Steven Zolman

Feb. 28,2017

There is a famous saying in the United States that exclaims, “Remember the Alamo!”. This was used as a battle cry for the State of Texas fighting for independence from Mexico in 1836, after a severely outnumbered band of Texans all lost their lives to the Mexican Army at The Alamo. Their memory lived on as soldiers shouted this war cry in the battles to come until the end of the Mexican-American war in 1848. While no lives were lost in this battle, February 16th 2017 may be the day where we will coin a new phrase: “Remember Diageo!”. SAP has now won what is considered by many to be a landmark decision in London that will have serious ...

Eva Müller

Jan. 31,2017

From January Issue, Manager-Magazin - click here. Original Article - click here. To download original PDF in German - click here. To download translated PDF in English - click here. LITTLE BIG BLUE (translated) IBM: The turnover of the US technological icon has been shrinking for years. If super-brain Watson fails to bring about the turnaround, CEO Virginia Rometty will probably have to go. For Virginia Marie Rometty (59), called Ginni, the domination of the world is only a matter of time. At the end of October, at her in-house exhibition in Las Vegas, the chief executive of IBM announced that in five years her computer technology will ...

Scott Braden

Jan. 30,2017

For some time, we have espoused the wisdom of diversification out of your ‘Microsoft’ portfolio, and look for ways to find, test and integrate disruptive suppliers and solutions. The reason is pretty simple – with diversification comes innovation, cost reduction, and eventually transformation. However, if you never make an attempt to diversify and look at new solutions, you can hardly ever hope to achieve any of the aforementioned goals. In fact, quite the opposite will happen. Over time you will wonder why the organization is ‘stuck’ while costs are rising and innovation flounders. In this kind of company, we see folks running from one ...

Robert Geib

Dec. 14,2016

We are all conditioned to some degree either consciously or subconsciously, that when we hear the word free - it must be a good thing: Buy one, get one free! Free with purchase of two or more… Free to the first 10 customers… Claim your free gift by registering today… And the list goes on…. However, these marketing terms are not limited to the realm of retail. We are exposed every day to the same conditioning in the world of B2B technology and software. And just like in the retail world, more often than not, “free” is really not free at all. No one gives something away for nothing, or they wouldn’t be in business very long. There has to be ...

Kellsey Le

Dec. 14,2016

As we close out 2016, on behalf of the global staff at NET(net), I reflect on the blessings we experience on a daily basis and wish to thank all our clients and partners for entrusting the team at NET(net) to help you find, get, and keep more value in your IT agreements, investments, and relationships. NET(net) ends the year on the highest of notes, celebrating many Clients successes, achieving significant milestones with our closest partners, and initiating a record number of new relationships with various companies throughout the world. We at NET(net) are committed to creating long-term sustainable value in our client relationships, and ...

Steven Zolman

Nov. 29,2016

Planning ahead with tech suppliers can be daunting and time consuming, especially if you don't rely on the suppliers themselves and the consultant firms that take money from them for all your information. For many however, escaping from the Technology Cartel is difficult. Back in May, we wrote about: Oracle - Fiscal year ended May, and often the renewal cycle is the best time to change terms Microsoft - Fiscal year ended June, biggest month for license renewals and new license deals Cisco - Fiscal year ended July, best time of year to review Cisco estate for M&S optimization and more And now - its SAP's turn - fiscal year ending ...

Scott Braden

Nov. 1,2016

For those that are not yet aware, Microsoft has announced SIGNIFICANT price increases due to start January 2017. Microsoft claims that the price increases are a result of the UK's exit from the European Union and the resulting decrease in the value of the British Pound. The price increase will be as much as 22% for Enterprise Cloud Services, and 13% for on premise Enterprise Software. Given there are only two months left before these changes take effect, there is significant urgency around evaluating the potential impact and how to adjust and mitigate it. Additional Articles: The Guardian Engadget The Independent Email us to get in contact ...

Robert Geib

Oct. 25,2016

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." - Mike Tyson Many of us also know this quote from Mike Tyson, which turned into one of his most famous quotes because of the applicability far beyond boxing..especially in the sport of Supplier Negotiations. It really has meaning in any area of life, whether the blow comes from the death of a loved one, a health issue, losing your job, making a bad investment, a traffic jam, whatever. It's how you react to that adversity that defines you, not the adversity itself. Similar to Sun Tsu's claims, success in a supplier negotiation is often achieved BEFORE the negotiation ever starts. ...

Robert Geib

Sep. 29,2016

“Every battle is won before it’s ever fought.” ― Sun Tzu Most of us know this quote from Sun Tzu's seminal work, "The Art of War", but is it true that EVERY battle is won or lost before it's ever fought? Well, in context, Sun Tzu was speaking of the great set-piece battles fought at the time, where huge armies would line up and then be sent into the fray to fight. The battle would go to whoever had prepared best, who brought the best supplies, who had the best planning, who garnered the best intelligence, who held the best control of the ground, whose warriors had the best training, and so on.... But in modern conflicts, this view is ...

Steven Zolman

Aug. 11,2016

As the Founder of NET(net), I’ve had the privilege of working with world class clients all over the world, in virtually all industries and geographies. I’ve also had the honor of knowing many "rock star" client executives, including management scholars from ivy-league schools, engineers from MIT, and their staff that’s as sharp as any well trained Special Forces unit. Over the years, I’ve learned many things from working with these exceptional organizations and I hope the feeling is mutual. But as a wise person once said, ‘the biggest room in the house, is the room for improvement’. There is one compelling issue that all these talented ...