SaaSMe Unfiltered: The SaaS Management Podcast

Big things are happening behind the scenes at SaaSMe Unfiltered! In this short update, Cory Wheeler shares why the podcast is taking a brief break, and what you can look forward to when we return this fall. Learn how to stay connected so you're the first to know when new episodes drop.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction
• 0:19 SaaSMe Unfiltered Season 5 Update
• 0:39 Ways to Stay Connected

SaaS sprawl doesn’t fix itself—smart operations do. Vlad Tsapko, VP of Business Operations at Insurity, breaks down how his team built a functional, data-driven SaaS Management program that reduces waste and supports business growth. In this episode, you’ll hear why SaaS Ops is essential for managing big software spend, how data integrity supports smarter decisions, and why continuous improvement keeps the program effective over time.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to SaaS Operations

03:19 Defining SaaS Ops and Its Importance

05:35 Building a SaaS Management Program

07:31 Cost Savings and Budgeting Strategies

10:25 Establishing a SaaS System of Record

12:53 Data Integrity and Business Buy-In

15:40 Optimizing Renewals and Negotiations

17:17 Process for Renewal Preparation

19:11 Driving Value at Renewal

23:40 Vlad's Dream SaaS Ops Playbook

25:44 Lessons for the Future

How do you bring order to SaaS sprawl without killing innovation? Aaron Bass, IT Operations Analyst at Imagine Learning, shares how the Business Transformation team became “ruckus makers for good,” driving structure, clarity, and true change management in a fast-growing, post-M&A environment. In this episode, you’ll learn how to build a steering committee that actually works, why visibility and ownership matter more than control, and what it takes to make decentralized SaaS Management sustainable.

Chapters

00:00 Decentralized SaaS Ownership: A Double-Edged Sword

01:12 The Role of Business Transformation in SaaS Management

04:20 Ruckus Makers for Good: The Philosophy Behind Change

07:20 Integrating Organizational Change Management with SaaS

09:41 Establishing a Steering Committee for SaaS Oversight

12:28 Initial Focus and Priorities of the Steering Committee

13:39 C-Suite Involvement in SaaS Decision-Making

14:45 Key Data Points Driving Steering Committee Actions

17:07 Game Changers in Decentralized SaaS Management

17:38 Building a System of Truth for Effective Change Management

When an audit flagged opportunities in Hyatt’s software management program, Jennifer Clark used that as a launchpad to rethink SaaS governance from the ground up. Jennifer, Global IT Asset Manager at Hyatt Corporation, shares how consolidating data, understanding ownership, and embedding compliance into daily workflows turned audit preparedness into an always-on discipline. In this episode, you’ll learn how to streamline your audit processes, build collaboration between security and asset management, and make governance a shared responsibility across the organization.

Chapters

• 00:00 The Catalyst for Change: Audit Findings
• 03:07 Building a Proactive SaaS Management Mindset
• 06:16 Navigating the Audit Landscape: On-Prem vs. SaaS
• 08:59 Establishing a Comprehensive Application Inventory
• 11:52 Collaboration and Governance in SaaS Management
• 14:42 Key Performance Indicators for SaaS Management
• 17:15 Strategic Steps for Effective SaaS Management

After several attempts to launch a successful SaaS Management program, TJ Johnson recognized that the FinOps approach needed to shift. As Lead Architect for Platform Economics at MGM Resorts International, he shares how starting with visibility—before diving into optimization—helped his team finally gain traction. In this episode, you’ll learn the mindset change that made the difference, how to pick the right starting point, and what it really takes to make FinOps work for SaaS.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to FinOps and SaaS Challenges

01:51 Building a Software Management Program at MGM

05:46 Tactics, Data, and Prioritization

09:00 Implementing a New Software Intake Processes

11:48 Standardizing Data with FinOps FOCUS

14:39 Understanding the Differences Between Cloud and SaaS

17:54 Evolving FinOps Practices for SaaS

19:10 Making the Most of the FinOps Community

21:09 Closing Thoughts

500+ applications. Stitched-together spreadsheets. No clear owners. That’s what Ksenia Kouchnirenko inherited when she joined Verkada as VP of Enterprise Operations & Technology. In this episode, she shares how she stood up a SaaS Management program from scratch to bring visibility, accountability, and strategy to software decisions. You’ll learn what it takes to start your own program, align stakeholders across IT and Procurement, and avoid early-phase pitfalls.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to SaaS Management
• 01:30 Identifying Gaps in SaaS Management
• 03:34 The Role of Procurement in SaaS Management
• 05:49 Defining the Value of SaaS Management
• 08:21 Importance of Visibility in SaaS Management
• 09:38 People, Process, and Technology Framework
• 11:34 The Role of Automation in SaaS Management
• 13:45 Lessons Learned from Previous SaaS Management Experiences
• 16:16 Advice for IT Leaders on SaaS Management

What happens when a cloud FinOps expert takes on the unruly world of SaaS? Ridge Fussell, Senior Manager of FinOps at The Home Depot, reveals the surprising complexity behind managing SaaS at scale—and why it's nothing like managing cloud. In this episode, learn why SaaS Management requires a different mindset and the first step you need to take to gain control and drive value.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction
• 01:32 Understanding SaaS vs. Cloud Management
• 07:44 The Home Depot's Partnership Approach to Change Management
• 09:30 Identifying Gaps in SaaS Visibility
• 15:34 Crawl, Walk, Run: Building a SaaS Management Program
• 21:48 How to Get Started: Don't Try to Boil the Ocean

When does Smartsheet renew? Are we getting a fair price for Zoom? Do we really need 100 enterprise licenses? Each SaaS renewal requires time to prepare so you can answer these questions – and more. In this episode, Ben Pippenger explains SaaS renewal management and the ideal process you should follow to confidently tackle software renewals at scale.

Have a question you’d like answered on SaaSMe Anything? Submit yours here. 

Key Takeaways:

• [00:09 - 00:46] Helping with renewals
• [00:46 - 01:36] What is SaaS renewal management?
• [01:36 - 02:34] What is the ideal renewal process?
• [02:34 - 03:11] 120 days applies to most applications but there are exceptions
• [03:11 - 03:48] Determining quantity of licenses
• [03:48 - 04:27] Benchmark comparisons
• [04:27 - 04:59] Adding the agreement to your system of record
• [05:00 - 05:34] Recap

SaaSMe Anything is the bi-weekly podcast that brings clarity to the chaos of SaaS, hosted by your resident SaaS expert and Zylo co-founder Ben Pippenger. Connect with Ben on LinkedIn here.

License waste runs unchecked in most organizations today. In fact, Zylo’s SaaS Management Index shows that on average 49% of licenses are unused each month, adding up to $18M in wasted spend each year. Sure, money speaks. But this risk goes beyond your bottom line, impacting security, operational efficiency, and value across the business. In this episode, Ben Pippenger explains the importance of SaaS license management and outlines what an effective strategy looks like and the steps for execution.

Have a question you’d like answered on SaaSMe Anything? Submit yours here. 

Key Takeaways

• [00:08 - 00:48] Organizations on average waste $18 million in SaaS licenses
• [00:48 - 02:26] What is SaaS license management
• [02:26 - 03:20] Decisions you need to make after obtaining usage data
• [03:20 - 04:34] How to reclaim SaaS licenses
• [04:34 - 05:05] Recap

SaaSMe Anything is the bi-weekly podcast that brings clarity to the chaos of SaaS, hosted by your resident SaaS expert and Zylo co-founder Ben Pippenger. Connect with Ben on LinkedIn here.

How many applications do we really have? What apps are being expensed by employees? Are there potential security risks we don’t know about? You’ll get answers to these questions and more by practicing SaaS inventory management. In this episode, Ben Pippenger will explain the ins and outs of what it is, why it matters, and best practices you should follow.

Have a question you’d like answered on SaaSMe Anything? Submit yours here.

Key Takeaways

• [00:00 - 00:51] Companies spend three times more on SaaS than they think they do
• [00:48 - 02:03] What is SaaS inventory management?
• [00:48 - 02:24] Unlocking the Secrets of SaaS Inventory Management
• [02:04 - 04:08] AI-powered discovery and strategic portfolio management, three tiers of apps to work through
• [04:08 - 05:36] Onboarding applications and managing inventory
• [05:37 - 06:17] Quick wins

SaaSMe Anything is the bi-weekly podcast that brings clarity to the chaos of SaaS, hosted by your resident SaaS expert and Zylo co-founder Ben Pippenger. Connect with Ben on LinkedIn here.