A leading global gold and base metals producer with a complex IT landscape that included offices and mining operations in multiple countries, needed a partner capable of optimizing their IT asset investments and reducing operational costs.
Compugen, the nation's largest privately owned and operated Technology Ally, has been a trusted partner of this organization for over a decade. The company has consistently provided value through our comprehensive IT solutions, helping organizations realize new possibilities. The relationship deepened over time, particularly when Compugen took over managing the metal producer’s Microsoft Enterprise Agreement (EA) and proposed a software asset management solution through our partnership with Metrixdata360. This initiative aimed to provide greater efficiency, insight, and cost savings by optimizing their IT assets.
The Challenge
The organization faced several challenges in managing its Microsoft 365 (M365) and Azure environments, including underutilized licenses, unassigned costs, and a lack of visibility into resource utilization. Key issues included inactive and blocked accounts, unassigned licenses, and service accounts consuming unnecessary resources. These challenges necessitated a strategic approach to streamline IT operations, reduce expenses, and enhance governance.
The Opportunity
To address these challenges, Compugen engaged its subject matter expert team, including partner resources, to unlock all the data required to get their situation — and spend — under control. In collaboration with Metrixdata360, Compugen built a complete data model of what had been purchased, what was discoverable across the network, and what was being fully consumed. This baseline fed subsequent quarterly assessments with actionable insights and recommendations of the mining company's M365 and Azure usage.
The project team embodied Compugen’s core values through this engagement by staying relentlessly curious and collaborative as they identified optimization opportunities and provided actionable insights that empowered both IT and finance.
Primary areas of focus included:
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M365 Utilization: Assessed active users, inactive accounts, blocked users, and secondary or service accounts to reclaim unused licenses and optimize costs.
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Azure Optimization: Identified opportunities in reserved instances, Azure Hybrid Benefits (AHB), VM resizing, idle and oversized services, and managing zombie resources.
The Solution
Compugen Dream Teamers implemented a comprehensive Managed SAM-as-service solution to address these issues, leveraging a blend of best in class commercial and proprietary platforms, backed by proven processes and industry professionals.
The strategy focused on optimizing both M365 and Azure environments. This approach involved identifying cost-saving opportunities, reclaiming unused licenses, and optimizing resource utilization.
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Inactive Users: 481 inactive accounts were identified, leading to potential annual savings of approximately $97,400.
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Blocked + Service Accounts: 108 blocked users and 204 service accounts were addressed, with potential annual savings of $21,600 and $41,500, respectively.
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Reclassification + License Adjustment: Compugen recommended reclassifying 44 accounts to lower-cost licenses, ensuring optimal use of software investments.
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Reserved Instances: The team developed a strategy for reserved instances, offering potential savings of up to $21,000 over three years.
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Zombie Resources: 47 zombie resources were identified for potential decommissioning, saving around $2,500, annually.
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VM Resizing + Idle Services: It was suggested resizing or decommissioning underutilized VMs and services, estimated to save around $26,000, annually.
The Outcome
Compugen’s engagement with this leading global gold and base metals producer resulted in a significant 19.62% reduction in annual spend on Microsoft 365 and 18.77% on Azure services. By offering clear visibility and actionable insights, the organization was empowered to optimize its IT asset utilization, ensuring compliance and strategic alignment. This partnership demonstrated Compugen's commitment to being a human-centered, technology-enabled ally, dedicated to maximizing the value of IT investments and helping organizations dream, design, and deliver a more efficient and sustainable future.
Looking ahead, the success of this engagement has opened avenues for further collaboration. Compugen is poised to explore additional areas of opportunity, such as professional services and other software asset management initiatives, ensuring that the customer continues to benefit from a comprehensive and proactive approach to IT asset management.
At Compugen, we dream, design, and deliver innovative solutions that meet our clients' needs. We think differently and are driven to make a difference, always putting human-centered, technology-enabled solutions at the forefront of our endeavours.
Learn more about Compugen’s IT support services expertise. Together, we will dream, design, and deliver a solution that levels up your retail game.
*The Compugen Group of Companies is a North American network of like-minded, technology-driven entities.
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