Alexander Golev on LinkedIn: #microsoft #strategy #youtube #samexpert | 10 comments (2024)

Licensing System Center per VM reduces costs. On average, across our client base, System Center manages only a fraction of virtual machines. As a consequence, licensing individual VMs may be cheaper than the legacy approach with licensing for unlimited VMs.We are talking of savings between 10% and 60%.If you have current System Center licenses with Software Assurance or subscription licenses, you may license System Center per virtual machine. It also works for Bring-Your-Own-License scenarios when you host your workloads with a third-party IaaS provider.Not sure how? DM me, and I'll explain.#microsoft #procurement #samexpert

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12 Key points for the Microsoft EA negotiations in 2024:1. Understand Discount Changes: Consider the impact of M365E5's market dominance and external factors on Microsoft's discount policy.2. Analyse Microsoft 365 Usage: Conduct a thorough review of your Microsoft 365 usage, focusing on underutilised features.3. Evaluate E3 to E5 Upgrade: [Conservatively] assess the need and value of upgrading from E3 to E5, especially for security and compliance.4. Consider Downgrading: Use the strategic card of downgrading from E5 to E3 as a strategic negotiation point.5. Explore Alternatives: Investigate other Microsoft products like Office E1 with EMS and F1/F3 plans for frontline workers.6. Engage Stakeholders: Directly involve and proactively inform stakeholders to align actual needs with Microsoft 365 offerings.7. Use Data in Negotiations: Leverage detailed utilisation data to challenge and refine Microsoft's proposals.8. Strategise New Product Adoption: Evaluate incorporating Microsoft's strategic products like Copilot and Viva Suite as leverage points.9. Adopt a Tiered Approach: Implement a phased rollout for new products, evaluating their impact and effectiveness.10. Negotiate Growth-Based Discounts: Discuss discounts linked to usage growth and quantity in your Microsoft 365 suite.11. Plan a Six-Month Renewal Strategy: Develop a comprehensive six-month plan covering budget, stakeholder alignment, requirements assessment, and negotiation strategy.12. Master Negotiation Strategy: Stay informed about Microsoft's strategic priorities and compare their offerings with competitors for informed decision-making. Bonus point: let us help you win it.Much more in the article: https://zurl.co/5IEA #microsoft #strategy #procurement #samexpert

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Microsoft Enterprise Agreement is not their only licensing and Azure agreement.How do you choose the right one? Can you mix and match? We answer these questions.https://lnkd.in/eT8HxiNW

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Service providers cannot just rent out Windows 11 virtual machines and charge for consumption, like in SPLA. You need to ensure that the client has the licenses. Or you may sell them the licenses. The problem is that there is no true Pay-As-You-Go option for providers to offer Windows 11 virtual machines.Microsoft Azure has a competitive (an anti-competitive?) advantage. Nobody else has this option. Azure-hosted Windows 11 machines are pay-monthly.If a provider wants to offer pay-monthly Windows 11 virtual machines, using Azure is their only option.Even on Azure, there is a monthly subscription to be resold to your end clients, but at least it's not an annual commitment like in CSP. It also provides better flexibility than CSP Hosting or other BYOL for Windows 11.DM us to discuss your Windows 11 hosting. We don't sell licenses, so we are 100% on your side.

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When a Microsoft agreement is up for renewal, expect a significant budget increase of at least 10-15%.This increase applies even if you maintain the same products and services. Here's why:– Price increases. Microsoft Enterprise Agreements (EAs) offer price stability for three years but when that time passes, hey, a new price list!– Microsoft's internal sales targets. Your Microsoft account manager must renew with a 15% uplift, or they may be fired for not meeting the targets.What to do:– Plan and budget for this increase well in advance to avoid any budget surprises.– Make sure you understand that this is Microsoft's LDO – least desirable outcome - in negotiations with you. – Do you want to keep it under control? Optimise, have a detailed strategy for the next 3 years and be prepared to negotiate.We don't sell licenses as a matter of principle. So when you DM me or Daryl Ullman about your upcoming renewal, you are guaranteed to get unbiased advice.

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"Into the Unknown" by my better half Nadia Ryzhakova

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If you missed our last audio event, here's the recording.

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Full BYOL with the Flexible Virtualisation Benefit instead of SPLA, including Windows Server, may be financially feasible if all your clients are long-term.Just finished a strategic financial model for a client, and FVB is almost half the cost compared to SPLA.However, your clients must stay with you for at least a year because the minimum CSP subscription term for BYOL is also one year.So, it may work really well for outsourcing companies with long contracts. And it's not a feasible model for elastic workloads or for clients that only need short-term, fractional workloads.There is no true replacement for SPLA.

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