Insights for IT Negotiations

Enterprise AI vendors like OpenAI (ChatGPT), Anthropic (Claude), and Google (Gemini) are aggressively targeting enterprise customers—and they need your business. In this video, Adam Mansfield breaks down why enterprises must slow down, negotiate hard, and secure the right commitments before signing AI contracts with any of these vendors. Enterprises need to ensure the proper pricing is in place (u...

In this episode, Adam Mansfield shares unfiltered insight into what Microsoft customers actually want from Microsoft heading into 2026. Drawing on conversations with CIOs and senior business leaders, Adam explains growing frustration around forced upgrades, E5 and Copilot pressure, Azure commitments, and pricing tactics that prioritize vendor outcomes over customer value. This discussion focuses o...

In this video, Adam Mansfield shares grounded, real-world insights from ongoing conversations with Salesforce customers, analysts, and the investment community. He explains why aggressive pricing tactics and forced product strategies are undermining trust—and how Salesforce can instead accelerate growth by refocusing on customer value, transparency, and listening. From renewals and portfolio ratio...

Many organizations still focus heavily on SLA metrics like uptime and ticket closure rates, but those metrics alone do not create strong governance or long-term value. In this episode of Insights for IT Negotiations , Kylie Chisholm is joined by UpperEdge managed services experts Greg Hall and Ally Kuppens to discuss why the structure behind SLAs is often more important than the metrics themselves...

Microsoft has kicked off a rapid pricing and commercial-policy shift that will materially impact most enterprise renewals. First, Microsoft’s  volume discounting levels (B/C/D)  have effectively been removed (unless you have airtight renewal price protection language). Next, Microsoft announced  core SKU list price increases effective July 1, 2026 , with select “value add” features rolled into bun...

Salesforce just reported its Q3 FY26 earnings: $10.3B in Total Revenue, slowing growth in core clouds, and formidable ARR headlines for Agentforce and Data Cloud (Data 360). But what do these numbers actually mean for your next Salesforce deal? In this video, Adam Mansfield breaks down: Q3 FY26 results across all of Salesforce’s “clouds” (Sales, Service, Marketing, Commerce, MuleSoft, Slack…etc.)...

Salesforce is pushing Salesforce Foundations and Data 360 provisioning hard as “no-cost” offers — but the real story starts once you hit usage limits. In this video, Adam Mansfield breaks down what’s actually included, why Salesforce cares so much about getting this into your order form, and how you can protect your budget. You’ll learn: What comes with Salesforce Foundations (Einstein requests, A...

Many ServiceNow customers are being told Impact is “mandatory” to win discounts or concessions—especially around year-end renewals. In this video, Adam Mansfield explains how to negotiate lower Impact percentages, lock protections for the full term, preserve your right to drop Impact at renewal, and tie lower Impact costs to better underlying product pricing and AI/Now Assist packs. Learn how to h...

In this episode of Insights for IT Negotiations , hosts John Belden and Kylie Chisholm sit down with Jesse Webb, IT Director at SaskPower, to explore the story behind the utility’s highly successful SAP S/4HANA transformation. Jesse shares the lessons learned from SaskPower’s multi-year modernization journey, from managing vendor costs and internal resource capacity to building a cohesive cross-fu...

In this video, Adam dives into Microsoft’s FY26 Q1 earnings report, which exceeded expectations with strong revenue growth and significant advancements in their commercial and cloud sectors. He discusses the importance of strategic planning for renewals, especially given Microsoft’s impressive Cloud Revenue, and clear objectives Microsoft has made publicly known (including expanding ARPU through E...

Adam breaks down ServiceNow’s Q3 FY25 earnings call, highlighting 22% revenue growth, strong subscription performance, and a bold AI roadmap. With Now Assist and Pro Plus deals gaining traction, and CRM commentary heating up between McDermott and Benioff (Salesforce, CEO), this episode is a must-watch for customers preparing for ServiceNow renewals or considering in-term upgrades and purchases. Ke...

In this episode of  Insights for IT Negotiations , host Kylie Chisholm is joined by Adam Mansfield, UpperEdge’s Salesforce Practice Leader, to unpack everything from Dreamforce 2025. They dive into how Salesforce’s Agentic Enterprise Licensing Agreement (AELA) is reshaping enterprise licensing, the emphasis on AI and “Agentforce,” and what all this means for you as a Salesforce customer approachin...

During Dreamforce, Salesforce announced a new “unlimited” Agentic Enterprise Licensing Agreement (AELA) that promises unlimited use and simplicity at a set (and predictable) flat fee. But without proper transparency or post-term protections, Salesforce customers could be in for a world of hurt at the renewal time. In this quick take video, Adam breaks down what products are the focus (Agentforce,...

In this episode of Insights for IT Negotiations , host Kylie Chisholm talks with Adam Mansfield , UpperEdge’s Salesforce Practice Advisory Leader, about how customers can successfully prepare for upcoming Salesforce renewals . Adam discusses why many organizations are frustrated with Salesforce’s current direction, particularly its heavy focus on Agentforce and AI, while overlooking existing custo...

SaaS vendors are sliding a nasty detail into SaaS renewal term price protections: taking a “3–5% cap” and multiplying it by the  number of years  in your next term (e.g., 3% × 3-year = 9%). That’s not a cap—that’s compounding pain. Adam shows how to spot it, why it’s spreading, and exactly how to push back. Key takeaways There  needs to be a cap on the increase a SaaS vendor can apply  to your pri...

Most buyers anchor on “$30/user/month” for Microsoft 365 Copilot—but that’s not the real price. The right move is to negotiate the total cost by tying Copilot to your  underlying Microsoft 365 E3/E5  pricing, then secure  renewal protections  so Microsoft can’t claw it back later. Key plays you can use: Treat “M365 E3/E5 + M365 Copilot” as one subscription and price Push back on minimums and volum...

Oracle just named two co-CEOs and doubled down on an AI-first future. Jeff Lazarto explains how OCI’s gigawatt-scale GPU superclusters, Oracle’s vectorized “AI database,” and application-layer AI agents could make Oracle the standard for AI training and—soon—enterprise inferencing. He also highlights what this means for customers evaluating Oracle today: timing, deal leverage, and a practical path...

In this breakdown, Adam Mansfield unpacks Salesforce’s Q2 FY26 results and the bigger story: Agentforce and Data Cloud’s consumption model. He highlights what Salesforce shared—and what they didn’t—so you can be fully prepared as you head into upcoming renewal negotiations and even your Dreamforce attendance. Key Takeaways: Revenue: $10.2B (+10%) Subscription and Support Revenue: $9.7B (+11%) 12.5...

SaaS vendors often push programmatic renewal price increases—whether you used the product’s features (new or existing) or not. Here’s a fairer, customer-focused approach: only permit price hikes at renewal when (1) the SaaS vendor enhanced the production being subscribed to since your last renewal and (2) you’re actually using those enhancements. That aligns spend to delivered value and incentiviz...

In this episode of Insights for IT Negotiations , UpperEdge’s Adam Mansfield joins to break down Microsoft’s recent announcement to eliminate Enterprise Agreement (EA) volume discounts starting November 1st. Adam explains what this change means for enterprise customers, how executives are reacting, and the strategies organizations can use to prepare. From executive-level conversations to utilizati...

In this episode, Adam Mansfield, Salesforce Practice Leader at UpperEdge and industry expect, explains what the new Pay-As-You-Go and Pre-Commit, and Pre-Purchase pricing models mean for enterprise customers and why Salesforce is providing them. Key takeaways and what will be covered: Breakdown of all three Agentforce pricing options: Pre-Purchase, Pay-As-You-Go, and Pre-Commit What EVP of Corpora...

Effective November 1, 2025, Microsoft will eliminate EA volume-based discounts for online services like Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365. Adam Mansfield, Microsoft Practice Leader at UpperEdge, breaks down the impact, why Microsoft is making this change, and how enterprise customers can push back. Learn how this move ties to Microsoft’s motivation to accelerate ARPU growth, increased product adoptio...

Microsoft closed FY25 with strong revenue growth, fueled by Copilot adoption, E5 momentum, and Azure’s breakout 39% growth. Adam Mansfield, Microsoft Practice Leader at UpperEdge, breaks down the key takeaways from the earnings call, including what the numbers mean for enterprise customers with upcoming renewals or considering in-term purchases. Learn how Microsoft’s focus on moving customers to E...

In this episode of Insights for IT Negotiations , UpperEdge’s Ryan McGhee joins John Belden and Kylie Chisholm to explore how generative AI is influencing SAP S/4HANA brownfield transformations. From productivity claims and risk mitigation to transparency challenges and use case development, the conversation uncovers what IT leaders need to know before engaging their system integrators. Learn how...

Salesforce is making bold changes that every customer needs to pay attention to. In this episode of Insights for IT Negotiations , UpperEdge’s Adam Mansfield joins Kylie Chisholm to unpack the upcoming 6% price increase, the evolving AgentForce pricing models, and Slack’s shift toward higher-cost enterprise editions. They explore what’s really driving these updates, how they impact your current ag...