Software Contract Solutions

Why it makes sense to use a third party to keep the IT lights on

Keeping operational systems running is a full-time job, but as systems get older, they end up being out of support. CIOs face multiple challenges in keeping operational systems running while also embarking on digital transformation initiatives, according to a report from Nucleus Research for Rimini Street, published last month. Rebecca Wettemann, an analyst at Nucleus … Read more

Microsoft set to close licensing loopholes, leave cloud rivals high and dry

Beginning in October, Microsoft plans to tighten its licensing rules to stop customers from using their own licenses for Windows, Windows Server, SQL Server and other software on rival cloud providers. Microsoft this fall will begin closing loopholes in its licensing rules that have let customers bring their own licenses for Windows, Windows Server, SQL … Read more

Microsoft provides group policies for enterprise control of ‘full-Chromium’ Edge updates

IT admins will be able to use the policies to manage, deploy and update the new browser to their corporate workforce. Microsoft has published the template and documentation that will be required to manage updates of the not-yet-finalized “full-Chromium” Edge browser, making good on a promise of earlier this summer. When Microsoft first pounded the Edge-for-enterprise … Read more

Top cloud providers 2019: AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud; IBM makes hybrid move; Salesforce dominates SaaS

The top cloud providers for 2019 have maintained their positions, but the themes, strategies, and approaches to the market are all in flux. The infrastructure-as-a-service wars have been largely decided, with the spoils going to Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, but new technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning have … Read more

Enterprise software vendors mix and match monetization models: What happens when subscription, usage and licensing converge?

Enterprise software vendors are subscription happy, but they’re delving into usage plans for customers too. Toss in some perpetual licenses and your negotiations with strategic vendors are about to get more complicated. Enterprise software vendors are starting to mix and match their monetization models between subscription, usage, and licensing of some combination of all three, … Read more

Microsoft pitches free help for Windows 7-to-Windows 10 upgraders

With its FastTrack assistance program, the company will work with customers migrating from Windows 7, either Enterprise or Professional, or Windows 8.1 Enterprise or Professional, to Windows 10 Enterprise. Microsoft on Monday touted the assistance it will give organizations transitioning from the soon-to-be-expired Windows 7 to its successor, Windows 10. Dubbed “FastTrack Center Benefit,” a.k.a. … Read more

UN resolution ignores special rapporteur’s call for halt to spyware sales

UN’s Human Rights Council adopts resolution to explore the impact of new and emerging digital technologies on human rights, but the text ignores a damning report by the council’s own expert on freedom of expression. UN member states have sidestepped calls for a moratorium on the sale and transfer of surveillance equipment between governments and … Read more

Win10 1909 will be a Service Pack: Good news, but many unanswered questions

Microsoft promised that its second version of Windows for 1909, code-named 19H2, but more consistently known as version 1909, will be a traditional Win10 1903 Service Pack 1. Hooray! What’s next? Conventional wisdom for Windows upgraders has always been, “Wait for Service Pack 1.” Microsoft generally screws up the first release of a new version … Read more

Confusing cocktail of document licensing in SAP’s Hana strategy

SAP wants its customers to migrate from ECC to Hana and its cloud offering and is also putting forward a new, “ambiguous” document licensing scheme. Many businesses appear to be taking their time migrating from SAP ECC to the S/4 Hana ERP (enterprise resource planning) platform. At the same time, SAP has introduced a document licensing metric that provides … Read more

Windows 10: How you can successfully make the move from Windows 7

With the end of support for Windows 7 looming, four tech chiefs share their tips for making the switch to Windows 10. The clock is ticking for IT teams that haven’t made the switch to Windows 10 – support for Windows 7 ends on 14 January 2020. Despite that deadline, estimates suggest a third of Windows … Read more