Maximo Application Suite: simplified licensing explained

Earlier this year IBM announced the release of Maximo Application Suite (MAS), a focused, integrated solution suite that provides asset monitoring and maintenance in a single platform.

MAS will bring all applications within the Maximo portfolio together under a single licence entitlement, with flexible consumption allowing organisations to make use of any solution within the suite without additional purchases.

In bringing this next generation of Maximo to market, IBM have focused on:

• Simplified licensing - providing one licence entitlement to access the entire Maximo portfolio
• Integrated platform - MAS is built to run on Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform for optimised scale and availability on on-premises, private and public clouds, or hybrid environments.

Most importantly, all future product development and enhancements will take place within the new Maximo Application Suite, which means that all customers will at some point in the future have to migrate to the new model. While there's no immediate need to change, you'll start to hear about MAS as your maintenance renewal falls due.

Clarita will be presenting a series of articles intended to provide a simple overview of what's happening, how and when it will impact your Maximo environment, and what you should think about now to start preparing. In this first instalment, we outline IBM's approach to simplified Maximo licensing.

What's changing?

Historically, each product within the Maximo portfolio - from the core EAM to add-ons and external integrations - have been available as separate licence entitlements.

Moving forward, each component of the current portfolio will become an application in the Maximo Application Suite, where the core Maximo EAM product will be known as "Manage EAM". Each application and user type will require a specific number of AppPoints. One single part number will be available in Passport Advantage to purchase MAS AppPoints under a Subscription Term Licence. You can then implement one, or all of the available applications drawing from your pool of available AppPoints.

What is a Subscription Term Licence (STL)?

IBM's Subscription Term Licence is a subscription that enables clients to purchase software at a renewable annual rate for an agreed term. A STL:

• Provides flexible commitment term with a minimum of 12 months (up to a max of 60 months)
• Cannot be cancelled. The client agrees to pay IBM for the complete commitment term
• Allows Clients to renew or terminate at the end of the commitment term

What is an AppPoint and how they are allocated?

AppPoints can be thought of as the next generation of IBM's token licensing model. By eliminating the fixed relationship between authorised users and licence entitlements, AppPoints give organisations the flexibility to adjust which applications are used and reduce compliance risk.

When a user logs into MAS and launches an application, the associated number of AppPoints are checked out of the AppPoint licence server. The number of AppPoints consumed is based on each users' access profile and which applications they have access to. When the user exits, the AppPoints are checked back into the licence server. There are some components that are not user-based (install/server components eg: SAP Adapter; Spatial Install) that will also consume AppPoints.

Benefits

The primary benefit of the simplified licensing model is ready access to new functionality without additional licence procurement. Want to trial Scheduler? If you have sufficient AppPoints available you can access it whenever you're ready with no additional procurement required. With extensive additions to the suite planned over the next 12 - 18 months, this means faster and lower cost access to value-added applications.

Other benefits include:

• Reduced risk and overheads in managing licence compliance - with AppPoints managed through the licence server, it's impossible to exceed your entitlement
• Access to containerised IBM Middleware & industry-leading Red Hat cloud platform
• License usage flexibility
• Price protection for the term

How will it impact me?

An upgrade path for existing Maximo licences is available. The impact will vary according to your current usage and licensing model.

The simplification will be felt immediately for sites using add-ons that will become part of core Manage functionality (Linear Assets, Calibration, Scheduler) and therefore will always be included. Some products, like IBM Control Desk, are not included in MAS. ICD licensing will remain unchanged and can run outside of MAS.

The most significant impact will be the transition from single licences to concurrent users. As a general rule of thumb, divide your current licences by three to determine the number of concurrent entitlements required. However, this may vary depending on your use patterns - for example if you operate single or multiple shifts. Clarita's MAS Migration Assessment can assist in analysing your system use to identify any implications for concurrent based usage.

Switching to a CTL will require you to review and accept an addendum to your Passport Advantage Agreement. Other questions that will determine how this change impacts you include:

• Do you have an existing token licensing agreement?
• Do you access Maximo through an Enterprise Licensing Agreement?
• Are you part way through a 3-year licensing contract?
• Are you already on a subscription based model through a SaaS or hosted solution?

The best place to start is to contact your COSOL Client Executive, to step through a MAS Migration Assessment. This will assist you in understanding both the licensing and technical implications of upgrading, formulate a transition plan and serve as liaison with IBM's project office.

When do I need to act?

It's important to note that there is no immediate need to act. Maximo Application Suite is available now and is the default options for new implementations, but for existing clients, Maximo 7.6.1.x will continue to be an active release for the foreseeable future, with fixes and minor enhancements being made available. There are no current plans to announce a date for end-of-support for this release and you will still be able to purchase additional perpetual licences to accommodate changing needs before upgrading to MAS 8.0.

So the timeline for change will depend on your current environment and business drivers. Click the scenario below that best aligns with your current position and outlook to explore the options best suited to you.