Plarium Optimizes SaaS Management with Zluri, Uncovers Dozens of Unused Applications

In an insightful discussion with Plarium’s Global IT Operations Manager, Sharon Kofman, we explored the company's challenges in managing its SaaS infrastructure and how Zluri played a pivotal role in transforming its operations.

Challenges Faced by Plarium

Plarium's IT team encountered several significant challenges that hindered the efficient management of their SaaS ecosystem:

• Lack of Visibility: Plarium struggled to identify all the applications in use within the company. The IT team lacked clarity on the exact number of applications and who was using them, leading to inefficiencies and potential risks.
• Manual Tracking of Licences: Documenting licences and subscription expiry dates was manual, time-consuming, and prone to errors, making it difficult to manage their SaaS stack effectively.
• Shadow IT: The absence of a unified SaaS management platform resulted in significant challenges, including shadow IT, where applications were used without the IT department's awareness. Additionally, incomplete application mapping made tracking user-application relationships and managing excess licensing difficult. This lack of clarity led to uncertainty in the actual costs incurred. 

Plarium implemented Zluri's Unified SaaS Management platform to address these challenges, significantly improving its operations.

Zluri Uncovers Dozens of Unused Applications, Optimizes SaaS Management

Before implementing Zluri, Plarium was aware of a certain number of applications, but Zluri’s discovery engine revealed nearly two dozen additional applications that had gone unnoticed. Some of these applications were unmanaged, having been procured via credit card outside the usual procurement process. This newfound visibility enabled the IT department to take proactive measures, optimise resources, and make informed decisions about its SaaS stack.

The comprehensive visibility provided by Zluri empowered Plarium to optimise its budget planning and resource allocation, leading to improved operational efficiency. The platform also facilitated centralised application and licence management, which streamlined the procurement process and allowed real-time monitoring of all applications used within the organisation.

Effective onboarding and integration setup 

Initial Steps of Onboarding: Plarium began by implementing all essential integrations to enhance its application discovery capabilities. It achieved near-complete mapping across its ecosystem by leveraging its identity management service, Okta. Additionally, it deployed Windows agents on Jamf and Intune for its Windows computers, ensuring comprehensive visibility and control.

Zluri's Onboarding Assistance: Zluri's team provided exceptional support during the onboarding phase. They conducted multiple training sessions to help Plarium's team familiarise themselves with the platform's features and functionalities. Weekly meetings were scheduled with the team for several months, facilitating smooth communication and addressing concerns. Zluri team also guided them through enabling SaaS app integrations across various applications and promptly resolved any offline issues. 

Personalised support to thrive toward roadmap goals

Going Above and Beyond: Plarium’s IT Operations Manager praised Zluri's exceptional customer support. Zluri’s team worked closely with Plarium, discussing their goals and roadmap and incorporating their feedback into the platform’s development. This close collaboration resulted in a highly positive experience for the Plarium team.

“I think it's phenomenal that Zluri sat with us and checked our goals, what’s on our roadmap, and where I would like this collaboration to go. All of this made it an excellent experience with the Zluri team,” shared Plarium’s IT Operations Manager - Sharon Kofman.

Conclusion

Zluri's comprehensive platform and exceptional support have positioned Plarium for continued success in optimising its technology stack and total cost of ownership. This collaboration addressed Plarium's immediate challenges and laid a strong foundation for future growth and innovation.

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