Insights for IT Negotiations

Adam Mansfield, UpperEdge’s Microsoft Advisory Practice Leader, shares valuable insights on when and how to prepare for Microsoft renewals. He outlines key questions to consider, strategic timelines, and effective negotiation tactics to secure the best deal. Whether your renewal is months away or fast approaching, Adam’s advice can help you maximize value and minimize risk. For more innovative IT...

ServiceNow just announced its largest acquisition ever — a $2.85 billion purchase of Moveworks. This strategic move doubles down on AI and enterprise search capabilities, aiming to expand ServiceNow’s footprint in CRM and customer insights. What does this mean for customers and the future of ServiceNow’s offerings? Adam Mansfield, UpperEdge’s ServiceNow Practice Leader, breaks it all down. For mor...

In this episode of Insights for IT Negotiations , host Kylie Chisholm is joined by Adam Mansfield, UpperEdge’s Microsoft, ServiceNow, and Salesforce Practice Leader, to discuss how organizations can prepare for upcoming Microsoft renewals. They dive into Microsoft's latest earnings call, the company’s push for early commitments, and key strategies to maximize leverage in negotiations. From Cop...

Many CIOs are voicing a common concern: Beforeinvesting in new Salesforce products, they need to see more value from what they already have. As Salesforce pushes AI, data, and additional products, customers are questioning spending priorities, engineering investments, costincreases and where their subscription fees are going. In this video, Salesforce Practice Leader, Adam Mansfield breaks down th...

Adam Mansfield breaks down Salesforce's Q4 FY25 earnings, revealing mixed results with single-digit growth and some key misses on analyst expectations. CEO Marc Benioff is doubling down on AI (Agentforce) and Data Cloud, but most specifically the "Holy Trinity" of CRM (Apps / Customer 360) + AI + Data. With CFO (Weaver) and COO (Millham) transitions, shifting revenue models, and an aggressive push...

In this insightful discussion, we explore the critical aspects of negotiating software-as-a-service (SaaS) pricing with major vendors like Microsoft, Salesforce, ServiceNow, SAP, andOracle. From ensuring upfront discounts translate to long term savings to leveraging volume discount structures and scrutinizing future pricing tables, this conversation highlights essential strategies to avoid unexpec...

In this episode of Insights for IT Negotiations , hosts John Belden and Kylie Chisholm are joined by Oracle advisory experts Jeff Lazarto and Shane Griffin from UpperEdge. They dive deep into Oracle's pricing strategies, Fusion ERP, and critical negotiation tactics. Learn how to navigate Oracle contracts, secure the best pricing, and avoid common pitfalls that could cost millions. Whether you're f...

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. AI is transforming the business la...

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...

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,...

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 st...

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. Microsof...

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 footprin...

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, Joh...

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...

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 t...

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 ta...

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 (...

ServiceNow’s FY24 Q3 subscription revenue came in at $2.72B, representing 23% growth year-over-year while, once again, beating guidance and analyst expectations. ServiceNow also raised their full year FY24 subscription revenue guidance, now expecting somewhere between $10.65B and $10.66B, about a 23% growth. In this podcast, ServiceNow Practice Leader, Adam Mansfield, discusses what customers shou...

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 ta...

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 ta...

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 ta...

Salesforce’s Q1 FY25 total revenue came in at $9.325B, representing an 8% growth year-over-year. This came in slightly above the $9.225B expected by analysts. Operating Margin came in at 33.7%, beating the analyst expected 31.94%. While Salesforce did raise their FY25 operating margin guidance to 32.8%, they also maintained their expected single digit (8%-9%) revenue guidance for FY25, citing a pr...

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 chat...

Microsoft announced their FY24 Q4 earnings recently, and the total Q4 revenue was reported as $64.7B, better than the $64.39B analysts were expecting. The critically important Microsoft Cloud revenue, which includes Azure, O365 Commercial, LinkedIn, Dynamics 365, and other cloud product, came in at $36.8B, representing a 21% increase year-over-year. Microsoft’s go-forward success and revenue growt...