The Compliance Challenge Every IBM Customer Faces

Managing IBM software entitlements is no small task. With hundreds of licensing metrics, evolving policies, and product-specific rules, organisations often struggle to maintain clarity over their rights and obligations. Many agreements are left untouched after purchase, leaving decision-makers uncertain whether they are fully compliant—or if they're paying more than necessary.

45% of IBM-audited organizations have incurred over $1 million in unplanned costs over the past three years. IBM's licensing framework is among the most complex in the industry, and audits are a fact of life. Yet, with the right insight, financial exposure can be avoided. Capacity-based models, such as PVU, RVU, or VPC, can deliver cost efficiency for organisations with changing workloads—but they also carry hidden compliance risks if not managed with precision.

Virtualisation changes, hardware upgrades, or misinterpretation of eligibility requirements can all tip an environment out of compliance. A single misconfiguration or oversight can result in significant financial penalties during an audit.