Independent · Fixed-Fee · Former IBM Insiders

IBM Advisory
Services

Take control of your IBM licensing. Whether you’re facing an audit, navigating an ELA renewal, optimising PVU costs, or cleaning up sub-capacity compliance — our team of former IBM insiders fights for your bottom line.

200+
IBM Engagements
$300M+
Client Savings
Former IBM
Consulting Team
100%
Independent
Fixed
Fee Engagements

IBM Advisory Services

We don’t resell IBM licences. We have no IBM affiliation. Every recommendation is built to cut your IBM costs, reduce audit exposure, and give you leverage — not lock-in.

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Licensing Assessment

Comprehensive analysis of your IBM software usage, entitlements, and compliance exposure. We review PVU, RVU, user metrics, ILMT data, and virtualisation configurations to uncover shelfware and over-licensing.

Example: Identified $6M in shelfware and PVU over-deployment for a major US financial institution.
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IBM Audit Defence

We manage every phase of the IBM audit — from initial notification to final settlement. We challenge deployment assumptions, validate ILMT data, and negotiate inflated claims down to real exposure.

Example: Reduced an $82M IBM audit exposure to $600K for a US technology firm.
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ELA Renewal & Exit

Don’t auto-renew your IBM ELA. We evaluate whether to renew, restructure, or exit — with pricing benchmarks, usage analysis, and a clear commercial strategy.

Example: Saved a global bank $23M by restructuring their IBM ELA and eliminating unused product entitlements.
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⚖️

Contract Negotiation

IBM wants growth. We want fairness. We benchmark pricing, challenge bundling, negotiate flexibility clauses, and secure terms that protect your budget across Passport Advantage, ELAs, and cloud agreements.

Example: Delivered $8M in savings on an IBM Passport Advantage renewal by renegotiating PVU rates and eliminating unnecessary S&S.
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Licence Optimisation

Align your IBM licence usage with actual business needs. We review PVU configurations, virtualisation settings, Cloud Pak deployments, and sub-capacity reporting to reduce costs without disruption.

Example: Optimised IBM mainframe licensing for a Japanese bank, saving $71M through capacity model restructuring.
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☁️

Cloud Pak & Hybrid Advisory

IBM’s Cloud Paks and hybrid cloud licensing add new layers of complexity. We assess container licensing, IBM License Service data, and Red Hat entitlements to ensure you’re not over-provisioned.

Example: Identified $1.8M in over-provisioned Cloud Pak entitlements for a European telco migrating to OpenShift.
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Facing an IBM Audit or ELA Renewal?

Let us review your IBM landscape and show you exactly where the risk and savings are — with a no-obligation business case and projected ROI.

Or call us directly: +1 (239) 402-7397

From First Call to Measurable Savings
in 5 Simple Steps

No commitment until you see a business case with projected savings. The entire onboarding process typically takes less than two weeks.

1
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Sign an NDA

We sign a mutual NDA to protect your confidential information before any data is shared. Standard process, typically same-day.

2
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Discovery Call

A confidential call to discuss your IBM landscape, ELA timeline, ILMT status, virtualisation, and audit concerns. No obligation.

3
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Share Your Contracts

Share your Passport Advantage agreements, ELA terms, and ILMT reports. We review everything under NDA and identify every optimisation opportunity.

4
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ROI Business Case

We deliver a detailed business case showing projected savings, risk reduction, and our fixed advisory fee — so you can see the ROI before you commit.

5
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We Get Started

Once approved, we hit the ground running. Your IBM engagement kicks off immediately with a dedicated team of former IBM licensing specialists.

Start with Step 1 — Book a Call

No commitment. No cost until you see the business case.

Why Enterprises Choose Us for IBM

We don’t resell IBM. We don’t hold IBM partnerships. We just help you stop overpaying.

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100% Independent

No IBM partnerships. No reseller conflicts. Every recommendation is built to protect your budget and your leverage — not IBM’s revenue targets or IASP programme goals.

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Former IBM Insiders

Our team includes former IBM employees with over 200 years of collective experience. We know how IBM structures deals, runs audits, and prices ELAs — and we know how to counter every tactic.

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Deep Technical Expertise

PVU, RVU, ILMT, sub-capacity, Cloud Paks, Passport Advantage, ELAs, mainframe licensing — we know every IBM licensing model and how to optimise each one for maximum savings.

IBM Case Studies

Real outcomes from real IBM engagements. Every case started with a client facing IBM pressure — and ended with measurable savings.

IBM Audit$82M → $600K

US Technology Firm — Audit Defence

IBM identified $82M in licensing exposure across mainframe and distributed environments. Our team challenged deployment assumptions and ILMT data, reducing the final settlement to $600K.

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IBM Mainframe$71M Saved

Mizuho Financial Group — Mainframe Optimisation

Optimised IBM mainframe licensing through capacity model restructuring and usage analysis, delivering $71M in savings for one of Japan’s largest financial institutions.

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IBM ELA$23M Saved

Samsung — ELA Restructure & Optimisation

Restructured IBM ELA and identified unused product entitlements across global operations, delivering $23M in savings through internal assessment and renegotiation.

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IBM Shelfware$6M Saved

Charles Schwab — Shelfware Elimination

Comprehensive assessment identified $6M in IBM shelfware and over-licensed PVU deployments, with a remediation roadmap that reduced annual S&S costs by 35%.

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IBM Audit$198.8M Avoided

NY Financial Institution — Audit Defence

IBM identified $198.8M in licensing exposure. Our team of former IBM specialists dismantled the claim through ILMT data validation and deployment analysis, avoiding the full exposure.

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