Insights for IT Negotiations

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-functional team that ensured go-live readiness. She reveals how deliberate planning, risk mitigation, and strong collaboration between IT, business, and implementation partners helped the organization overcome early project hurdles and achieve a seamless go-live weekend.Tune in to hear practical insights on:Balancing internal and external project resourcesEstablishing clear go-live criteria and risk mitigation plansThe power of co-location and building team trustHow early alignment and executive communication drive project successWhether you’re preparing for your own SAP modernization or navigating a complex IT transformation, this conversation is packed with real-world lessons on what it takes to deliver results confidently and collaboratively.Resources:BLOG - Thriving Amid Uncertainty: How to Move Your Digital Transformation Forward While Others FreezeBLOG - Rethinking Transformation Strategy in an AI-First World: AI is Changing SAP Strategy. Is Your Busin…About the Show: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 & Strategy Officer, and Kylie Chisholm, UpperEdge’s Marketing Manager, every other week as they share high-impact insights to help you maximize the value of your key IT relationships.Timestamps:03:05 — Overview of SaskPower and Its SAP Background04:35 — The SAP Modernization Program05:23 — From ECC to S/4HANA: Scope and Approach07:03 — Modernizing Custom Applications and Risk Mitigation08:33 — Lessons Learned from Earlier Projects10:33 — Managing Internal Resource Capacity13:20 — IT vs. Business Resource Constraints14:05 — Business Integration and Dedicated Resources14:39 — Sponsor Message (UpperEdge Subscription Advisory Services)14:59 — Go-Live Readiness: Planning and Criteria16:01 — Testing Strategy and Success Criteria19:01 — Practice Conversions and Dress Rehearsals20:04 — The Go-Live Weekend Experience21:10 — Risk Management and Business Continuity Plans22:53 — Lessons from Backup Planning24:04 — Key Decisions That Drove Success25:21 — Co-Location and Building Team Cohesion27:08 — Value of Personal Relationships in Project Success28:13 — What Jesse Would Do Differently29:03 — The Importance of Context in Decision-Making

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 E5 adoption and Microsoft 365 Copilot expansion). Listen to Adam break down the numbers and provide insights on how to leverage this information for your business strategies.For more innovative IT sourcing and risk mitigation insights, subscribe to the UpperEdge newsletter and follow UpperEdge on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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.Key Highlights:$3.29B Subscription Revenue, beating expectations and higher than prior guidanceAI revenue targets: $500M in FY25, $1B in FY26553 customers spending $5M+ annuallyCRM rivalry: ServiceNow vs SalesforceStrategic advice for how best to prepare for your upcoming ServiceNow negotiationsFor more innovative IT sourcing and risk mitigation insights, subscribe to the UpperEdge newsletter and follow UpperEdge on LinkedIn and Twitter.

In this engaging discussion, Adam Mansfield, Salesforce Practice Leader at UpperEdge and expert in Salesforce negotiations, delves into the hot topics from Dreamforce 2025. He shares insights on the newly introduced Agentic Enterprise Licensing Agreement (AELA) and its potential risks. Adam emphasizes the importance of evaluating Salesforce’s new AI features while ensuring core products aren't neglected. He also provides strategic advice for upcoming renewals, urging customers to document usage and communicate clearly to protect their interests.

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, Data 360, MuleSoft, Slack, etc.) along with what is driving Salesforce’s goal of pushing customers into this agreement type. He will also share his tips on what Salesforce customers need to do and ensure Salesforce provides before any commitment is made.For more innovative IT sourcing and risk mitigation insights, subscribe to the UpperEdge newsletter and follow UpperEdge on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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 customer needs and product value. He explains what this means for enterprise buyers and how they can strengthen their negotiation position.Listeners will learn how to:Approach renewals and upcoming negotiations strategicallyPush back on unwanted AI add-onsAlign internal teams for consistent messagingGet the most out of DreamforceIf you’re a Salesforce customer heading into renewal season, this episode offers timely, practical advice to help you protect value and improve outcomes.Resources:BLOG – Salesforce’s New Agentforce Pricing: What Customers Should KnowVIDEO – Salesforce Q2 FY26 Earnings: Agentforce Hype vs. RealityAbout the Show:Welcome to Insights for IT Negotiations, a podcast by UpperEdge, a leading IT sourcing, negotiation, and project execution advisory firm. Join Adam Mansfield, UpperEdge’s Salesforce Practice Leader 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.For more innovative IT sourcing and risk mitigation insights, subscribe to the UpperEdge newsletter and follow UpperEdge on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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 takeawaysThere needs to be a cap on the increase a SaaS vendor can apply to your pricing at renewalA price increase should happen one-time at renewalPrice increases at renewal should not go up with more term commitmentMake this a front-of-funnel pricing issue (tie it to discount asks), not a late legal cleanup.Longer term should mean better protection (e.g., 3-year cap 3%, 5-year cap 2%), not a bigger increaseVendors watch each other and manage to what Wall Street wants to see (increases to downstream revenue). Expect this tactic to spread unless you push back.How to negotiateInsist on one renewal uplift cap (define exactly what it applies to)Remove conditions that hold you hostage to volume/product mixTie discounts today to locking in clean renewal language now.For more innovative IT sourcing and risk mitigation insights, subscribe to the UpperEdge newsletter and follow UpperEdge on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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 pricePush back on minimums and volume assumptions;Get ahead of Nov 1st price/discount changes on E3/E5 before advancing Microsoft 365 Copilot discussionsValidate actual M365 E3/E5 usage to build a fact-based story and leverageLock in future pricing protections for both M365 Copilot and M365 E3/E5For more innovative IT sourcing and risk mitigation insights, subscribe to the UpperEdge newsletter and follow UpperEdge on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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 from on-prem to cloud/Fusion.  Key Points:Why big AI players are choosing OCI for training; cost/performance narrative.  Oracle’s bet that inferencing (AI agents doing work) will dwarf training.  The “AI database” and data privacy posture across models.  Leadership update: co-CEO model aligning apps vs. infra.  Customer takeaways: leverage, migration paths, and contract strategy. Episode Chapters00:00:23 AI and OCI are driving Oracle’s momentum - Oracle’s earnings buzz is fueled by AI demand and OCI’s gigawatt-scale GPU superclusters selected by top AI players.00:01:11 Why big tech is choosing OCI - Oracle claims faster/cheaper model training; efficiency and cost are key factors behind marquee customer selection.00:02:04 Training now, inferencing next (the much bigger market) - Ellison frames inferencing—AI agents embedded in business processes—as the wave that will dwarf training.00:02:46 From “college” to work: enterprise-tuned AI agents - Publicly trained models get fine-tuned on company data so AI agents can actually do tasks for the business.00:03:05 Oracle’s AI Database and vector search - Oracle pitches a vectorized, privacy-preserving database that works across ~25+ models while keeping enterprise data secure.00:03:41 Endorsement loop that benefits Oracle - If leading AI builders rely on OCI, enterprises may follow suit for hosting their own AI workloads.00:04:24 OCI growth projections that shocked Wall Street - Oracle reiterated aggressive OCI revenue targets through FY30, a key driver of the stock’s surge.00:05:12 Oracle’s stack: training → inferencing → data → apps - Strategy spans AI training/inferencing, the AI database layer, and SaaS built on AI application generators.00:05:50 App generators = networks of AI agents - Oracle describes SaaS evolving from hand-coded software to AI agents linked by workflows.00:07:07 Multicloud and “Cloud@Customer” options - Run Oracle in public regions, behind your firewall, or access Oracle Database from Azure/AWS/GCP via reseller arrangements.00:07:28 Leadership shift: two new co-CEOs - Clay Magouyrk (OCI/engineering) and Mike Sicilia (industries/apps) step in; tech-first leaders for infra and apps.00:08:05 Clay McGuirk’s remit (Gen2 OCI & AI DCs) - Architect behind high-performance OCI powering gigawatt-scale AI training is elevated.00:08:30 Mike Sicilia’s remit (vertical apps & AI) - Industry SaaS leader focuses on applying AI within Oracle’s application portfolio.00:09:12 Why tech visionaries at the top matters - Oracle follows the big-tech pattern: product-minded leaders setting direction vs. sales-led stewardship.00:10:01 Co-CEO model returns; wider exec moves - Safra Catz shifts to executive vice chair; additional sales/finance leadership changes are in motion.00:11:30 Two-engine company, two tech CEOs - Structure mirrors Oracle’s dual identity: infrastructure and applications led by AI-savvy chiefs.00:11:57 Customer takeaway: leverage the moment - High expectations on Oracle create room to negotiate strong terms and strategic commitments.00:12:44 Installed base path to AI value - Benefits of AI live in the cloud: Fusion for apps and OCI for tech; BYOL eases the move.00:13:24 Expect harder Oracle push to cloud - Stronger GTM motions will highlight concrete AI/business value to drive migrations.00:14:09 Start with your Oracle strategy, then engage - Define the enterprise roadmap first; invite Oracle to align capabilities and structure the right deal. 

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%)12.5k Agentforce customers since launch but only 6k are paying60% growth Q-o-Q in customers going from Agentforce pilot to productionDid not provide an updated Agentforce ARR – why?Expect single digit (8.5 – 9%) full year FY26 Total revenue growthBottom line: Salesforce customers have an opportunity to leverage earnings and current market optics (headcount reductions tied to Agentforce) to create leverage and make Salesforce earn their business with improved clarity, pricing and protections moving forward.For more innovative IT sourcing and risk mitigation insights, subscribe to the UpperEdge newsletter and follow UpperEdge on LinkedIn and Twitter.