Successfully Negotiating Microsoft Licensing Agreements

Negotiations with Microsoft can be a daunting challenge for a sourcing and vendor management team. Not only is it likely to represent a major financial commitment, but Microsoft's unique terminology, complex pricing structure, and rapidly changing product portfolio can confuse unprepared negotiators. Yet many enterprises achieve mutually acceptable agreements with satisfactory discounts and valuable contractual concessions. How? Thorough preparation is key to success — sourcing managers must understand Microsoft's language and policies and know their own organization's current needs and future plans. This report describes the best practices that Forrester has identified from our experiences helping clients with their Microsoft negotiations.