that often goes under the radar, yet holds significant importance, is Licensing Audits and Management. If you’re using a variety of software products, including Atlassian tools like Jira, Confluence or Bitbucket, it’s essential to keep your licensing in check. Here’s why effective licensing management can be a game-changer for your business.

Benefits of Proactive License Management

• Cost Efficiency: Regular audits help identify underused licenses that can be reallocated or cancelled, saving costs
• Optimised Usage: Ensuring the right people have the right tools increases productivity and efficiency
• Budget Forecasting: Understanding your licensing needs helps in accurate budget planning and avoids unexpected expenses

Understanding Licensing Audits

A licensing audit is a thorough examination of your software usage to ensure that you’re fully optimised in terms of only paying for licenses you actually need and are using. Many businesses are paying for licenses that they don’t need, or simply aren’t using.

Think of it as a health check-up for your software ecosystem.

The process would typically involve:

• Inventory Management: Identifying all the Atlassian products and apps in use across your organisation
• Usage Analysis: Comparing the actual usage of each product against the licenses you have purchased
• App analysis: Identifying marketplace apps which could be replaced by native functionality within the core product

Some common things that can end up costing you and increasing your Atlassian bill without you knowing are:

• Poor provisioning and de-provisioning practices, resulting in a high user count than necessary
• Atlassian Guard users who aren’t actually using the core products - misaligned Guard tier with core product tier
• Shadow IT - poor administrative control allowing users to consume licences without admins having oversight or the ability to restrict this
• We often see our clients spending 30-40% of their Atlassian bill on add-ons and we usually reduce this down to 10-20% by better utilising the ever-growing native features and functionality in their core Atlassian products.

So how do you find out what products you’re paying for?

• If you have Org Admin access, you can see what you’re paying for in the Billing section
• This can be quite tricky if you don’t have org admin access, especially if you have multiple subscriptions, sites etc that may be being billed differently, with different billing contacts
• Understanding your true Atlassian OPEX - this is where we can assist!

Implementing Effective Licensing Management

To ensure your business reaps the benefits of effective licensing management, consider the following steps:

• Centralised License Management: Use a centralised system to manage all software licenses. Atlassian’s Asset management tools can be a great help here
• Regular Audits: Have an Atlassian Solutions Partner conduct regular audits to ensure your spend is optimised
• Training and Awareness: Educate your Atlassian admins around provisioning and de-provisioning practices, and the risks of shadow IT
• Partner with Experts: Collaborate with experts in licensing audits and management. At Elegance Group, we specialise in providing comprehensive licensing services to ensure your licensing spend is optimised

Where is the best place to get clear guidance and advice about my Atlassian subscriptions and understand how the billing works?

• While Atlassian does a great job of covering as much as possible on their website, there’s no substitute for having a partner walk you through this
• A Platinum Solutions Partner, like Elegance Group, is your best resource
• Over a video call and explain everything in terms you understand
• You can ask us the same question as many times as you need until you have the understanding you need!

Here’s how Elegance Group can save you money on your Atlassian licensing…

• Licensing analysis - we provide insights that save you money immediately. Our proposition is to optimise Atlassian OPEX forever by spending CAPEX once with us - we can guarantee ROI
• Identifying users consuming licences who shouldn’t be
• Identifying marketplace apps which could be replaced by native functionality within the core product

Our Expertise in Licensing Audits and Management

Elegance Group understands the intricacies of software licensing and the challenges businesses face in managing it effectively.

Our team of experts offers:

• Detailed Audit Services: We conduct thorough audits to uncover optimisation opportunities
• Strategic Management: We provide tailored strategies to manage your licenses efficiently, ensuring you only pay for what you need
• Ongoing Support: Our support doesn’t end with the audit. We offer continuous monitoring and management to keep your licensing optimised.

Why work with Elegance Group?

• We only ‘do’ Atlassian! We’re experts in all things Atlassian
• We’re a trusted Atlassian Platinum Solutions Partner - the highest ranking you can achieve with Atlassian
• Whilst we work with Atlassian, we work for you

Conclusion

Effective licensing audits and management are about driving efficiency, reducing costs and ensuring that your business runs smoothly. By taking a proactive approach to licensing management, you can focus on what you do best: growing your business.

If you’re looking to streamline your licensing management and optimise costs, get in touch. Let us help you turn licensing from a challenge into a strategic advantage.