Mark Bartrick

Principal Consultant

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Why Now Is The Perfect Time To Negotiate Cost Reductions With Software Vendors

Mark Bartrick May 5, 2020
Worker layoffs and furloughs aren’t the only way to quickly reduce costs. Here’s how to start conversations with your vendors today.
Blog

Five things your Microsoft sales person doesn’t want you to know

Mark Bartrick February 10, 2016
I love Costa Coffee shops. Not only do they keep my caffeine levels sustained but their ambience always seems to get my creative juices flowing. Here’s one of my more recent ruminations: wouldn’t it be great if software companies always did the right thing for their customers? Imagine this world for a moment: Software vendors […]
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3 Ways To Squeeze Your SAP Maintenance Costs

Mark Bartrick September 14, 2015
This is the first post in a series on strategies and tactics for negotiating your licensing agreements with software companies including SAP, Salesforce, and Workday.  I recently had a call from an unhappy SAP customer moaning about the high costs of SAP’s annual maintenance and questioning whether they are getting good value for the money. […]
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Negotiating with Microsoft in June; do you take it to the wire or settle early?

Mark Bartrick May 21, 2014
June is a such great month – the days are getting warmer, Wimbledon merges tennis with strawberries and cream, the kids are all pleasantly subdued while revising and sitting exams, the football World Cup is just around the corner, and (how could we possibly forget) it’s also Microsoft’s financial year end. Many of you will […]
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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s first earnings call – talks about courage, challenges and the future.

Mark Bartrick April 29, 2014
It’s been an interesting few weeks for Microsoft. XP has gone off Support and left many clients exposed to security risks. At the same time, the US Government has just warned all users to avoid using Internet Explorer (IE) versions 6 to 11 as they say that there is a serious flaw that hackers are […]
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Now Some IBM Customers Might Be Able To Take Advantage Of Cheaper Third-Party Software Support

Mark Bartrick April 8, 2014
Chief information officers (CIOs) are dedicating more of their budgets to what we call “systems of engagement” (technologies that help win, serve, and retain customers) rather than “systems of record” (back-office technologies). According to research here at Forrester, new business investment in the former will be eight times that of the latter in 2014. All […]
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Oracle’s Q3 falls short of market expectations (again). So expect to get a call from your Oracle sales rep sometime soon.

Mark Bartrick March 25, 2014
Oracle has missed revenue expectations for three quarters in a row now as its Q3 results fell short of market expectations. The company blamed currency fluctuations and the strength of the US dollar for this latest miss. The company reported third quarter earnings of $2.6 billion on revenue of $9.3 billion. Wall Street expected to […]
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Microsoft Licensing Update: Product Retirements Imminent – You Need To Upgrade Or Run The Risk Of Using Un-Supported Software.

Mark Bartrick February 28, 2014
Microsoft retires support for various older products in 2014 and 2015. This means there will be no more free updates or security patches. While it’s a common occurrence to see support for older products retired by software vendors, it’s annoying if either the old stuff is still running perfectly well or if the upgrade option […]
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How Good Is That BMC Or CA End-Of-Year Deal?

Mark Bartrick February 13, 2014
Many of you will be in the midst of a contract negotiation or maintenance renewal with BMC and/or CA at the moment, because both software vendors do a large proportion of their license deals in the January to March quarter as it’s their financial year ends on March 31. It’s a sourcing cliché that software […]
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Get Expert Guidance During Your Microsoft, Oracle And SAP Negotiations

Mark Bartrick February 4, 2014
In the Age of the Customer, it’s vital that your hard-pressed IT budget is spent wisely and is refocused into areas of the business that can help improve client acquisition, retention and profitability. Negotiating better deals with your legacy incumbent software vendors is a great way to free up cash to spend on innovation. If […]
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Get a Grip on those IBM mainframe MLC Costs

Mark Bartrick September 2, 2013
We all like free stuff and we all like saving money. I’m a big fan of any free-to-use tools that help identify cost saving opportunities. I regularly dip into online cost comparison sites for stuff I buy at home, such as house and car insurance. These sites are easy and quick to use and often […]
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SOURCING BUSINESS OUTCOMES REQUIRES A SEA-CHANGE IN THE WAY SOURCING BUYS AND SELLERS SELL

Mark Bartrick April 12, 2013
Over 40% of senior business executives are looking to suppliers and external parties to co-develop and deliver measureable business outcomes. Telling suppliers to forget their old pricing metrics and focus instead in delivering value while also sharing risks and rewards requires a new set of skills on both sides of the negotiating table. This is […]
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Microsoft’s Tablet And Smartphone Licensing: Still Counting Devices When The World Only Wants To Count Users

Mark Bartrick October 26, 2012
Over the last few years, there have been fantastic advances in technology that have brought us almost a billion smartphones and tablets. These handy mobile computers give us access to our Microsoft Windows and Office products anytime and from anywhere. No longer are we tied to the old clunky desktop device in the office. This […]
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Microsoft — Innovator Or Aggregator?

Mark Bartrick September 10, 2012
Vanity Fair ran a terrific article in its recent August issue, entitled "Microsoft’s Lost Decade." The gist of the article is that since 2000, Microsoft, under the guidance of CEO Steve Ballmer, has fallen flat and failed in most new arenas it’s tried to enter: e-books, music, search, social networking, etc. It also highlights that […]
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Software Audits: A Story Of Home Truths, Horror Stories, And Money

Mark Bartrick February 16, 2012
Software audits are a bit like public transport; you can wait for ages for a bus and nothing turns up and then all of a sudden five come along at the same time. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that software vendors are running more licensing audits today than ever before. The challenging economic climate has driven […]
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Is Software Pricing A Science Or An Art?

Mark Bartrick January 23, 2012
I’ve been with Forrester for just over a month now. It’s great to be involved with our clients and communities and to be helping businesses across the world evaluate the quality of software suppliers' proposals from a commercial perspective (e.g., is this a great deal or can the supplier do better?). One of the best […]