Insights for IT Negotiations

As the biggest SaaS vendors (Microsoft, ServiceNow, and Salesforce) pivot to consumption-based licensing models for AI products and services, how will it impact customers' pricing and long-term value? In this episode, we break down the major industry licensing shift, what’s driving it on the vendors' side, and what customers need to negotiate to ensure they aren’t left behind. From upfront discounts to renewal protections and volume discount structures, we discuss the key strategies businesses must adopt to navigate this changing landscape. If you have an upcoming negotiation, this is a must-listen!Explore ourAdvisory Services here.

Salesforce just made a game-changing announcement—combining the COO and CFO roles into one, appointing Robin Washington to lead the charge. But with longtime executives Brian Millham and Amy Weaver stepping down, the market is reacting with skepticism. In this episode, we break down what this leadership shift means for Salesforce’s AI-driven future, how customers should prepare for these changes, and why Benioff is doubling down on Agentforce. Stay tuned for expert insights on what’s next for the cloud giant.

In this episode, we dive into the latest Salesforce renewal negotiations and the growing emphasis on AI and Data Cloud. With Salesforce pushing hard for Agentforce adoption, our Salesforce expert breaks down what this means for customers, the hidden costs behind consumption-based pricing, and the strategies you need to maximize value from your existing investments. Learn how to navigate pricing structures, secure discounts, and avoid future surprises. If you're a Salesforce customer facing renewal discussions, this is an episode you can't afford to miss! Learn more about how we can support your Salesforce negotiations by exploring our Salesforce Advisory Services.

Microsoft just reported its Q2 FY2025 earnings, highlighting strong cloud growth but falling short on future guidance. With AI-driven revenue at the forefront, Microsoft is pushing hard for greater adoption of Copilot, Microsoft 365 E5, and Azure services. If you’re an enterprise customer, this is the moment to negotiate better pricing, ensure transparency, and secure renewal protections. Microsoft needs you to use more—leverage that to get the best deal possible. Don’t miss this breakdown from UpperEdge’s expert Microsoft advisor on what it all means for your business. For more innovative IT sourcing and risk mitigation insights, subscribe to the UpperEdge newsletter and follow UpperEdge on LinkedIn and Twitter.

ServiceNow just reported its Q4 FY2024 earnings, revealing strong revenue growth but falling slightly short of analysts’ expectations. AI remains a major focus, with significant growth in its ProPlus offerings and a push toward increased customer adoption of Now Assist. With ambitious revenue targets of $15 billion by 2026 and $30 billion in the future, ServiceNow is looking to expand its footprint across IT, HR, and customer service. If you’re a customer, now is the time to negotiate better value and ensure transparency in pricing and consumption models. Don’t miss this deep dive from our ServiceNow expert advisor on what it all means for you. For more innovative IT sourcing and risk mitigation insights, subscribe to the UpperEdge newsletter and follow UpperEdge on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Welcome to Insights for IT Negotiations, a podcast by UpperEdge, a leading IT sourcing, negotiation, and project execution advisory firm. Join John Belden, UpperEdge’s Chief Research and Strategy Officer, and Kylie Chisholm, UpperEdge’s Marketing Manager, every other week as they share valuable insights to help you maximize the value of your key IT relationships. In this first episode of 2025, John and Kylie explore the key market forces set to shape the IT vendor landscape in the year ahead. They discuss the maturity of generative AI and its impact on Systems Integrators, the rising challenge of technical debt, and the federal policies that could significantly impact IT budgets and vendor strategies. Tune in for expert insights on how these trends will influence IT negotiations and how UpperEdge can help organizations navigate the shifting landscape. Resources: GRAPHIC – Visit the UpperEdge landing page for this episode to see an infographic on these market forces BLOG – Generative AI and AI Infrastructure from the Cloud Services Providers PODCAST - Innovative AI: A Conversation with EY’s Michael Casey and Gaurav Rastogi For a more tailored conversation around your 2025 strategy and Gen AI goals, Contact Us to learn how UpperEdge can help. For more innovative IT sourcing and risk mitigation insights, subscribe to the UpperEdge newsletter and follow UpperEdge on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Michael Casey, CTO of EY’s SAP and ERP practice with 27+ years in large-scale transformations, and Gaurav Rastogi, Managing Director at EY, share their insights on innovative AI solutions. They discuss EY's generative AI strategy, the launch of the EY.AI platform, and its 'human in the middle' philosophy. The duo also highlights how AI is transforming ERP implementations, improving practitioner support with digital agents, and navigating the complexities of generative AI, including intellectual property concerns and the necessity for human oversight.

Salesforce’s Q3 FY25 total revenue came in at $9.44B, representing an 8% growth year-over-year. This came in slightly above the $9.35B expected by analysts. While Salesforce did slightly raise the low end of their Full Year FY25 guidance from $37.7B to $37.7B (high end set at $38B), they also maintained an expected single digit revenue growth for FY25 at 8%-9%. It is clear from the earnings call that CEO Marc Benioff and COO Brian Millham will push their sales organization, which will have 1000 new members soon, to get more customers to start using their AI Agent offering Agentforce. Salesforce had 200 Agentforce wins in Q3. It was also clear that Salesforce will be pitching Data Cloud as part of a package deal with Agentforce. The push on customers is expected to be aggressive given the important role adopting these products will play in driving revenue growth for Salesforce moving forward. In this podcast, Salesforce Practice Leader, Adam Mansfield, discusses what Salesforce’s earnings mean for customers and what customers should expect from Salesforce as they push through their upcoming negotiations (in term or at renewal). In addition, Adam provides his perspective on how best to prepare for Salesforce’s aggressive push to get customers to adopt and start using Agentforce and Data Cloud. For more innovative IT sourcing and risk mitigation insights, subscribe to the UpperEdge newsletter and follow UpperEdge on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Welcome to Insights for IT Negotiations, a podcast by UpperEdge, a leading IT sourcing, negotiation, and project execution advisory firm. Join John Belden, UpperEdge’s Chief Research and Strategy Officer, and Kylie Chisholm, UpperEdge’s Marketing Manager, every other week as they share valuable insights to help you maximize the value of your key IT relationships. This week, John and Kylie are talking with UpperEdge’s expert Managed Services advisor, Scott Braverman, about Generative AI’s impact on Managed Services offerings, specifically in the field services sector. They discuss why field services will likely be the most impacted by Gen AI and give tips for evaluating Gen AI in a field services environment. Resources: BLOG – 4 Actions to Enable Gen AI Success in Field Services WEBINAR – Mitigating Cloud Transformation Risks in AWS, Azure, and MSP Relationships For a more tailored conversation around your Managed Services and Gen AI goals, explore our Managed Services Advisory to see how UpperEdge can help. For more innovative IT sourcing and risk mitigation insights, subscribe to the UpperEdge newsletter and follow UpperEdge on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Microsoft announced their FY25 Q1 earnings last evening. Total revenue was reported as $65.6B, better than the $64.5B that analysts were expecting. The critically important Microsoft Cloud revenue, which includes Azure, O365 Commercial, LinkedIn, Dynamics 365, and other cloud products, came in at $38.B, representing a 22% increase year-over-year. Microsoft’s go-forward success and revenue growth (including ARPU growth) will continue to be directly tied to Microsoft’s ability to expand their Cloud revenue and AI Business revenue, which is tracking towards becoming a $10B business. Their success will also be tied to getting more customers to adopt and use their AI solutions, like Microsoft 365 Copilot, GitHub Copilot, Copilot Studio and the agents built in Copilot, as well as get more customers to migrate to the costly all-in Microsoft 365 E5 suite. In this podcast, our Microsoft Practice Leader, Adam Mansfield, discusses how Microsoft customers can take advantage of Microsoft’s needs, clear goals and focus areas to ensure the right deal is struck at the negotiation table. He also covers what Microsoft customers should expect from the vendor as they prepare for their renewal negotiations. For more innovative IT sourcing and risk mitigation insights, subscribe to the UpperEdge newsletter and follow UpperEdge on LinkedIn and Twitter.