SoftwareSpend Podcast

Summary of ProcureCon IT Europe conference   The following is a summary of some of the key ideas and discussion topics from the ProcureCon IT Europe conference, organised by Worldwide Business Research (WBR) on 24 and 25 November 2015 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.   5 Prominent Ideas and Themes   Providing your customers with information so as to be able to concentrate on more high-value work. The low value stuff should run itself. Develop catalogues, publish information on how to obtain quotes, list the key contacts at suppliers, provide contract summaries and information on purchasing channels. By doing this you can focus on important tasks of negotiating savings, developing category strategies and bring more spend under management. Audits are on the rise and the big vendors show no signs of stopping this lucrative practice. All of the big software vendors have a policy of auditing their customers at least once every three years. One delegate claimed that one quarter of IBM’s revenues

Interview with Benhilda Mlambo on how companies can integrate IT systems quickly and prevent the loss of value during a merger or acquisition.  Benhilda Mlambo is an MBA student at the University of Bath and is writing a thesis on Transaction Costs of Achieving IT and IT-dependent Synergies Post M&A. In this conversation we discuss: what can go wrong when companies of different sizes merge; how the integration of IT systems can help phycological and cultural integration; why some companies stay separate after a merger; and the need for an independent view when it comes to the choice of systems. Show notes for this episode can be found at http://softwarespend.com/013    

High Risk Stonewalling Situations Being on the receiving end of stonewalling is not fun. When licensing enterprise software, you are particularly at risk when: you have no choice, and the supplier knows it; the software is business critical and there are expiring licence keys; your relationship with the supplier is poor; or the supplier does not like the direction you wish to take the negotiations The Six Stonewalling Mistakes Avoid these 6 common mistakes to limit the likelihood of being stonewalled by the supplier. 1. Failing To Set Effective Project Deadlines If you do not hand out precise actions and deadlines at the end of every interaction with the supplier, then most sales people will assume that they have a right to rest on their laurels until you chase them. Of course, when you chase them they can claim to be busy and stonewall you. So continuously set clear deadlines for the project as a whole and then also for each particular task or deliverable requested. Make this part of your checkli

  Higher Authority is a negotiating tactic whereby you reduce confrontation in negotiations by having a unidentifiable and inaccessible board make the decisions on a deal. In this episode of SoftwareSpend, Christiaan explains how this can work in different situations.

Software licence audits: advice on how to prepare for and defend a licence audit from any software vendor. Advice gleaned from a recent ITAM Review seminar.

A discussion with Adrian Vaughan on third party support providers like Rimini Street, building savings funnels, effective stakeholder engagement and the hype around cloud.

  Christian Shawcross is an experienced recruitment consultant for procurement and supply chain positions at PSD Group. In this interview, Christian gives lots of useful advice on succeeding in the procurement job market, and insights from the recruiter’s point of view on how organisations view software and technology procurement.

Lora and Christiaan explain the dos and don'ts of negotiating IP indemnity clauses in software licensing agreements. 

Escrow agreements - what are they really worth? Christiaan delves into why you would want to enter into an escrow agreement.

Lora Valtcheva explains intellectual property ownership clauses in software licensing agreements.

eSourcing in software projects - discussion with John Ii on using eSourcing tools to purchase enterprise software licences and professional services

Christiaan Murphy explains the 10 things you should watch out for when responding to requests for audits and dealing with compliance claims from software vendors.

Software licensing expert, Lora Valtcheva, explains what to watch out for when negotiating licence grant language in software agreements. You will learn about the different types of licence grants and how to make sure that the licence you are buying meets your needs.