Compliance optimization and license management in multi-cloud (SAM)
A complex Microsoft and VMware license estate untangled across hybrid environments. Audit compliance restored and BYOL portability safely activated.
01 Challenges and context
Context and strategic stakes
A large European industrial client was undertaking a massive server migration program from on-premise to Google Cloud (Lift & Shift), while maintaining a significant footprint on Azure and its private data centers. This hybrid approach led to a surge in costs associated with third-party vendor licenses (Microsoft, VMware, Red Hat, Palo Alto). The client was paying premium prices for hourly rented licenses (GCP's default PAYG model), exacerbated by the drastic increase in VMware pricing following its acquisition by Broadcom. The challenge was to urgently rationalize this software estate (Software Asset Management) without violating vendor compliance audits.
02 Work carried out
Approach and methodology
The first part of the mission involved unifying the software inventory across private environments, Azure, and GCP. Our auditors identified active versions (isolating obsolescence such as Windows Server 2008/2012) and mapped different acquisition methods (annual subscriptions, perpetual enterprise licenses, PAYG billing included in the Cloud). The usage of each license was technically linked to the application 'Workload' type and financially to its Business Unit.
03 Outcomes achieved
Results and indicators
17 %
Microsoft license cost reduction
25 %
VMware financial exposure reduction
Microsoft Performance: Massive 17% reduction in Microsoft licensing costs on Google Cloud thanks to the deployment of the secure BYOL mechanism.
Broadcom Rationalization: 25% reduction in financial exposure related to the VMware footprint through hardware cluster densification.
Sovereignty: Full audit compliance achieved and establishment of inter-cloud portability for software assets.