The report in the format requested by IBM is not yet ready (IBM lets us know that it will be published by the end of the year), but it has already anticipated what information (see here) ) the compliance audit will focus on. In this regard, we have prepared an in-depth article to orient yourself in IBM's licensing.
IBM adds another note: for companies that have renewals synchronized with their anniversary date, the annual report should be created in time for the renewal order (typically 1-2 months before the S&S expires).
What is the main problem that emerges? Recognizing all of the various software headers, bundles, and their deployment details within a very large and varied product portfolio and reconciling them with usage rights, taking into account the sheer number and continually evolving IBM metrics, in a single report and in a fairly tight timeframe (there is a 30-day notice period) is not so simple.
IBM-provided tools such as the ILMT focus on measuring some metrics , not all, and furthermore, verification does not always extend to all environments.
At the moment the only thing that is certain is that in the case of non compliance the shortfall would severely penalize the budget and you need to have strong confidence in your compliance position. So now is a good time to take control of your environments and current license fees, so that you can estimate the cost of any noncompliance and adjust accordingly to remediate them before IBM audits.
This change affects ALL companies that use IBM software. What actions can be taken?
- conduct an internal review of the risk associated with IBM licenses
- inform active parties of the increased risk (the Passport Advantage is a contract designed primarily for multinational corporations with multiple locations-are our colleagues aware of this?)
- put all available options on the table to mitigate the risk
- keep your eyes peeled to be ready as soon as IBM provides the reporting template
In this day and age, keeping your eyes peeled seems to be a must to be compliant: IBM has let it known that any changes to the Passport will now be notified with a notice on the IBM Terms web page (http://www.ibm.com/terms) instead of with e-mail notifications.
If one does not register on IBM Terms to receive direct notification of such changes, he or she risks always being late on any updates that affect him or her.
The new rules for sub-capacity licenses
Now let's look at the Passport Advantage's new rule regarding sub-capacity licenses.