Finnish LocalTapiola mutual group offers non-life, life, and pension insurance services, as well as investment services. The group has around 1.6 million owner customers and 3,800 employees.

Software Audit Vulnerability with Unreliable Software Inventory  

Before partnering with Xensam, LähiTapiola struggled with data accuracy and quality. With their previous tool, their main challenge was inconsistent software inventory accuracy which changed daily. Application data was also faulty, displaying certain applications as installed which had been removed months ago. This left Sanna Portaankorva, Service Manager at LähiTapiola, feeling concerned about their lack of accurate information.

“Having worked with software auditing for many years prior, I knew that our SAM data before Xensam was not good enough to provide in a software license audit.” 

Pricy Software Discovery and Integrations 

LähiTapiola faced limitations on important applications with their previous provider. They had no Oracle support, and the cost to purchase the Oracle connector with their provider was too high, preventing them from accessing important utilization, licensing, and compliance data. This was a common theme with their provider who, like many legacy SAM providers, utilized a connector-based platform model. Overall, this limited LähiTapiola’s ability to integrate with other necessary IT systems for a comprehensive view of their IT environment.

Limited Platform Support 

LähiTapiola experienced repeated difficulty with support services from their previous provider. They waited weeks at times to receive responses to support queries, and at other times an answer never came. Often, their partners were unable to explain or solve issues inside the platform. This stalled their progress with the platform and posed a created a significant roadblock to ROI.

Trustworthy Data with Xensam  

LähiTapiola recognized the need for a new approach to Software Asset Management and decided to adopt Xensam's indsutry leading SAM technology. With Xensam agents installed on devices throughout the organization, LähiTapiola saw an immediate improvement in the quality of their software discovery and inventory. They were able to identify thousands of on-premise and SaaS applications across their hybrid IT environment and gain access to a wider range of data, including detailed information on servers, system information, vendors, and software End of Life (EOL) information. This has resulted in greater control over their hybrid IT environment and better preparedness in the event of a software license audit. 

“Now, we can trust the data we see. We have peace of mind if a software audit takes place.” 

The new technology also enables LähiTapiola to track and analyze actual software usage per application down to the minute with Xensam's unique Active Usage data. This empowers data-driven decisions for software installations and access, ultimately optimizing software spend. 

“With Xensam’s Active Usage data I can support my decisions on application licensing with actual utilization data.” 

No Hidden Expenses, No Extra Modules 

With Xensam, LähiTapiola has comprehensive visibility and control of software throughout their IT environment, including vital business applications like Oracle. Frustrated by encountering hidden costs related to migrations, system upgrades, and additional connectors with their previous provider, this benefit stood out to LähiTapiola's Service Manager. With Xensam, they have access to all proprietary features without hidden costs or extra modules needed, enabling comprehensive data-driven decisions about cost, utilization, and compliance throughout their IT environment.  

“With most SAM providers, you must negotiate 5 times before you understand what you’re actually going to pay. With Xensam it was different. Their sales rep told us directly how much the platform would cost, and that made me excited.” 

Delivering Actionable SAM Data Across the Organization 

Struggling with unreliable software data, LähiTapiola couldn’t use their data to support business operations. Using Xensam, LähiTapiola's Service Manager is able to share accurate software information across the organization. This enables her to meet frequent report requests from the finance and security departments. By extending the impact of Software Asset Management (SAM) beyond the IT department, actionable data is delivered throughout the organization.  

In addition to internal benefits, LähiTapiola is able to have more productive meetings with external hosting partners and server managers responsible for installations because of their access to comprehensive data on their hybrid IT environment. This allows them to efficiently discuss specific installation metrics and maintenance matters with their server management partners.  

“When I make decisions on limiting application installations, I have data to support it.”  

Ease of Use Enabled by Exceptional Suppport 

LähiTapiola implemented Xensam's platform smoothly and experiences continued ease of day-to-day use due to the quick and thorough support provided by Xensam's support technicians. Before using Xensam, they faced issues with slow response times on support requests and sometimes had to wait for weeks before receiving a response. Additionally, there had constant turnover in their assigned contact person, unreliable partner relationships, and support personnel that often couldn't locate the root cause of issues within their environment. With Xensam's support their experience is different, and they are provided with all the necessary resources to succeed and maximize ROI.

“With Xensam, support comes quickly. We never experienced that before.” 

Conclusion 

LähiTapiola switched to Xensam and now has reliable and comprehensive visibility across their hybrid IT environment. They have trustworthy data on both software and hardware, keeping them audit prepared with detailed insight into their actual software usage. The IT team can streamline their workload and negotiate with partners more efficiently. Additionally, they can meet reporting requests from other departments and support business operations with data-informed decisions that optimize cost, support compliance, and enable collaboration. 

Do you want to see Xensam’s industry leading features in action?  

Book a demo. 

Audit-proof your IT environment with our Comprehensive Guide to Software License Audits.