Microsoft Software Asset Management
Customer Solution Case Study
Electronics Manufacturer Gains Fast Access to
New Software, Streamlines Purchasing
Overview
Country or Region: Germany
Industry: Manufacturing—Electronic
components
Customer Profile
RAFI Eltec, headquartered in Überlingen,
Germany, is part of the RAFI Group,
working in electronics equipment and
testing. The manufacturer posted sales of
€25 million (U.S$34 million) in 2005.
Business Situation
After a change in ownership, RAFI Eltec
was left without software licenses and
lacked comprehensive documentation
about the software in use. The scope and
costs of license acquisition were unclear.
Solution
KUMAtronik Systemhaus implemented
Software Asset Management at RAFI Eltec
and inventoried the company’s existing
software.
Benefits
 Eliminates liability risk
 Streamlines the purchasing process
 Reduces software costs
 Improves the IT infrastructure
“We cut administrative expenses for client-server
operations in half after introducing central licensing
management.”
Peter Skonieczny, IT Manager, RAFI Eltec
Electronics manufacturer RAFI Eltec in Überlingen, Germany,
wanted to get an accurate count of its software licenses after it was
acquired by another company. RAFI Eltec needed a comprehensive
inventory of its Microsoft® Office 2003 Professional Edition software
and Windows Server® operating systems, as well as an overview of
the software packages and license documentation for programs
that had yet to be installed or used. To avoid overlicensing and
prevent the use of illegal copies of software, RAFI Eltec performed a
full inventory of its software and introduced a centralized Software
Asset Management program that took advantage of the Microsoft
Select License volume licensing program agreement. Microsoft
Certified Partner KUMAtronik Systemhaus implemented the
complete licensing model, together with centralized software and
licensing management, within 30 days.
Situation
RAFI Eltec manufactures electronic
components and signal generators for
industrial electronics. Headquartered in
Überlingen, Germany, the company employs
about 160 people and has annual sales of
€25 million (U.S.$34 million).
Originally part of the Finnish electronics
company Elcoteq SE, it was sold to the RAFI
Group in 2005. At that time, all software
licenses reverted to Elcoteq. “We literally
found ourselves without licenses overnight,”
says Andreas Stiefel, Project Manager at RAFI
Eltec.
“For the first time, we
got a complete inventory
so we could make
sensible plans.”
Peter Skonieczny, IT Manager, RAFI Eltec
The company needed to relicense all of its
software. However, RAFI Eltec did not know
what software was being used on each
computer. Until the company was sold, it had
paid Elcoteq a flat fee for IT services and
received no breakdown of licensing for its
workstations and servers.
Solution
RAFI Eltec decided to implement a Software
Asset Management (SAM) program. With help
from Microsoft® Certified Partner
KUMAtronik, it conducted an inventory of the
software that was in use as well as software
that had been purchased but not yet
installed. “For the first time, we got a
complete inventory so we could make
sensible plans,” says Peter Skonieczny, IT
Manager at RAFI Eltec.
The inventory revealed a surplus of previously
acquired licenses for Microsoft SQL Server™
2000 database software. When relicensing
the software, the company placed orders
based on specific needs so that no
unnecessary costs were incurred.
Together with DATALOG Software, a Microsoft
Gold Certified Partner based in Munich,
KUMAtronik Systemhaus proposed that the
electronics company take advantage of the
Microsoft Select License program and
Microsoft Software Assurance. Through these
Microsoft offerings, RAFI Eltec would have
access to the latest Microsoft technology
along with phone support, training, and IT
tools.
Within 30 days, RAFI Eltec implemented a
complete licensing model along with
centralized software and licensing
management supported by SQL Server 2000
running on Windows Server® 2003 Standard
Edition. RAFI Eltec gained an unprecedented
level of visibility into its software
environment, including its Microsoft Office
2003 Professional Edition software and
Windows Server operating systems.
Benefits
RAFI Eltec now has control over its software
acquisition, costs, and technology. With
Software Asset Management and the
Microsoft Select License program, risk of
legal liability is eliminated, software
purchasing is more efficient, costs are lower,
and the IT infrastructure is improved.
Eliminates Liability Risk
By using Software Asset Management to
ensure that all copies of software used by
employees are licensed, RAFI Eltec protects
itself from legal liability. Unlicensed or illegal
copies are eliminated, providing the security
that comes with correct licensing. A regular
software scan of the company’s computer
network, along with a database-supported
software installation history, gives system
managers at RAFI Eltec a precise overview of
its current deployment status.
Streamlines the Purchasing Process
IT staff at RAFI Eltec can download test
versions of new programs from the Microsoft
portal without paying licensing fees. If they
decide that the company should purchase the
product, RAFI Eltec can use New Version
Rights to spread the procurement cost over a
longer period of time. This gives users full
functionality immediately, but the company
can pay the licensing fee in installments.
“We only have to register our new licenses
once a year, but we can get the latest
products and updates at any time,” says
Stiefel.
“We only have to
register our new
licenses once a year, but
we can get the latest
products and updates at
any time.”
Andreas Stiefel, Project Manager, RAFI Eltec
Reduces Software Costs
RAFI Eltec can now make smarter purchasing
decisions that reduce software costs. The
company’s improved internal licensing
procedure reduces costs because no
unnecessary expenditures are made for
double licenses or superfluous program
packages.
Administrative costs associated with software
purchasing are also lowered. Software Asset
Management uses a value-oriented process,
which means that the company’s use is
determined and quantified as much as
possible before purchasing licenses and
implementing software. The central
procurement office at RAFI Eltec reports the
purchase of new products to Microsoft once a
year and receives a statement that includes a
detailed software purchase history. This
greater efficiency reduces the administrative
expense tremendously. “We cut
administrative expenses for client-server
operations in half after introducing central
licensing management,” says Skonieczny.
Improves the IT Infrastructure
As a result of more efficient purchasing and
licensing processes, users can benefit very
quickly from new software with access to all
updates, expansions, and new versions on
the product’s release date. The company’s IT
architecture is completely licensed and can
be adapted flexibly to any changes in function
or versions.
RAFI Eltec used the opportunity provided by
Software Asset Management and a new
licensing agreement to make immediate
improvements to the company’s
infrastructure. “We fully exhausted the
licensing program’s offering and upgraded all
our systems to the latest versions,” Stiefel
says. By using Microsoft partners and
adapting the available licensing models to
meet the company’s requirements, RAFI Eltec
simplified the migration. The option to pay by
installments, coupled with a specially
customized leasing model, gave the company
enough financial latitude to lay the
foundations for a high-performance IT
environment in only one month. The reduced
budget pressures achieved by distributing
costs over three years has motivated the IT
managers at RAFI Eltec to invest in further
consolidation of the IT infrastructure.
“Easy access to the latest technology and
improved cost control are an invaluable
addition,” Stiefel says.
In the future, the software inventory will be
reviewed every year and compared with the
documented inventory. Using this procedure,
RAFI Eltec will not only make sure that it has
the correct licenses but also be able to better
recognize ways to save money.
For More Information
For more information about Microsoft
products and services, call the Microsoft
Sales Information Center at (800) 4269400. In Canada, call the Microsoft
Canada Information Centre at (877) 5682495. Customers who are deaf or hard-ofhearing can reach Microsoft text telephone
(TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in
the United States or (905) 568-9641 in
Canada. Outside the 50 United States and
Canada, please contact your local
Microsoft subsidiary. To access information
using the World Wide Web, go to:
www.microsoft.com
Microsoft Software Asset
Management
Software Asset Management (SAM) is a
program to help optimize your technology
investment. Software is an asset, and
knowing what you have, acquiring only what
you need, and establishing current and
ongoing policies and procedures to track and
maintain software are critical functions of any
organization.
For additional information, including free
tools and resources, visit:
www.microsoft.com/sam
For more information about KUMAtronik
Systemhaus products and services, call
(49) (0) 7544 966-236 or visit the Web
site at:
www.kumatronik.de
For more information about DATALOG
Software products and services, visit the
Web site at:
www.datalog.de
For more information about RAFI Eltec
products and services, call (49) (0) 7551
8000-0 or visit the Web site at:
www.rafi-eltec.de
Software and Services
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This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT
MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS
SUMMARY.
Document published July 2007
Microsoft Server Product Portfolio
− Windows Server 2003 Standard
Edition
− Microsoft SQL Server 2000
Partners
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KUMAtronik Systemhaus
DATALOG Software