License optimisation & cost reduction

The use and distribution of market and reference data may lead to complex licensing frameworks and the associated costs appear to be rising uncontrollably. The licensing landscape is exposed to many risks that lead to inefficiencies.

Fragmented sourcing, duplicate or overlapping subscriptions

It is standard practice for firms to procure comparable data from various vendors. This redundancy frequently arises due to departments conducting separate negotiations and the absence of centralized oversight. Consequently, duplicate or overlapping subscriptions occur, which increase costs without delivering additional incremental value.

Missing governance over data usage

Licenses and entitlements are acquired as needed, but changes in staffing or investment strategy can render some subscriptions obsolete without notice, leading to ongoing unnecessary costs.

Weak oversight over contracts and associated obligations

Missed roll-over or renewal dates can trigger unexpected auto-renewals and unplanned and unnecessary spend. Misinterpretations of license requirements, and a lack of control over usage rights and reporting obligations may lead to contractual breaches, audit findings, and retrospective payment of unreported licenses and entitlements.

Inefficient Data Architecture and Usage Patterns

As organizations expand, their data architecture becomes increasingly complex. In the absence of integrated, centralized systems, data may be stored in fragmented formats, resulting in reduced accessibility and potential overutilization. These inefficiencies can drive up costs without yielding corresponding improvements in efficiency or quality.

 

How we help

We critically analyse and assess the data use and distribution cases to understand if and how they fit into the corporate (investment) strategy. Thanks to deep industry knowledge, many years of international experience, and a holistic approach, we can quickly identify areas of improvement. Not only so-called “low-hanging fruit”, but also areas which may sound less obvious. Where applicable, we will compare your situation with peers.

The analysis identifies:

  • Under-utilized contracts, including data accesses and entitlements which can be de-activated;
  • Duplicate or overlapping subscriptions;
  • Overpriced contracts and licenses;
  • Over-licensing and under-licensing;
  • Data usage reporting gaps;
  • Areas of improvement for data usage and distribution.