Microsoft, Flexera To Streamline Enterprise Software Management

The enterprise B2B Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) market is booming, and Microsoft wants to help SMBs and SMEs manage all of the products they’re using.

Revealed in a news announcement on Wednesday (July 12), Microsoft is teaming up with Flexera, a software management firm, to help businesses manage their software supply chains — including the purchase, deployment and use of software.

The companies said their partnership will deploy Microsoft’s Intelligent Asset Manager, a new solution it offers that helps SMBs and SMEs analyze consumption and usage of software. Intelligent Asset Manager combines with Flexera’s Software Asset Management solution FlexNet Manager Suite. Microsoft business clients can manage the software they license from Microsoft to ensure vendors and customers are on the same page about what has been purchased and how it can be used.

“Flexera understands how important transparency and vendor involvement are in a healthy software supply chain,” said Flexera President and CEO Jim Ryan in a statement. “We’re extremely proud to work with Microsoft to help our mutual customers create more value-driven relationships and get more from their Software Asset Management deployments.”

“In industries with healthy supply chains, there is never any question or disagreement between the supplier and buyer regarding what products have been purchased, what’s been used and how much is owed,” the executive continued. “Through this important collaboration, Flexera and Microsoft are at the forefront of a supply chain being reimagined. For the first time, we’re creating a managed and transparent process using pre-agreed metrics. It will ultimately save time, money and remove friction between Microsoft and its customers — opening the door to more strategic discussions focused on value and not compliance.”

Microsoft has been a major proponent of the SaaS boom, declaring in 2015 that the industry was entering a new age of enterprise B2B SaaS.

“Every one of these businesses now is going to become a software business,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, referring to any company that decides to digitize operations. “You’re going to reason over that data, you’re going to build applications, you’re going to do analytics and predictions. You’re going to provide SaaS services that go along with your products.”