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  • 1.  CMS License renewals after Broadcom aquisition

    Posted May 14, 2020 07:36 AM
    Hi all,

    Has anyone else had to recently process CMS renewals since the move to Broadcom? We're an Academic customer using CMS +GSS with maintenance expiring later this month and the cost we're being quoted is quadruple our normal annual cost... which we obviously haven't budgeted for. It's almost as if they want to get rid of all their customers?

    We've received some strange excuse about these now being subscription licenses and not permanent - however if your AUP expires most products stop working so I don't know how they believed there was anything permanent about the previous model.

    Has anyone else had similar - and have they managed to negotiate at least some temporary renewal pricing to soften the blow. If anyone knows contact info for a product manager who might be able to help please let me know!

    Best Regards,

    Laurence


  • 2.  RE: CMS License renewals after Broadcom aquisition

    Posted May 15, 2020 06:37 AM
    Hi Laurence,

    Yes, we're in a similar position.  Renewal is due in the next couple of months and I asked for quote for some additional licences but we've now been told it's a subscription model.  Not sure yet how that affects the SMA of our existing perpetual licences, but we won't be happy if we have to pay the full subscription cost for those as well, considering we paid for those licences upfront.  Absolutely zero contact from anyone at Broadcom since the acquisition, I've done all my quotes through our reseller.

    Let us know if you do manage to find out any more info...

    Thanks,

    Chris.

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    Keele University
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  • 3.  RE: CMS License renewals after Broadcom aquisition

    Posted May 15, 2020 12:11 PM

    Hate to pile on but we've had a horrible experience with licensing...

    We had long drawn out process of acquiring 200 more licenses.  Submitted in late December, yea bad timing!  Our reseller spent 4 months trying to get anyone from Broadcom to respond or process the order on their end. Mid April I reached out to an old Symantec contact for help, it still took almost 4 weeks to get the license file, then the file i received has the wrong end date and now our previous 2800 now expire 6 months early with 200 new.   Vendor cannot get a response from Broadcom and suggested I open a ticket. 

    The entire support model and treatment of smaller CMS shops has taken a backseat.  We now have a SCCM and Intune being brought in for "our Cloud first strategy". At a previous employer, went through migrating to SCCM process 8 or 9 years ago (minus cloud) moving from DS 6.9 and CMS 7x. I can safely say CMS is a far superior product, however the second class citizen treatment from Broadcom is fuel to fire.  (Side note: opened a P2 yesterday for CEM issues, who knows if I'll get any support on that one.)   

    Laurence - I'll reach-out to my contact and send him a link to this thread.  Not sure if he will engage or not but is worth a shot.  DM me if you like. 

    Regards,
    Terry




  • 4.  RE: CMS License renewals after Broadcom aquisition

    Posted May 16, 2020 05:38 PM
    Hello, 

    We had such similar experience during the transition and we were fighting for keep our perpetual licenses. Finally the rule was that, if your company already had at least one perpetual license for one particular software, then you can get more/renew perpetual licenses for exactly same software.

    In our case we renewed or perpetual licenses and we got even more but it was hard specially because nobody even answered us during long time.

    Hope it helps





  • 5.  RE: CMS License renewals after Broadcom aquisition

    Posted May 20, 2020 11:56 AM
    Quick update for those following the lack of support...6 days and not assigned engineer, no response at all.  Sent a "Plea" for help Sunday May 17, within the case.  Just posted again with "raise management concern" for our ongoing CEM issue. 
    Terry


  • 6.  RE: CMS License renewals after Broadcom aquisition

    Posted May 28, 2020 02:39 PM
    Pablo - are you a large company or are you a 'commercial' customer and when was this? We have been told categorically that customers MUST re-purchase their licenses with subscription licenses if they wish to keep the software maintained. I'm not actually sure this is legal (from similar situation that have arisen in the past) but it will take some customers to challenge this legally to get it changed.

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    Incit Technology Ltd
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  • 7.  RE: CMS License renewals after Broadcom aquisition

    Posted May 28, 2020 04:20 PM
    We are a large company, with around 35.000 licenses (just counting EMEA) and the same behavior was with CMS and SEP licenses. The perpetual licenses cannot be removed, is for that because are perpetual. And I insist, the rule was that you can keep the perpetual agreement if you have at least one perpetual license live.

    Hope it helps.





  • 8.  RE: CMS License renewals after Broadcom aquisition

    Posted May 29, 2020 06:55 AM
    Thanks Pablo. You are right about the perpetual licenses. As a large customer though you get treated differently, which is why you have been allowed to renew and buy additional perpetual licenses. Unfortunately these customers are 1000 to 5000 clients and we have been told that as 'commercial' customers they cannot renew or buy more perpetual licenses. They have to repurchase their licenses as subscription licenses if they wish to keep the product up to date or use patch management. My experience suggests this is illegal as I have seen customers challenge vendors over  very similar situations and win, but this does require the customer to raise the legal question. Did you legally challenge Broadcom or did they give in fairly easily?

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    Incit Technology Ltd
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  • 9.  RE: CMS License renewals after Broadcom aquisition

    Posted Jul 02, 2020 12:17 PM
    Hi Laurence,
    Fellow UK HE user here. I'm so glad that our last renewal gave us licences until August next year! Gives us more time to assess the future, although my boss any many colleagues believes the future begins with M and ends in "soft"...
    Martin

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    Bangor University
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