SAMexpert Podcast

In this riveting conversation, Daryl Ullman, a former Microsoft insider, spills the beans on the secrets to navigating the treacherous waters of Microsoft license agreements. Discover how to stay one step ahead of the game and emerge victorious in the negotiation battle. From understanding the Microsoft ecosystem to grasping the rules of engagement, this episode is packed with valuable insights that will have you questioning everything you thought you knew about dealing with Microsoft. Listen as Daryl shares jaw-dropping stories of underprepared customers and reveals the costly mistakes that you must avoid at all costs. Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at Microsoft? Get ready to be blown away by the intricate web of account managers, goals, and incentives that drive their relentless pursuit of closing deals. But fear not, because Daryl also unveils the secret weapon that will turn the tables and give you the upper hand in negotiations. Learn how to harness the power of timing and wield it to your advantage, whether it's taking advantage of Microsoft's fiscal year-end or strategically aligning your agreements. And for those who've faced the nightmare of Microsoft going over their heads to the CEO or CTO, Daryl provides the ultimate damage control strategy. Prepare to be enlightened and empowered as you embark on your journey to mastering the art of Microsoft license agreements. Are you ready to conquer the negotiation battlefield? Dive in and discover a world of possibilities.

Microsoft's new commercial trend — premium services for E5 at additional cost. Intune P2 and Suite. Teams Premium.

– What’s new from Microsoft in February? – What is Universal Print? – Teams Premium may be bad news for you – Windows Server per VM licensing: Is it enough to assign licenses to each VM? Do I need to multiply the licences by the number of hosts, or is there License Mobility for Windows Server? Is mixing different licences on a host acceptable or not? – We want to buy Defender for Endpoint for Server, but we are confused by the requirement to have “a combined minimum of prerequisite licenses”.

Join us on a journey to unlock the secrets of successful Microsoft Enterprise Agreement negotiations. In this Q&A episode, our expert speakers, Daryl Ullman and Alexander Golev dive into the complexity of negotiating upgrades from E3 to E5 and offer valuable insights and tips on securing the best deal for your organization. Discover the art of negotiation, including how to ask for higher discounts and compensation, and why having alternatives like AWS or GCP on the table is crucial. Learn about Microsoft's pay-as-you-go pricing option in MACC, Various Microsoft pricing tiers and how your organization size affects the level of discount you can negotiate. Don't miss this opportunity to gain a competitive edge in the world of Microsoft Enterprise Agreements and Azure MACC negotiations. It's time to take control of your tech investments and make the most of your business relationship with Microsoft.

In October 2022, Microsoft released significant updates to Microsoft Product Terms. Nothing changed for providers in the Service Provider Use Rights document. However, because SPLA does not exist in a vacuum, the end-user licensing changes may have also affected your business. Things like License Mobility Partnership and QMTH lost their sense from October 2022. But the changes opened new possibilities.

Why are Unified Support prices increasing, even though I'm not utilising more services? Can I offset my Unified Support costs with Software Assurance benefits? What are the key mistakes made when negotiating Unified Support contracts? Are there alternative providers for Microsoft Unified Support? Is the year one cost of Unified Support the same as year two and year three?

Daryl and Alexander are answering questions about Service Provider software compliance audits conducted by Microsoft.  I get an audit letter. Do I need to initiate the audit immediately?  How many years can they go back when they audit? 3, 5, 10? We accidentally submitted a non-hosting cluster, and the auditor counted it as an SPLA debt. Now they don't want to de-scope it.  If I have a cluster used both for my hosting business and my internal infrastructure, my internal IT, do I have to give all that data to the auditor?  May I use our SPLA licenses for internal use?  A provider has an extension of the hosting platform on AWS. Part of the licenses they receive directly from AWS as a part of the infrastructure and the overall EC2 costs. But there are other licenses that they should be paying for, like RDP SAL and SQL SAL. Can they use their SPLA licenses, purchase them from AWS, or even use the bring your own license option?  When you have E3/E5 subscriptions, do you get the right to install System Center on servers as part of your bundle rights? Can you use System Center via E3/E5 to license your products on hosted servers in an outsourcer's environment?  Who has the licensing compliance responsibility for the SPLA licences used on-premises? Would you recommend getting your end customer to sign off on some document, use rights, or something like that when you provide licenses to be used on their premises? Can we build our own SPLA tool with scripts, or do you suggest buying a product like Snow or Flexera to manage our SPLA environment? 

Alexander Golev and Daryl Ullman discuss the changes Microsoft introduced into SQL Server licensing in December 2022 and the impact of the changes on budgets and compliance – the good, the bad and the ugly.