Research is where the practice publishes what the engagement data shows: how renewal discounts actually land, where audit exposure concentrates, what the migration to newer agreement models is costing buyers in practice. The work is grounded in real outcomes rather than vendor benchmarks. $420M+ recovered across 340+ Microsoft engagements and a 79% average reduction in audit financial exposure, turned into evidence you can cite in your own business case.
Buyers negotiate in the dark because Microsoft holds the only real benchmark data. The research program closes that gap, drawing comparable outcomes from engagement work so a number on your proposal can be measured against what peers achieve.
What discount levels enterprises of comparable size and product mix actually secure, and how to read your own proposal against the real distribution.
A structured way to build the full cost picture across a contract cycle, with the assumptions that separate a defensible model from a vendor projection.
The discipline of reconstructing what you own versus what you use, the single most valuable artifact a buyer can hold going into any review.
Settlement figures are private by design, which lets the opening exposure number do its work unchallenged. The research here reconstructs how the gap between assertion and outcome is closed across the highest risk products.
How initial exposure assertions move toward a defensible settlement, and the points in the process where the largest reductions are won.
A pattern study of the audit findings most often overturned on rebuttal, and the evidence that overturns them.
Where core and host counting assumptions inflate exposure, and the technical evidence that brings the number back to defensible ground.
Microsoft changes packaging, pricing, and terms continuously, and the direction of travel matters as much as any single change. This research tracks the structural shifts that will shape the next renewal cycle.
A standing record of the year's licensing changes and what each one means for renewals, audits, and the cost of the estate.
A buyer side look at where the productivity case for Copilot holds and where the per seat economics fail to justify the commitment.
What the move from E3 to E5 actually buys, where the bundled value is real, and where standalone alternatives undercut the upgrade.
Where a subject demands depth, the practice publishes a structured research note in the format of a senior advisory paper: thesis, findings, analysis, and recommendations a leadership team can act on. The full library lives under white papers.
The complete collection of long form research notes on EA renewal, audit defense, and cloud cost, each built for senior IT and procurement leaders.
Shorter form analysis at the strategic altitude, covering renewal economics, audit exposure, and the long arc of the estate.
Glossaries, templates, checklists, and FAQs, the working reference behind every engagement, free to use before you ever speak to the practice.
A note when a new benchmark, study, or research paper goes up, with the headline finding and why it matters for your contracts. Written for CIOs, CFOs, and procurement leaders. No vendor spin, and you can stop it any time.