The ITAM Roundup: 3/30/25

roundup Mar 30, 2025

📰 News

Major Update for VMware Customers: minimum purchase requirement of 72 cores per product

VMware’s new licensing policy, effective April 10, 2025, requires a minimum purchase of 72 cores per product, impacting customers with lower core needs and potentially increasing costs. The per-CPU rule of 16 cores remains unchanged, but core counts cannot be combined across products to meet the threshold. Late renewals will incur a 20% penalty, so customers should assess their environments and plan purchases accordingly to stay compliant.

W14 SAM & ITAM Jobs | #ITAMjobs

This week's SAM & ITAM job listings feature roles across the globe, including positions at Susquehanna International Group, Dropbox, Accenture, and more, with salaries ranging from £30,000 to over $200,000. Opportunities span various levels, from junior IT license managers to senior and director-level roles in software asset management.

Congress takes another swing at Uncle Sam's software licensing mess

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has reintroduced the Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets (SAMOSA) Act, aiming to address the federal government's inefficient software licensing practices. The bill would require federal agencies to audit their software inventory, consolidate overlapping licenses, and move towards enterprise deals to reduce waste. While the legislation has faced past setbacks, the government's CIO is already pushing agencies to inventory software licenses and address inefficiencies with major vendors like Microsoft and Oracle, which could save taxpayers millions.

📖 Tips

Oracle BYOL: Using On-Premises Oracle Licenses in OCI, AWS, Azure, and GCP

Oracle’s BYOL (Bring Your Own License) program allows customers to move their Oracle software licenses seamlessly between on-premises and the cloud, enabling cost savings and license mobility. It is supported in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), AWS, and Microsoft Azure, with specific core-to-cloud conversion rules and compliance considerations for each environment. The program provides flexibility and cost benefits by allowing customers to use existing licenses in cloud environments, while ensuring full support and workload compatibility.

Oracle BYOL: Using On-Premises Oracle Licenses in OCI, AWS, Azure, and GCP

Oracle BYOL in OCI: Seamless Transition from On-Premises to Cloud with License Flexibility

Redress Compliance - Just another WordPress siteFredrik Filipsson

Complete Guide to IBM Licensing & Optimization: Compliance, Audits, and Cost Savings

IBM licensing is complex due to its vast product range, diverse licensing metrics, and frequent acquisitions, making compliance and optimization challenging. IBM offers both perpetual and subscription-based licensing models, with recent shifts toward subscription-based approaches that provide flexibility but require careful cost and compliance management. Organizations using IBM products must navigate intricate licensing agreements, track usage with tools like ILMT, and optimize entitlements to ensure cost efficiency and regulatory adherence.

Why You Are Accenture, Deloitte, IBM, and PwC’s #1 Priority—But Not in a Good Way

Consulting firms like Accenture, Deloitte, IBM, and PwC are under financial pressure due to slowing new business and rising AI-driven efficiencies, leading them to extract more revenue from existing clients through aggressive contract expansions and price hikes. Clients are facing higher costs, longer-term fixed contracts, and hidden scope increases under the guise of "strategic enhancements," making it critical to renegotiate terms proactively. By gathering independent insights, leveraging market intelligence, and confidently pushing back, companies can regain control, reduce costs, and secure better service agreements before they become locked into unfavorable contracts.

How to Run an Internal IT Asset Audit in 5 Easy Steps

Regular IT asset audits are essential for maintaining compliance, optimizing resource utilization, and managing costs effectively. A structured approach involves defining scope, using automated tools, collecting and verifying asset data, analyzing findings, and generating actionable reports. Leveraging IT asset management solutions streamlines audits, ensures accurate tracking, and supports data-driven decision-making for long-term efficiency.

Understanding Microsoft's AI Strategy [PODCAST]

Exploring Microsoft's AI Strategy
As Microsoft shifts its focus toward AI, Directions analyst Barry Briggs joins Mary Jo Foley to break down what enterprises should understand about the company's AI approach.

🐛Bugs & Exploits

Oracle has reportedly suffered 2 separate breaches exposing thousands of customers‘ PII

Oracle has reportedly suffered two separate data breaches affecting thousands of customers, including patient data from Oracle Health and authentication records from Oracle Cloud. A hacker claims to have exploited a vulnerability to access 6 million Oracle Cloud records, while researchers confirm the leaked data appears genuine, impacting over 140,000 tenants. Oracle has denied the cloud breach and refused to comment on the incidents, leading to ongoing uncertainty and concern among customers and security experts.

Microsoft fixes Remote Desktop issues caused by Windows updates

Microsoft has fixed a Remote Desktop issue causing disconnections after 65 seconds on Windows 11 24H2 and Windows Server 2016 RDS hosts, introduced by Windows updates since January 2025. The fix is available in the KB5053656 preview update and will be included in next month’s cumulative updates, with IT admins able to deploy it via a Known Issue Rollback policy. Meanwhile, Microsoft is still addressing related Remote Desktop freezes on Windows Server 2025 and investigating connection errors affecting Veeam backups on Windows 11 24H2.