Articles on Negotiations

Independent Microsoft advice means no hidden sales agenda: we don’t sell licences, we negotiate harder, cut costs deeper, and challenge Microsoft without compromise.

Microsoft partners provide valuable knowledge, but their incentives often align with Redmond, not clients. True independence means unbiased advice, direct consulting fees, and strategies optimised for customer—not Microsoft—outcomes.

Microsoft is ending decades of volume-based EA discounts. From November 1, 2025, all organisations will start at Level A pricing, forcing large enterprises to renegotiate or face multimillion-dollar cost increases.

Microsoft’s Copilot strategy shifts enterprise economics: price list unification cuts discounts, ARPU becomes ARPA, and ROI remains uncertain as costs rise by 15–25% annually.

Walk into any Microsoft EA renewal meeting, and the conversation doesn’t start with Word and Excel anymore. It begins with Copilot, Azure commitments, and your ‘digital transformation journey.’ Without understanding these dynamics, you’re negotiating in the dark, and it rarely ends well.

Microsoft has effectively created a situation where organisations feel almost captive to their offerings. Alternatives are diminishing, and suppliers have little incentive to offer compelling discounts unless there’s a strong business case or a significant alternative presented.

CrowdStrike’s mistake could be Microsoft’s gain. Will Microsoft capitalize on the shifting landscape? Is your enterprise cybersecurity strategy going to change?

In this article, I’m taking a step back from the usual discussions about Copilot’s features or benefits to end users. Instead, I want to talk about the cost.

More than just numbers, benchmarks represent the collective wisdom of the market, providing insights into what’s acceptable, expected, and exceptional.

Negotiation is a mindset. Adopting a positive Negotiation Attitude instils confidence, empowering us to advocate for what we genuinely believe we deserve.

After completing a 9-month process of renewing an enterprise agreement for a multinational corporation, I documented the lessons learned. Here they are.

Microsoft Enterprise Agreement negotiations in 2024 hinge on aligning stakeholder understanding, strategic product analysis, and cost-optimised planning.