IBM Software Licensing

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 About
 Updates
 Licensing
 Measurement
 Verification
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About Software Licensing

Our approach to Software Licensing is guided by three overarching principles: fairness, transparency and innovation.

How we work with our clients

We seek to build trusting and transparent relationships with our clients.

Benefits of adhering to license terms

Our clients benefit from knowing they are meeting the software licensing terms and paying only for what they need.

How we operate

Our worldwide software licensing program works together with clients to identify and remedy software licensing issues.

Learn more

Updates
Read about the latest developments and updates
ILMT V9.2.38 is now available
Part type filter added to Product Search navigator
Temporary Additional Use Policy Update
See all updates

Licensing
An overview of how IBM licenses its software and the agreements which cover clients' use of IBM offerings. Includes a set of guides to help clients navigate
common areas of IBM software licensing.
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Licensing Basics
Overview of IBM software licensing
Essential Elements
The essentials of IBM software licensing
Agreements and Contracts
The contracts which set out IBM software licensing terms
Entitlements
IBM's record of clients' purchases of licenses, S&S and cloud services
License Information Documents
Documentation relating to the licensing of individual IBM offerings
Guides
Guidance on common licensing scenarios
zSW Licensing
Licensing information and contract exhibits
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Measurement
How IBM defines the basis for measuring the number of licenses required for its software and techniques to identify and collect the necessary data to do
this.
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Metrics
Metrics define how licenses for IBM programs are granted and measured
Measuring license use
Approaches to measuring license use
Methodologies
Guides to aid clients who are seeking to validate the outputs of IBM Licensing Tools or measure license consumption for programs which are not yet
supported by IBM Licensing Tools.
zSW Licensing Tools
Tool usage guides and links to tools.
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Verification
The licensing verification approaches that IBM employs to verify that client's use of IBM software meets the license terms.
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Software License Verification
The most common way of verifying adherence with software licensing terms, license verifications involve a third-party auditor checking deployments
against entitlements.
Client Self-Reporting
A limited audit approach suited to smaller organizations and simple IBM deployments
IASP Program
The IBM Authorized SAM Provider program is a self-reporting program designed to achieve adherence with software licensing terms without the need for
license verifications.
Collaborative Measurements – Team SAM
As an alternative, Team SAM can engage in collaborative efforts with the client.
Common Software Licensing and License Verification Issues
Areas of IBM licensing frequently encountered in audits
Partial Renewals
Understanding and requesting a partial renewal for Subscription & Support
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Software Asset Management

Maintaining records and reports to demonstrate adherence to software licensing terms.

Managing IBM software assets

Keeping track of deployments and preparing for an audit

Product Search
Explore IBM's software portfolio and find related licensing, announcements, lifecycle and ordering information
Try it now
This site is intended as a general knowledge resource only and will be updated from time to time so far as reasonably possible. Statements in this
site however do not form part of the contract under which a client acquires IBM offerings (the terms of such contract being the exclusive terms
between IBM and a client).
Frequently Asked QuestionsQuestions commonly asked about software licensing. These questions touch on the topics most important to our clients.

Each licensing guide and user guide on the Guides page also contains a section on Frequently Asked Questions specific to the topic.

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