IBM is one of our key focus vendors here at Livingstone Group, representing one of the top five vendors by spend for our customers. In many cases, significant portions of our customers’ businesses are run on IBM software, representing a value to them beyond the cost of the licenses. Because of this, we have put a focus on developing our IBM team, the service we offer those customers, and the methodologies we have built to support that service.
So, we thought it was high time to introduce some of our IBM team members who are helping our customer to reach their IBM goals. Read on to discover their specialisms, first-hand IBM experience, and key insights for 2022 and beyond.
Meet the Livingstone IBM Practice Team
.jpg)
Niall Eddery, IBM Practice Lead
I’m currently the head of the IBM Practice at Livingstone – a role with direct responsibility for managing audit and contract renewal engagements, and a leadership role in defining our services, methodologies and strategy.
I’ve been working in the IT and SAM industries for quite some time, with experience globally. My first real experience with IBM came when I started as an IBM auditor at KPMG. This taught me a lot about IBM, the audit methodologies, and customer management. I also worked in SAM teams at EY, Barclays and Macquarie Bank, before joining Livingstone in 2013.
It's a very interesting time in the IBM ecosystem. There’s a bit of a tug of war between our customers’ legacy investments in IBM software and the modernization and hybrid cloud strategies being embraced and developed, with an almost laser-like focus, by IBM. Much of our business is still driven by legacy issues like sub-capacity and audits, but slowly we are seeing more customers look to the future of those investments.
And now onto the rest of our team – in no particular order:
Cristobal Medina, Principal Consultant
I provide IBM Subject Matter Expertise across Livingstone Group to support the wider team in the delivery of Managed Services and audit support to our customers. Alongside other experienced colleagues I support the creation, maintenance and refinement of Vendor Licensing Review methodologies and cascade them throughout the function.
I started working as an IBM auditor for KPMG back in 2008, and then continued my work as a consultant and auditor, specializing in Microsoft for PwC in the UK until I joined Livingstone towards the end of 2016. Since then, I’ve enjoyed helping customers with their software challenges.
My goal is to help our customers achieve and maintain compliance with licensing terms. As a result, the outcome of potential audits and new negotiated contracts with IBM are more meaningful to our customers. I’d rather see organizations spending money where it makes sense to them, and not getting penalized for incorrectly-deployed, unused, or unmanaged legacy IBM software. My top tip? Keep an eye on your technology eligibility for sub-capacity licensing!
Steve Lee, Principal Licensing Consultant and IBM Subject Matter Expert
My key responsibility is to help customers manage compliance and identify opportunities for optimization, such as the removal of components that are no longer used. I’m passionate about “automation” and “doing things once”, enabling clients to improve the quality of their reporting and continuously control their software assets. Based on my experience, I also help clients navigate the realities and pitfalls of IBM audits and audit settlements.
I joined Livingstone in September 2021. Prior to that, I worked for IBM’s software and cloud business in multiple client-facing roles for over 20 years. This has given me a deep understanding of the commercial and legal aspects of IBM agreements – from IPLA to ELAs – as well as the details of many products and metrics. Having been a manager in IBM licensing and compliance, I also have a strong insight into the world of IBM audits.
For me, the key challenge facing our customers is the IBM drive towards SaaS and subscription business models, that may leave their IBM legacy software high and dry. There is potential to unlock value from existing investments through Cloud Paks and similar evolutions, but only embark on such a journey with your eyes wide open and with lots of support.
Camden Coble, Senior Consultant
My primary role is providing license positions to our customers, across a range of industries – from automotive, to technology, to healthcare. So that keeps life pretty interesting for me!
I joined a company called Siwel in 2018, and we became part of Livingstone in 2019. Before that I was a vendor manager for Seagate, and IBM was one of the relationships I managed.
For me, the difference between what we were doing internally at Seagate and what we do now is significant. The level of detail we go through at Livingstone when creating license positions is intense, and the audit methodologies capture everything. It is this attention to detail that allows us to deliver the most accurate insights and guidance to our customers.
Learn how Livingstone Group can meet your IBM needs
Make sure to catch Part 2 of our blog to meet the rest of the IBM team as they share more trends and tips for 2022 and beyond.
Our independent consultants already work with many of the world’s largest and most complex organizations, using their specialist expertise to advise on all things IBM, including contract renewals, negotiations, audits, compliance, and much more.
For more information please visit our dedicated IBM page, email us on info@livingstone-group.com, or click on the contact us tab on the the side of this page and one of our experts will be in touch.
You might like to watch:
Niall Eddery presented at the ITAM Review at the Online Summit: Software Vendor Insights 2022 where he explored IBM trends. He outlined his predictions and offered practical recommendations as to how your business should respond.
Another Year of IBM - What they did last year and what you can look forward to in 2022 and beyond.