Insights for IT Negotiations

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, recently reported Q2 FY19 earnings and shared a very interesting bit of information; Google Cloud’s annual run rate is now $8B. The last and only time Alphabet shared Google Cloud’s annual run rate was in February of 2018 when it was $4B. In this podcast, Practice Leader, Adam Mansfield, discusses how they achieved this impressive growth in such a short period of time and covers what enterprise customers should know (and expect) if they are considering Google Cloud Platform (GCP) or contemplating a move from Microsoft Office 365 to Google G Suite.

As many SAP customers begin their ECC to S/4HANA migration journey, we’re noticing many organizations focusing too heavily on some elements of their sourcing strategy and not enough on others. In this podcast, SAP Practice Leader, Len Riley, discusses the four key elements of the sourcing strategy that you must contemplate with your team in order to establish a holistic and integrated sourcing strategy that will enable your ECC to S/4HANA transition. He also describes the three major challenges we often see with software, system implementation, hosting and application maintenance and support vendor evaluations and negotiations that are often overlooked and critical to enabling your successful migration from ECC to S/4HANA. Host: Len Riley: https://bit.ly/3fqLI99 SAP Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/3yjImwb

SAP ECC to S/4HANA migrations are complex projects that come with many challenges but they also represent opportunities for customers to improve their previous licensing agreements. However, this complex undertaking requires significant planning since SAP’s motivations for S/4HANA migrations directly conflict with the motivations of its customers. In this podcast, SAP Practice Leader, Len Riley discusses what SAP’s motivations are, how they differ than their customers’ motivations, and the two key questions customers must answer before they even begin the negotiation process. Host: Len Riley: https://bit.ly/3fqLI99 SAP Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/3yjImwb

ServiceNow beat market expectations with another strong quarter. Their positive results support the underlying message of their recent rebranding and change in marketing and sales approach – ServiceNow is no longer just a tool for IT. In this podcast, Analyst Bearson Smith, discusses some key highlights from the earnings call, what ServiceNow’s shift in focus is really about, and how customers can ensure they are getting more than just the right price. Host: Bearson Smith: https://bit.ly/2TW2LZk ServiceNow Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/3ls6VDt

If you are a Salesforce customer, you may not be aware that Salesforce recently removed their standard renewal price protection from their Master Subscription Agreement. Besides the fact that customers are now completely exposed and Salesforce has increased leverage at renewal, this also gives us a glimpse into the strategies and approaches being developed behind the scenes at Salesforce as they look for ways to increase spend and adoption from their customer base. Host: Adam Mansfield: https://bit.ly/3rPGp8r SalesForce Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/37hFkMV

Judson Althoff, executive vice president of Microsoft's Worldwide Commercial Business organization, kicked off Microsoft Inspire 2019 with a promise that all solution areas will get better in FY20. Specific to Microsoft Teams, he said, customers are going to see more collaborative capabilities and AI capabilities. A focus on innovating Teams and adding capabilities makes perfect sense as Microsoft is aggressively trying to ramp usage in order to keep competitors like Slack out of their customers’ ecosystems. Host: Adam Mansfield: https://bit.ly/3rPGp8r Microsoft Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/2V78ADX

Oracle shared some interesting facts in its Q4 earnings call that uncover the latest tactics its using to expand product adoption, forecast Autonomous Database growth, and seed its customer base. In this podcast, Practice Leader, Jeff Lazarto discusses some concerns with the numbers being reported and what potential and current Oracle customers should expect and prepare for when considering Autonomous Database. Host: Jeff Lazarto: https://bit.ly/37eCXdN Oracle Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/3jdtF7p

Google Cloud CEO, Thomas Kurian, recently stated they want to be the easiest cloud provider to do business with. Amongst a number efforts to achieve this distinction, they will introduce easier pricing and easier contracting. In this podcast, Adam Mansfield discusses why this is a smart approach and how it would differentiate Google from rival cloud vendors like Microsoft, Amazon and even Salesforce if it's successful.

In its recent Q4 earnings call, Oracle focused on the security features of both Generation 2 Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI2) and the Autonomous Database. In today’s world of data breaches routinely making headlines and the resulting fall from grace of company CEOs, Oracle’s sales pitch is ultimately about providing high-level security that ultimately saves the CEO. In this podcast, Oracle Practice Leader Jeff Lazarto, discusses what Oracle is claiming about OCI2 and Autonomous Database and what this means for current and potential customers. Host: Jeff Lazarto: https://bit.ly/37eCXdN Oracle Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/3jdtF7p

As you prepare for your cloud subscription renewal negotiation, it is important to first assess and understand the goals and objectives of the cloud vendor sitting across the table from you. There are certainly universal things that matter to all cloud vendors pretty much at any point in time, like increased spend and product expansion but there are a few things that matter most to ServiceNow right now. Based on experience, knowing these things and how best to use them will have a significant impact on the success of your upcoming renewal negotiation. Host: Adam Mansfield: https://bit.ly/3rPGp8r ServiceNow Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/3ls6VDt