Softline can announce the implementation of an automated software management system in E.ON Russia. Following this project, the company can now enjoy corporate software analysis tools with richer functionality and can also profit from the benefits of new licensing models in automatic mode. Furthermore, the corporate software asset management documentation and policy was adjusted so as to comply with the requirements of ISO standards.

E.ON Russia JSC was established in 2005 on the basis of five regional power plants: Surgutskaya GRES-2, Berezovskaya GRES, Shaturskaya GRES, Smolenskaya GRES and Yaivinskaya GRES, having 10345 MW net capacity. The main activity of the Group is generation and supply of electric power, gas production and transportation. Today E.ON Russia is the largest foreign investor and the most efficient competitor in the Russian electric power industry.

E.ON Russia sets a lot of store by Software Asset Management  technology. The need to optimize the configuration of existing software products emerged because E.ON had to pinpoint and eliminate legal risks and minimize software licensing expenditures. Due to all these concerns,the company embarked on the SAM implementation project more than two years ago. Softline Group, which boasts profound expertise in the field of development of IT asset management systems and a large number of high-qualified employees, won the tender for this project.

2014 has seen the project advance to the next stage. In order to comply with ISO 19770, optimize SAM processes and raise their SAM maturity level, corporate executives decided to continue the development of this methodology. Project planning took place at a time when Microsoft was proposing implementation of the SAM Services program with the participation of certified partners. The package includes performing the full spectrum of procedures for improving Microsoft software usage quality, as well as increasing corporate licensing transparency.

In the early stages of the project, Softline specialists implemented the new IT Asset Management tool and migrated the license management system to it. The requirements for this product were rather high, so based on the results of analysis of possible solutions, Softline and E.ON settled on FlexNet, by Flexera. Softline engineers migrated and actualized all software and licensing data used in E.ON. The next stage required developing regulatory documentation, so Softline specialists arranged consultations and interviews with corporate technical and business managers. The result was a package of regulatory documentation that describes the software asset management processes at all stages of the software lifecycle. These processes completely fulfill the requirements of the ISO-19770 standard and can be seamlessly incorporated into the existing corporate business processes.

Softline specialists subsequently implemented the procedures stipulated by the SAM Services program: assessment of the key competences in the field of SAM processes, verification of Microsoft software licensing and planning of further software acquisitions.
In the final stages of the project, Softline engineers incorporated new company business units into the system and collated their IT asset statistics. As a result, FlexNet was able to manage almost all workstations, servers and notebooks.

SAM solution allowed us to minimize the legal and business risks of using counterfeit software, and also to create conditions for more efficient exploitation of existing assets. As a result, the client acquired broader accounting functionality and was able to use all the benefits of new licensing models in self-service mode. Furthermore, E.ON Russia gained access to more powerful software inventory and analytical tools, ensured maximum coverage of IT assets by specialized software, and also brought its regulatory documentation into compliance with the ISO standard and existing corporate policies.

“We have shared many years of cooperation with E.ON Russia in the field of IT asset management. Knowing that Softline specialists are skilled in all tasks related to IT inventory, the customer addressed Softline when he faced the task of actualizing existing corporate software asset management methods. In E.ON Russia, the processes of software asset management are well organized, and that is why it was especially interesting for us to work with highly-qualified specialists in the field of SAM. As a result of this project, the client has acquired a brand new IT asset management tool, re-engineered and optimized its current business processes, thereby reducing its IT expenditures. The company was also able to advance to a higher SAM maturity level, and, therefore, we can state that project objectives have been accomplished”, - Andrei Andreiko, Project manager of Softline.