Overview
A large, global retail company had a longstanding relationship with Microsoft and needed to renew its Enterprise Agreement (EA). During their prior negotiations, the client adopted Microsoft’s all-in Microsoft 365 E3 cloud bundle.
The client was interested in using Azure moving forward and needed to finalize a deal as part of their EA negotiation. Since they had already adopted Microsoft Cloud Solutions for its user-base, the client had limited leverage moving into the renewal negotiation.
Approach
UpperEdge coordinated the end-to-end process, empowered the client with in-depth and up-to-date knowledge of Microsoft’s market objectives and sales tactics, as well as developed a tailored negotiation strategy for the client.
Additionally, UpperEdge provided support to the client by
- Driving their ability to determine product utilization as well as future demand and requirements
- Utilizing the client’s current Microsoft VAR/reseller relationships more effectively
- Providing in-depth and up-to date knowledge of Microsoft’s pricing, licensing, and purchasing models
- Giving actionable guidance to ensure transparency associated with Azure pricing and commitments
Negotiated Outcome
As a result of the negotiation strategy laid out, the client achieved a Best-in-Class deal with Microsoft, enabling them to renew their EA and incorporate Azure into their deal.
Deal Highlights:
- Best-in-Class long-term protections and flexibility
- A more strategic relationship with Microsoft
- Best-in-Class pricing and discounting across Microsoft on-premise and cloud products
- $10.5M in savings
