Why accuracy of data in the ITAM and SAM industry goes beyond just the analytics solution

As businesses across the globe face the daunting reality of increased audits due to the impact of COVID-19, the latest Magic Quadrant (MQ), released by Gartner for the Software Asset Management (SAM) industry, has raised serious concerns about the factual content of the Gartner’s Magic Quadrant report.

The aim of Gartner’s MQ is to provide an impartial, factual overview of the key players within the SAM industry and help businesses understand the technology providers they might consider for a specific IT technology investment opportunity.

 “The importance of data accuracy in the SAM market is key, but unfortunately the information presented about Certero in this most recent MQ, highlights the lack of understanding of Certero. The inaccuracies within the report will mis-lead customers about our products and services, not to mention the damage this has on our brand and reputation”, said Steve Willmore, CMO of Certero.

The report is a clear demonstration that the market needs to look beyond the report as the representation of inaccurate information can affect an organization ability to choose the right partner.  Certero believes the SAM market has not moved on enough from the outdated 2010 way of delivering SAM solutions and believe global organizations actually need a solution that is fit for 2020 and beyond.

Certero prides itself on actual user-based, practical experience which outweighs the view of such industry analysis. In 2019 Certero was the highest rated SAM tools vendor, awarded the Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice Distinction for Software Asset Management tools. This is a prime example of how we put the customer first and is something that Certero are particularly proud of, as these reviews are written by Certero’s existing customers and vetted by Gartner before inclusion.

Willmore continues “Certero’s position always has been and will continue to be - data accuracy first.  Certero set out on a path to deliver the best IT Hardware and Software Asset Management solution by doing it differently from the other players within this industry. Maybe that is why the section in the report about Certero, is fundamentally wrong. Maybe they just don’t believe there is a different way of doing things”.

Working with an IT solution such as Certero is an important investment, and CIOs and IT Managers should look beyond a single inventory and analytics report to discover a technology provider that is reputable, credible and suitable for a clients IT requirements.

When CIOs and IT Managers are looking to invest in a new solution platform to help manage their IT estate, many will want to work with a solution that will find, manage and optimize their IT assets in one place. The technology landscape is evolving at rapid speed and it’s more important than ever for IT managers to future-proof their IT assets to prepare for new cyberthreats, especially with the rise of remote working, and provide essential tools that ensure business continuity.

Certero prides itself on five pivotal messages:

1.       Business model:  Certero follows a hyper-scalable model, one that is completely different to the traditional ‘high capital cost’ model that other SAM providers have today.  We chose to create this disruptive model to ensure we deliver the best products, the best unified platform with a low-cost footprint, coupled with a high skilled workforce.  It is Certero’s belief that you do not need multiple offices with oversized teams performing manual data and process driven tasks (something we call ‘heavy lifting’), when our products automate the process, providing a much quicker time to value for our customers. Certero is the only provider who offers a true unified SaaS solution, with scope that covers Mobile to Mainframe to Cloud, and fully supported by a team of highly experienced experts in the IT field, at a highly competitive price point.
2.     Location: Certero has strategically based itself in three sub-hemispheres, America’s, EMEA and APAC. We partner and serve customers (with assets ranging from 1,000 to 250,000) both locally and globally to deliver best in class Products and/or Managed Services. Our decision to locate offices in the US, UK and Australia means we can offer an always-on approach using some of the best skilled resources in the world.
3.   Technology: Certero has 10 products, all highly advanced, with our own architectural advantage at its core, coupled with high levels of automation (which is a must in today’s IT world) and all deliverable as a SaaS offering, with the exception of our PC Power Management product called PowerStudio.
4.   Services: Certero was created to strategically offer a ‘one stop shop’ for those organizations who required access to some of the most experienced and capable licensing experts in the world. As highlighted on Gartner Peer Insights, Certero are currently running at 5/5 stars which is most important for Certero as our customers view us as a credible partner. In contrast to what was implied in the latest  MQ report, Certero’s Products do not have a dependency on Services. An approach that we know will be appealing to those organizations seeking a SAM tool only.  
5.   Security: Certero believes security is one of the top priorities for CIO’s and IT Asset Managers when implementing their digital transformation strategies and is another example of where standards need to improve across the wider SAM market.  Certero is committed to driving up standards and as such, was awarded their ISO27001 certification in 2020, providing customers with the confidence that Security is one of Certero’s top priorities and security of an end to end ISO27001 SaaS provision.

As a business, Certero has progressed and evolved over the past few years to build an innovative technology solution that challenges the outdated SAM2010 approach and delivers a differentiated SAM2020 solution. We strongly recommend organizations undertake their own analysis and proof of concept, to fully understand the offering and benefits Certero provides. One that can be completely delivered as SaaS, providing true ‘unification’ of all assets via a single pane of glass with a single source of normalized data, straight out of the box.  A solution and approach that is unique to Certero.

Certero did not participate in any research conducted by Gartner in preparation of this report and as such were informed by Gartner that they would not be included.  Certero are disappointed that Gartner chose to include Certero within the latest Magic Quadrant report for SAM Tools due to the misrepresentation and the majority of the content relating to Certero, being factually incorrect.  Because of this, Certero does not support or endorse any of the content written about Certero.

About Certero:

Certero is the leading provider of unified IT Hardware, Software and Cloud Asset Management solutions for the global IT industry. Working with customers across the North America, EMEA, and APAC regions, Certero is helping IT leaders and teams make sense of their world through the delivery of their Enterprise ready unified platform.

In 2013 Certero set out on a journey to think and do IT hardware and software asset management differently. To challenge the traditional, outdated delivery method and give customers true unification across all their platforms, from mobile to mainframe to cloud, delivered as SasS, on-Prem or as a hybrid solution. Thus, helping customers and partners, to normalize all their IT and software data, through one single pane of glass.

With a customer first ethos, Certero has earned the trust of some of the leading global brands across the finance, manufacturing, health, retail and technology sectors, by helping IT remove the risk and complexities of their IT estate and deliver real-time, accurate data of all their assets at any given moment.

In 2019 Certero was the highest rated SAM tools vendor, awarded the Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice Distinction for Software Asset Management tools.

Disclaimer: Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice constitute the subjective opinions of individual end-user reviews, ratings, and data applied against a documented methodology; they neither represent the views of, nor constitute an endorsement by, Gartner or its affiliates.