Origina Step One of Analysing IBM Licencing

Licence Analysis

Explain IBM’s license and maintenance fees?

Normally you acquire software licences and maintenance (S&S) via the IBM Passport Advantage offering. These are separate agreements. Licences are issued to you on a perpetual basis. S&S, while included as standard for the first year, is renewed for fixed periods thereafter (1, 2 or 3 years in most cases).

You retain the perpetual entitlement for these licences (as governed by IBM’s IPLA). It is the S&S component that you are moving to Origina.

Does Origina have expertise for all of IBM’s products?

While our technical team has wide-ranging subject matter expertise across the majority of IBM software products we restrict our support to over 800 of IBM’s software products. For a detailed list of these products please contact us. If you have a support requirement for IBM software products outside of this list please contact us directly as the products we support increases regularly and we would love to discuss your specific requirements in detail.

Can we break out a subset of our products to test your capability prior to moving the full inventory?

Yes of course.

What if I’m not compliant with the number of licences currently purchased?

Our service provides guidance and assistance to help you manage this, but ultimately it is your responsibility to ensure you have sufficient software licences at all times.

IBM has been increasing the scope of its software auditing activity resulting in significant commercial settlements for licence breach. Origina offers its customers access to its licence audit and validation capability as a stand-alone pre-emptive service.

Formal Proposal & Contract

What service do you offer?

Origina is the first company to offer truly independent software maintenance to almost 800 IBM software products.

Who do you sell to?

We sell to any company who has IBM software, licensed under IBM’s International Program Licence Agreement (IPLA), acquired from IBM through their Passport Advantage offering and maintained by IBM under a Passport Advantage Support and Subscription (S&S) contract.

Who do you currently provide this service to and can we contact these references?

Yes. Our client list includes many Fortune500, FTSE100 and large Public Sector organisations, many of whom are referable. Indeed, we have a number of case studies we can provide you with, and at the appropriate stage we can introduce you to these clients and/or other appropriate client references.

Are you the only company in the world that does this?

No, we are part of the rapidly expanding third party maintenance market that includes companies like Rimini Street, Alui, Spinnaker, Support Revolution and many others. Many of the top industry analysts (Gartner, Forrester etc.) have been writing about the rapid emergence of a secondary software market that includes a viable third party maintenance industry which we are a leading international player in.

IBM S&S Termination

Where do I stand with IBM if I use Origina’s service?

It is important to recognise that the IBM software is not being replaced and it is likely that additional IBM software will be required in the future, so there should be minimal impact on your relationship with IBM.

To gain the full value and benefits of the Origina service, only the Support and Maintenance (S&S) Agreement gets transferred. The right to use the IBM software (the underlying licence) remains in perpetuity.

In short, you still own the car, but Origina keeps it ticking over for as long as you want.

If the anniversary date of our IBM Passport Advantage S&S renewal is imminent or has just passed can we still move our contract?

Yes, you can move your maintenance contract to Origina at any stage. Unlike IBM we are not fixed to specific renewal dates or periods of cover. However, it is often more advisable to have your software assets under maintenance at all times, so our preference would be to engage with you before the end of your current IBM Passport Advantage S&S contract.

IBM have told me that if I do break out a subset of products I will end up paying significantly more money on the renewals of any software left behind. Is this correct?

No, it is not correct, as your IBM PA agreement has very clear and documented rules as to how and when you move pricing bands (RSVP levels). The RSVP level you are on is determined by what new IBM software you bought during the past 12 months, not what you renew; so the renewal has nothing to do with your RSVP levels. Also, even if you have not bought any software during the past 12 months you cannot move down more than 1 RSVP level at a time.

Quoting from IBM’s International PA Agreement: “At the first and each subsequent Anniversary, the RSVP Level is set, based on the Eligible Products Customer has acquired during the previous Term. If, in a subsequent Term, the point value of the Eligible Products Customer acquires during that Term is less than the point value necessary to maintain the current RSVP Level, then at the next Anniversary the RSVP Level will be reduced to reflect the level at which Customer is currently acquiring Eligible Products but not by more than one RSVP Level.”

How do I cancel my IBM Passport Advantage S&S renewal?

According to IBM’s own policy, as long as you notify them of your intent not to renew before your renewal date you are fine. However, we always recommend giving them at least 30 days’ notice. You may do so either online (through PAonline) or in writing and Origina would be happy to assist you in this process.

Step One of Analysing IBM Licencing