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About the firm

One side of the table. Yours.

IBM Audit is an independent audit defense and negotiation firm that works for the company under audit, never for the vendor. Established in 2019, we exist for a single moment: the IBM software audit, and the settlement that follows. We are not affiliated with IBM Corporation.

Independent · buyer side onlyEst. 2019
$250M+
Audit exposure defended
500+
Engagements delivered
30 to 92%
Findings reduction range
48hr
Mobilization on notice
Why we are independent.

Most firms that touch IBM licensing also resell IBM, partner with IBM, or hope to. That alignment quietly bends every recommendation toward the vendor. We took the opposite position. We do not resell IBM, we do not partner with IBM, and we are not affiliated with IBM Corporation. Our only client is the company facing the audit.

That matters because an IBM software audit is not a neutral fact-finding exercise. It is a commercial motion run by a counterparty with an incentive to maximize the finding. The PVU math, the sub-capacity denial, the bundling interpretation: each is presented as settled, and each is contestable. A firm that needs to stay friendly with IBM will not contest them the way a buyer side firm will.

We sit on your side of the table from the first letter to the signed settlement, and we keep that position even when it is uncomfortable for the vendor.

How we work.

Four steps, every engagement: Contain. Reconcile. Challenge. Settle.

01
Contain
Control the data request and the clock. Nothing goes to IBM until it is scoped, curated and defensible.
02
Reconcile
Run our own PVU and sub-capacity calculation against your entitlements before IBM finishes theirs.
03
Challenge
Dispute the findings line by line: wrong PVU values, denied sub-capacity, missing entitlement offsets.
04
Settle
Negotiate the number down and fold forward renewal terms and reinstatement into the settlement letter.
What we do.
01
Audit Defense
End to end management of the IBM audit motion, with your compliance position built before IBM completes theirs.
02
Audit Negotiation
Findings challenged line by line, the settlement reduced, forward terms folded into the deal.
03
ILMT Remediation
Fix the configuration, correct miscategorized installs, and restore a defensible sub-capacity posture.
04
PVU Reconciliation
Independent processor value unit recalculation against entitlements and Passport Advantage records.
05
Sub-Capacity Defense
Defend the virtual capacity claim where IBM has defaulted you to full capacity charging.
06
Settlement Negotiation
Close the audit on terms that name the products, the number, and the sub-capacity reinstatement plan.

"They built our compliance position before IBM finished theirs, then challenged the findings line by line. The exposure dropped by over seventy percent."

VP of IT Procurement · Global Manufacturer

Put a buyer side firm on it.

$250M+ in exposure defended across 500+ engagements. We mobilize within 48 hours of your audit notice. Independent and buyer side, every time.

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The IBM Audit Brief

Audit triggers, ILMT pitfalls, and settlement tactics for IBM software buyers.

IBM Audit

Independent, buyer side IBM software audit defense and negotiation. Not affiliated with IBM Corporation.

Services
Audit DefenseAudit NegotiationILMT RemediationSub-Capacity Defense
Products
WebSphereDb2CognosCloud Pak
Company
AboutContactJournalWhite Papers
Independent. Not affiliated with IBM Corporation.Buyer Side · Est. 2019