Insights for IT Negotiations

Microsoft just closed out fiscal year 2026 with $90 billion in Q4 revenue, up 18% and beating analyst expectations. In this video, Adam Mansfield, Practice Leader at UpperEdge, breaks down the key results from the earnings call — and more importantly, what they mean for customers heading into renewals and negotiations.

Adam covers:

• The headline numbers: $90B total revenue, 67% gross margins, and cloud revenue of $59.3B (up 27%)
• Why M365 commercial cloud growth slowed to 14% from 18% a year ago — and what's driving ARPU (premium offerings, Copilot, E5, and early E7 traction)
• What "30 million+ paid Copilot seats" really means, and why actual usage matters more than what's in the CPS
• Microsoft's aggressive E7 push — why "hundreds of customers" tells you they didn't hit their internal targets, and the pressure coming to your next renewal
• The protections you must secure on E7 deals: interim price protections, renewal price protections, and significant, appropriate rollout funding
• Satya Nadella's own words on E7's hybrid seat-based and usage-based model — and why you need to understand and track the consumption metrics and definitions
• Azure's 43% growth and why holistic, unified negotiations across Azure, M365, LinkedIn, and D365 are your biggest lever
• How to paint the future opportunity — and when to play hardball if Microsoft won't structure the deal for what you need today

Microsoft is telling the financial community it will accelerate revenue growth this fiscal year. They need you to adopt and use — so make them earn it.

Salesforce just shook up its Agentforce Help Agent pricing, moving from per-conversation consumption pricing to pay-per-resolution. Sounds like a win for customers, but is it?UpperEdge's Salesforce Practice Leader Adam Mansfield breaks down what "resolution" actually means, the resolution-pack mechanics customers need to watch for, and why this shift is really about Salesforce's revenue goals and AI credibility push. Plus: how to use this moment to renegotiate your entire Salesforce relationship, not just Agentforce.

In this episode:

• What Salesforce's new outcome-based pricing model actually changes
• How "resolution" is defined and why the fine print matters
• The hidden consumption element inside resolution packs
• Why Salesforce made this move now (hint: it's not just customer-friendly)
• Negotiation tactics for your broader Salesforce relationship

Resources:

BLOG - Salesforce’s Outcome-Based Pricing for Agentforce Help Agent: What Enterprise Buyers Need to Negotiate Now

PODCAST - Salesforce's New Agentforce Help Agent Pricing: What Outcome-Based Licensing Really Means for You

About the Show: Welcome to Insights for IT Negotiations, a podcast by UpperEdge, a leading IT sourcing, negotiation, and project execution advisory firm. Join Adam Mansfield UpperEdge’s SaaS Leader, and Kylie Chisholm, UpperEdge’s Marketing Manager, as they share valuable insights to help you maximize the value of your key IT relationships.

Chapters:

• 00:00 – Cold Open: The Consumption Pricing Horror Stories
• 00:17 – Welcome to Insights for IT Negotiations
• 01:34 – Salesforce's Big Pricing Announcement
• 01:56 – What Agentforce Help Agent Actually Is
• 03:35 – The Mechanics: $2 Per Resolution Explained
• 04:12 – What Counts as a "Resolution"?
• 04:59 – The Hidden Consumption Element (Resolution Packs)
• 06:33 – Why Is Salesforce Making This Shift Now?
• 09:39 – A Word From UpperEdge
• 09:57 – Is This Actually Good for Customers?
• 13:19 – Negotiation Tips for Adopting Help Agent
• 15:04 – Using This Moment to Renegotiate Your Whole Salesforce Deal
• 17:35 – Wrap-Up & Where to Learn More

Adam Mansfield, Practice Leader at UpperEdge, breaks down Microsoft Copilot Cowork — now generally available and priced on a consumption basis. Adam explains why the model is actually hybrid (not just consumption), what customers need to do with their Microsoft 365 and Microsoft 365 Copilot subscriptions, and how Copilot Cowork credits, pay-as-you-go rates, and P3 volume commitments work.He covers the risks of inaccurate usage forecasting, why "standard" discounting and P3 pricing structures are not good enough, and the negotiation levers customers have that need to be deployed across all components tied to the enterprise user profile (Microsoft 365, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Cowork) and the larger Microsoft relationship — from renewal protections to bundling into the holistic negotiation other Microsoft commitments to things like Azure, LinkedIn, and other key products Microsoft is interest in getting customers to adopt (i.e., GitHub Copilot).Don't forget to like & subscribe for more insights!

Salesforce just announced a major shift: Salesforce's Agentforce Help Agent (its Autonomous AI Service Agent offering) will come with outcome-based (Pay-Per-Resolution) licensing at $2 per successful resolution, with an ability to buy prepaid packs of resolutions.In this video, Adam Mansfield, Practice Leader at UpperEdge, breaks down what this means for Salesforce customers and why "outcome-based" doesn't mean "negotiation-free."Adam covers:• Why Salesforce is confident enough in Agentforce Help Agent results to move to this pricing model• How the $2 per-resolution price and prepaid resolution packs need to be negotiated down• Why volume discounts, renewal price protection, and other commercial terms are still essential• What actually counts as a "resolution" - and why getting that definition into your order form matters• How Data 360 and Agentforce being unmetered changes the negotiation conversation• Why your larger Salesforce deal (other product licensing metrics and pricing, Order Forms, and agreement constructs (including SELA)) still requires full negotiation prep and effective negotiation executionBottom line: outcome-based pricing can be positive for customers, but only if you push Salesforce to define, tailor, and commit to terms that fit your specific service and support needs while ensuring you have the right pricing in place.n't forget to like & subscribe for more insights!

Microsoft has a playbook, and it's not yours. In this episode, UpperEdge’s Microsoft Practice Leader, Adam Mansfield, breaks down what actually creates leverage in a Microsoft negotiation right now, what mistakes enterprises are making, and why the tactics that worked even a year ago may no longer apply.

Adam and host Kylie Chisholm dig into the shift happening in mid-2026, where partial commitments on products like Copilot and E5/E7 can still move the needle without handing Microsoft everything they want. They also cover how to use your broader Microsoft footprint as a source of negotiating power and why investing in your Microsoft relationships is more than just a soft play.

He closes with his single most important piece of advice forany customer heading into an EA renewal: make sure your strategy reflects the world as it is today, not how it was twelve months ago.

Resources:

BLOG: https://upperedge.com/microsoft/what-microsoft-customers-want-from-microsoft-in-2026-stop-pushing-and-start-proving-value/

BLOG: https://upperedge.com/microsoft/github-copilot-licensing-has-changed-what-enterprise-buyers-need-to-know/

About the Show: Welcome to Insights for IT Negotiations, a podcast by UpperEdge, a leading IT sourcing, negotiation, andproject execution advisory firm. Join Adam Mansfield, UpperEdge's Advisory Practice Leader, and Kylie Chisholm, UpperEdge’s Marketing Manager, every other week as they share valuable insights to help you maximize the value of your key IT relationships.

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction & Why Today's MicrosoftLandscape Is Different
1:03 Meet Adam Mansfield, UpperEdge Microsoft Practice Leader
3:09 What Actually Creates Leverage With Microsoft in 2026
10:32 The Biggest Mistakes Enterprises Make Going Into a Negotiation
14:08 Adam's One Piece of Advice for EA Renewal
15:58 The Importance of Starting Early and Giving Yourself Time
17:20 Lifting the Mental Load: The Hidden Value of Getting Help

GitHub Copilot's licensing changed on June 1st — and if you're a business or enterprise customer, the stakes couldn't be higher. In this video, Adam Mansfield, Practice Leader at UpperEdge, breaks down exactly what changed, what it means for your organization, and how to negotiate from a position of strength. Adam covers the shift from a simple per-user model to a token-based consumption model — including the new GitHub AI credits system, how tokens are pooled across your organization, and the critical "gotcha" around temporary inflated token allotments that drop back down after September. He explains the difference between the Business ($19/user/month, 1,900 tokens) and Enterprise ($39/user/month, 3,900 tokens) tiers, what happens when you exceed your token pool, and how the cap structures at the user, cost center, and enterprise levels are intentionally designed to drive additional spend. Most importantly, Adam walks through the negotiation levers you should be pushing on: challenging Microsoft to provide consumption forecasts tailored to your organization, questioning why standard token volumes apply universally, and securing the right discount structures before you sign — because fixing a poorly structured deal after the fact is extremely difficult. If you're in negotiations now or have a renewal coming up, this video is essential viewing.

Salesforce reported Q1 FY27 earnings with revenue exceeding expectations, but the bigger story is the company's push toward AI-driven, consumption-based revenue models. In this analysis, Adam Mansfield breaks down Salesforce's quarterly results, Agentforce adoption trends, Data Cloud growth, Headless 360, and how Salesforce plans to monetize AI through Flex Credits and customer-facing use cases.Adam also explains why enterprise customers should pay close attention to contract structures, transparency, consumption pricing protections, and long-term AI commitments as Salesforce expands its Agentforce and Data 360 offerings.Key topics covered:

• Salesforce Q1 FY27 earnings results
• Agentforce ARR and customer adoption
• Data Cloud (Data 360) growth
• Headless 360 strategy and API monetization
• AI consumption pricing models
• Flex Credits and future revenue growth
• Enterprise software negotiation strategies
• Salesforce renewal and contract considerations
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If you're evaluating Salesforce, negotiating a renewal, or assessing the impact of AI pricing on your technology investments, this breakdown provides practical insights into what the earnings results mean for customers

In this video, Adam breaks down what ServiceNow customers are really asking:• How to get more value from existing investments• What embedded AI actually means for licensing and renewals• Risks around AI forecasting and overcommitment• Questions surrounding the various AI offerings coming out (i.e. AI Control Tower, Autonomous Workforce, Now Assist, Otto, Workflow Data Fabric, Autonomous CRM, etc.)•Why transparency, flexibility and proper price protections matter more than everAs ServiceNow pushes aggressively for AI adoption and includes as part of their renewal strategies and in-term purchase pushes, customers need to prepare themselves adequately.If you're preparing for a ServiceNow renewal and/or evaluating AI products, the insights shared in this video will provide practical insight into what enterprises are experiencing right now and how to get ahead of what is coming.

In this breakdown, Adam Mansfield explains the key takeaways from Microsoft’s earnings call, including rapid Azure growth, surging Copilot adoption, and the expansion of AI-driven revenue. But the real story isn’t just AI—it’s how Microsoft is restructuring its licensing model.Customers must now prepare for a hybrid pricing approach that blends traditional seat-based licensing with consumption-based models. This shift introduces new risks around cost overruns, limited usage entitlements, and lack of transparency.If you're negotiating with Microsoft or planning renewals, understanding these changes is critical. Learn how to protect your organization, manage consumption, and push for better pricing terms before it’s too late.

ServiceNow’s Q1 FY26 earnings delivered strong growth, but what does it mean for customers navigating renewals, new AI product packaging and pricing, along with associated contract negotiations?In this breakdown, Adam Mansfield analyzes key takeaways from ServiceNow’s earnings call, including revenue growth, AI-driven packaging changes, and the shift toward consumption-based pricing. He explains why Now Assist and non-seat-based pricing models are becoming central to ServiceNow’s strategy, and what that means for your cost exposure.With 50% of new business now tied to consumption models and AI embedded across SKUs, organizations must rethink how they approach renewals, transparency, and forecasting. Adam outlines the risks, opportunities, and negotiation strategies buyers need to understand in 2026.If you're planning renewals, attending Knowledge, or evaluating ServiceNow AI investments, this is critical insight to help you avoid unexpected costs and secure better terms.Don't forget to like & subscribe for more insights!