Uppercut Podcasts By Upperedge

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, recently reported Q2 FY19 earnings and shared a very interesting bit of information; Google Cloud’s annual run rate is now $8B. The last and only time Alphabet shared Google Cloud’s annual run rate was in February of 2018 when it was $4B. In this podcast, Practice Leader, Adam Mansfield, discusses how they achieved this impressive growth in such a short period of time and covers what enterprise customers should know (and expect) if they are considering Google Cloud Platform (GCP) or contemplating a move from Microsoft Office 365 to Google G Suite.

As many SAP customers begin their ECC to S/4HANA migration journey, we’re noticing many organizations focusing too heavily on some elements of their sourcing strategy and not enough on others. In this podcast, SAP Practice Leader, Len Riley, discusses the four key elements of the sourcing strategy that you must contemplate with your team in order to establish a holistic and integrated sourcing strategy that will enable your ECC to S/4HANA transition. He also describes the three major challenges we often see with software, system implementation, hosting and application maintenance and support vendor evaluations and negotiations that are often overlooked and critical to enabling your successful migration from ECC to S/4HANA. Host: Len Riley: https://bit.ly/3fqLI99 SAP Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/3yjImwb

SAP ECC to S/4HANA migrations are complex projects that come with many challenges but they also represent opportunities for customers to improve their previous licensing agreements. However, this complex undertaking requires significant planning since SAP’s motivations for S/4HANA migrations directly conflict with the motivations of its customers. In this podcast, SAP Practice Leader, Len Riley discusses what SAP’s motivations are, how they differ than their customers’ motivations, and the two key questions customers must answer before they even begin the negotiation process. Host: Len Riley: https://bit.ly/3fqLI99 SAP Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/3yjImwb

ServiceNow beat market expectations with another strong quarter. Their positive results support the underlying message of their recent rebranding and change in marketing and sales approach – ServiceNow is no longer just a tool for IT. In this podcast, Analyst Bearson Smith, discusses some key highlights from the earnings call, what ServiceNow’s shift in focus is really about, and how customers can ensure they are getting more than just the right price. Host: Bearson Smith: https://bit.ly/2TW2LZk ServiceNow Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/3ls6VDt

If you are a Salesforce customer, you may not be aware that Salesforce recently removed their standard renewal price protection from their Master Subscription Agreement. Besides the fact that customers are now completely exposed and Salesforce has increased leverage at renewal, this also gives us a glimpse into the strategies and approaches being developed behind the scenes at Salesforce as they look for ways to increase spend and adoption from their customer base. Host: Adam Mansfield: https://bit.ly/3rPGp8r SalesForce Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/37hFkMV

Judson Althoff, executive vice president of Microsoft's Worldwide Commercial Business organization, kicked off Microsoft Inspire 2019 with a promise that all solution areas will get better in FY20. Specific to Microsoft Teams, he said, customers are going to see more collaborative capabilities and AI capabilities. A focus on innovating Teams and adding capabilities makes perfect sense as Microsoft is aggressively trying to ramp usage in order to keep competitors like Slack out of their customers’ ecosystems. Host: Adam Mansfield: https://bit.ly/3rPGp8r Microsoft Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/2V78ADX

Oracle shared some interesting facts in its Q4 earnings call that uncover the latest tactics its using to expand product adoption, forecast Autonomous Database growth, and seed its customer base. In this podcast, Practice Leader, Jeff Lazarto discusses some concerns with the numbers being reported and what potential and current Oracle customers should expect and prepare for when considering Autonomous Database. Host: Jeff Lazarto: https://bit.ly/37eCXdN Oracle Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/3jdtF7p

In its recent Q4 earnings call, Oracle focused on the security features of both Generation 2 Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI2) and the Autonomous Database. In today’s world of data breaches routinely making headlines and the resulting fall from grace of company CEOs, Oracle’s sales pitch is ultimately about providing high-level security that ultimately saves the CEO. In this podcast, Oracle Practice Leader Jeff Lazarto, discusses what Oracle is claiming about OCI2 and Autonomous Database and what this means for current and potential customers. Host: Jeff Lazarto: https://bit.ly/37eCXdN Oracle Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/3jdtF7p

Google Cloud CEO, Thomas Kurian, recently stated they want to be the easiest cloud provider to do business with. Amongst a number efforts to achieve this distinction, they will introduce easier pricing and easier contracting. In this podcast, Adam Mansfield discusses why this is a smart approach and how it would differentiate Google from rival cloud vendors like Microsoft, Amazon and even Salesforce if it's successful.

As you prepare for your cloud subscription renewal negotiation, it is important to first assess and understand the goals and objectives of the cloud vendor sitting across the table from you. There are certainly universal things that matter to all cloud vendors pretty much at any point in time, like increased spend and product expansion but there are a few things that matter most to ServiceNow right now. Based on experience, knowing these things and how best to use them will have a significant impact on the success of your upcoming renewal negotiation. Host: Adam Mansfield: https://bit.ly/3rPGp8r ServiceNow Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/3ls6VDt

Happy customers and successful projects equals high customer satisfaction and a retention rate of over 100%. Even with all of Workdays recent success, you have a great amount of leverage in constructing your first deal with Workday. Jeff Lazarto discusses how you need to understand what a highly competitive deal looks like, and how you can go about obtaining such a deal—there are strategies you can implement to achieve these results. Host: Jeff Lazarto: https://bit.ly/37eCXdN Workday Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/3fq96DV

Salesforce had another strong quarter with revenue growth of 24%, and Service Cloud revenue breaking the $1B threshold for the first time. They also raised full year profit guidance. It is very clear that in order for Salesforce reach their self-imposed $26B revenue target by FY23, they will need to successfully sell enterprise CEOs on Salesforce being the only company that can truly provide them with the increasingly valuable 360 view of their customers. Host: Adam Mansfield: https://bit.ly/3rPGp8r SalesForce Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/37hFkMV

The higher education industry can expect to continue to field many calls from Workday account executives. Workday has taken more of a targeted approach with respect to gaining customer adoption of its Financial Management solution.  The first industry Workday focused on was the public sector which includes both government and education. Jeff Lazarto, UpperEdge's Practice Leader, breaks down what these moves mean for Workday and its growing competition with Oracle. Host: Jeff Lazarto: https://bit.ly/37eCXdN Workday Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/3fq96DV

SAP’s annual conference in Orlando is in full swing. In this podcast, UpperEdge’s SAP Advisory Practice Leader, Len Riley, discusses his observations and first impressions. He shares his thoughts on how this year’s conference compares to previous years so far, what SAP is doing well, and what SAP could have done better. Host: Len Riley: https://bit.ly/3fqLI99 SAP Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/3yjImwb

Now that Oracle has been officially eliminated from the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (“JEDI”) RFP process, they are pushing forward with their lawsuit against the Department of Defense (DoD). Jeff Lazarto, UpperEdge's Oracle Practice Leader discusses how Oracle, in short, is claiming to be a victim in a rigged RFP and procurement process. Host: Jeff Lazarto: https://bit.ly/37eCXdN Oracle Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/3jdtF7p

If you are becoming a new customer of Workday (or any cloud vendor), it is extremely important to get your first deal right. Not only do you have the most leverage at this time but your first deal will set the precedent going forward. In this podcast, Workday Practice Leader, Jeff Lazarto, discusses the key parts of your negotiation leverage as a new customer as well as the specific areas you should address when negotiating your first deal. For more on this subject, see our related blog post: Workday Negotiations - First Impressions Matter and Precedents Matter. Host: Jeff Lazarto: https://bit.ly/37eCXdN Workday Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/3fq96DV Related Blog: https://bit.ly/3ynjvYp

Day 1 of ServiceNow’s annual conference kicked off with a keynote focused on changing lives at work through technology and how ServiceNow is the right vendor to make that happen. ServiceNow will continue to focus on bringing new mobile features to market to increase the value of its solutions while mapping to customer needs. In this podcast, UpperEdge’s ServiceNow Advisory Practice Leader, Adam Mansfield, shares some key takeaways from the conference and what he has learned by talking with ServiceNow customers in attendance. Host: Adam Mansfield: https://bit.ly/3rPGp8r ServiceNow Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/3ls6VDt

Alphabet reported that overall company revenue increased 17% to $36.3B but came up short of the expected $37.3B. Other revenues (which includes Google Cloud) reached $5.4 billion, up 25% year-over-year. Though Google Cloud Platform has strong customer momentum and remains one of the fastest growing businesses in Alphabet, Alphabet and Google still have not released Google Cloud revenue or utilization. Why and when will they?

SAP made some significant announcements in its Q1’19 earnings call that will have implications for SAP customers. SAP is focusing on improving margins, Bill McDermott wants fair market value for SAP’s software, and Elliott Management takes a $1.5B stake in SAP. In this podcast, Len Riley discusses how Elliott Management will not just be focused on the operational efficiencies of SAP but more on revenue side of the equation, meaning the relationships you have with SAP Sales Executives will be less flexible and more stringent, with more decisions and approvals being made from the regional CFOs offices. Host: Len Riley: https://bit.ly/3fqLI99 SAP Commercial Advisory Services: https://bit.ly/3yjImwb

ServiceNow beat analyst estimates and raised full year 2019 subscription revenue and billings guidance. ServiceNow posted Q1 subscription revenue of $740M which represented an impressive 40% growth y-o-y. They closed 25 deals in the quarter with ACV greater than $1M which brings total customers fitting this profile to 717. Expect ServiceNow to continue to find ways to expand ITSM adoption within existing customer base and add emerging products like CSM.