How a Flexible Software Roadmap Drives Digital Innovation

Watch our Empower session to gain actionable tips on taking back your roadmap and optimizing your IT estate. 

A flexible software roadmap is crucial. It can be the difference between making your own decisions about existing software resources and being stuck dealing with constant pressure from vendors to upgrade to versions you might not even need just to stay supported.  

If a software OEM is hindering your digital innovation, it’s time to get back on the right track and take charge of your roadmap. You can reduce downtime and service disruptions, improve your daily operations, and receive the true ROI from your tech stack. 

Finding alternative software support 

At our flagship virtual event Empower 2024, software asset and licensing expert Chris Lecosia joined Brendan Walsh, Origina EVP, Strategic Global Accounts, for a conversation about his experiences as a former software asset and licensing manager with Southern California Edison. 

 During “Empowering Business-Led IT Roadmaps: Shifting from Vendor Directives,” Lecosia told the audience how the organization went from an IBM-first shop to a time when they no longer had a client executive during a particularly challenging time for a company facing increasing labor costs, an aging workforce, and growing technical debt. 

“We were running a version of the MQ series that we did not want to upgrade to a newer version. We wanted to run that software as it stood for about 24 to 36 months,” Lecosia said. “We had a direct path that we had defined. We knew where we were going. We knew how we were going to get there.” 

IT leaders wanted assurance from IBM that they would have support if anything went wrong.  

“We went back to IBM and asked for extended support. They wouldn’t give it,” said Lecosia. “The only thing they would offer was a custom defined support package that required us to upgrade to the new version of MQ in order for them to support the old version.” 

The energy company ultimately refused the upgrade because it would add expenses to an already increasing budget. It also would introduce new interoperability issues. They began looking for alternatives that also could lower their software maintenance and support costs, which had ballooned exponentially over the years.  

“We had a problem that was open with IBM for about six months. No resolution,” Lecosia said. “We entered into a pilot with Origina, and within a couple of hours, our Origina product expert was able to get us through the problem and it was resolved.” 

Adding flexibility to your software roadmap 

If a vendor-driven roadmap is limiting your performance and hindering your digital innovation, there are other options available. Ask yourself: 

1. Do we really need the latest software version?
2. How would this upgrade advance my company’s agenda?
3. Does the level of support we receive match our investment?
4. Are issues resolved quickly? What’s the average wait time? 
5. Is it possible not to upgrade and still stay supported?

Origina leverages deep technical expertise and a customer-first philosophy to go above and beyond what is offered by the vendor software support model. Tactical IBM®, HCL®, and VMware® software maintenance extends the lifecycle of your enterprise products to enhance stability and security, minimize downtime, and unlock the full potential of mission-critical software. 

For more tips on how to create a flexible software roadmap from the experts, watch the full on-demand session.  

Break free from megavendor mandates and take back control of your IT estate. Read more.