Save money and lower stress:

MDR leverages the Software Asset Management System.

​​​​As a state broadcaster, the Mitteldeutsche Rundfunk (MDR) delivers a diverse programme on television, in its media/audio libraries, on the radio and online. Some 4,000 employees produce programmes and content for the TV channels MDR, Das Erste and KiKA every day. MDR were looking to reduce costs for its software licences, and so Bechtle-Comsoft installed Snow’s Software Asset Management. With this and Bechtle-Comsoft’s SAM consultants, the broadcaster can see the current status of its licences at the touch of a button and is audit-proof thanks to the consultants’ manufacturer-compliant licence reports.

Projektdaten:

• Services 

Professional Services

• Branche

Öffentliche Auftraggeber

• Hersteller

Snow Software

• Unternehmensgröße

> 4.000 Mitarbeitende

Technologie:

• Snow Software Asset Management

Unser Partner:

Thanks to Bechtle-Comsoft and Snow Software Asset Management, we now save a significant amount of resources and we are always up-to-date on the status of licences across the company, making licensing checks child’s play. We have everything we need at the push of a button. We were particularly impressed by Bechtle-Comsoft’s extensive technological expertise demonstrated when configuring Snow. We know that we can always rely on them and their SAM consultants. 

Tobias Haak, HA Technical Infrastructure, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk

CHALLENGE.

Since launching on 01 January 1992 the Mitteldeutsche Rundfunk (MDR) has been part of ARD and, as a state broadcaster, covers the federal states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. MDR’s radio and television programmes and online services reflect the diversity and identity of central Germany. In addition to its own programmes MDR also contributes news reports for “tagesschau” and and “tagesthemen”, programmes such as “In aller Freundschaft”, the tabloid show “Brisant” and the cultural programme “Titel, Thesen, Temperamente” as well as the crime series “Tatort” and “Polizeiruf 110”. These shows are produced by some 4,000 contracted and freelance employees using PCs with a range of applications including Microsoft Office, Adobe Suite, Autodesk etc. From editing to accounting and scheduling to programme planning—every day, various programs are used thousands of times at MDR. They all have to have the right licence, but maintaining an overview is tricky. In an environment as dynamic as at Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, installed licences can change quickly. To be ready for audits, MDR was therefore on the look out for a solution that provide audit security and transparent compliance. A solution that would list all used and unused licences at the touch of a button. A solution that aids the procurement and management of software and thus lowers costs. There also needed to be a certified consultant on hand who was familiar with legal issues pertaining to licensing. In Bechtle-Comsoft, MDR found the perfect contact for licensors and the ideal Software Asset Management (SAM) solution.

SOLUTION.

In a proof of concept (PoC), Bechtle-Comsoft presented MDR with Snow’s SAM. Snow Software is the world’s largest developer of solutions for Software Asset Management. MDR could already see in the demo version that costs could be effectively saved with Snow’s SAM solution. Thanks to this software, the procurement and monitoring of licensing rights and lifecycles could all be clearly visible to MDR at the push of a button. Snow was exactly what MDR needed to enhance its software What’s more, the licence management solution makes software licensing more economical for and reduces compliance risks. It was, therefore, no surprise when MDR opted for Snow Software Asset Management. Bechtle-Comsoft’s certified specialists and highly-qualified consultants installed the solution, including all role concepts, on MDR’s on-premise service in a matter of days. After an inventory was taken of all MDR’s devices with operating systems (about 95 to 98 per cent of the hardware), it is now possible to view in Snow which software is installed on which computers. Snow Software Asset Management calculates whether there is over or under-licensing based on existing licensing conditions and contracts, which MDR has entered into the system. If a licence is not used for a longer period of time, it can be assigned to another employee or cancelled thanks to Snow Software Metering. In this way, unused applications and their maintenance contracts aren’t continued to be paid for. MDR and Bechtle-Comsoft regularly share information about other innovations and adapt the current SAM concept as necessary.

BUSINESS BENEFITS.

With Snow’s SAM solution, MDR has significantly reduced licensing costs. In the first year after procurement alone, the broadcaster saved an inordinate amount thanks to software metering and other factors. Bechtle-Comsoft maintains and manages the Snow platform and its SAM consultants answer questions related to licensing, make recommendations for optimisations, are a direct contact for licensors during audits, and put together a vendor-compliance licence reports. This means MDR no longer has to worry about potential audits of its licences, saving considerable costs and sleepless nights.