Cost Control and Compliance Made Easy

As one of Turkey’s largest banks, Akbank operates a vast IT infrastructure with more than 8,500 Windows and Unix servers. For years, the Infrastructure Technologies Department lacked full visibility into its software estate. Tracking license consumption was time-consuming and relied on manual tools like Excel—especially challenging when dealing with complex metrics from database vendors, such as VPC and PVU for Unix-based products.

“A vendor’s license metrics can get very complex,” said Neslihan Kop Özen from Akbank’s Infrastructure Technologies Department. “It’s not possible to manage a license inventory manually by checking contracts and updating spreadsheets. We saw this clearly during renewals and budget planning.” Akbank recognized the need for detailed license reporting, better management of major vendor licenses and audit readiness. Their existing processes simply couldn’t keep up.

After reviewing several tools and consulting Gartner Magic Quadrants, the bank chose USU Software Asset Management. USU’s strong reputation, experience with large enterprises, and global network of expert partners—like MOS Academy—were key factors in the decision. With the solution up and running, using Raynet scanning technology, Akbank’s IT team began collecting license data from more than 8,500 Windows and Unix servers. After gathering and normalizing the data, the team moved on to detailed license reporting for major software vendors.

An early challenge appeared during the discovery phase: database vendor software on Unix servers wasn’t being detected correctly. These applications were mission-critical, so accurate detection was essential. USU’s team quickly identified the issue—software had been installed in a non-standard way. Working closely with Akbank, USU engineers developed a tailored method to identify the software accurately within the bank’s environment. The IT team first assigned specific domain users to the project, then set up appropriate authorization levels in the SAM tool. This allowed for successful, accurate scans.

With USU IT Asset Management, Akbank fully automated software inventory collection—saving time and quickly gaining high-quality, accurate data across its IT landscape. Flexible, automated inventory methods helped streamline processes and strengthen data integrity. The solution also supports license optimization through better product lifecycle management for major database vendors. Akbank can now track license usage in near real-time, plan purchases based on actual needs and build fact-based budgets. Audit risks and compliance surprises are no longer a concern.

“Akbank’s SAM project was complex due to a wide range of high-tech software and strict security policies,” said Kerim Yüksel, Founder & Managing Director of MOS Academy. “Thanks to USU’s flexible structure, we tackled every challenge. The tailored compliance reports we created are a real milestone for global SAM practices.” The result: full transparency, stronger control, and real impact—achieved as one team.