Software

Teri Abbo
Templates and Sample Contract Language

During this presentation, you will gain knowledge of sample language to include in your next Statement of Work, Request for Proposals/Information (RFP/RFI) and other items that can assist you in creating comprehensive requests for vendors to respond to.

• Get sample language that can support contract negotiations, bid proposals, and SOWs.
• Also get RFP/RFI and SOW templates that you can customize for your organization.
• Discuss the holistic RFP/RFI process, including evaluating bid responses.

Robert Scott
Legal Aspects of Agreements with Large Vendors

Understanding of the legal aspects of technology contracts is critical. Too often, key provisions are overlooked during the rush to engagement, and the customer is left holding the bag when the services or software don’t quite meet the needs of the organization. In this session, you’ll learn major terms and conditions that should be included in agreements with major software publishers including IBM, Microsoft, and Autodesk.

• Identify significant legal issues that should be covered in software contracts.
• Utilize best practices in negotiating with large vendors.
• Handle third-party audit requests.

Robert Scott
Cloud Computing Contracting

Businesses are focusing on the potential cost savings, profits, and agility to be found in the cloud. But entering into cloud computing contracts without understanding the inherent risks can cripple an otherwise healthy organization. This presentation will cover how to address these risks and proper contracting and risk transfer using insurance.

• Identify significant legal issues that should be covered in vendor contracts for cloud computing services, with special attention to the areas of privacy, data security, jurisdictional issues, intellectual property rights, and e-discovery.

Software

• Understand that the legal obligations of the business, i.e., HIPAA, do not end with the business’ data transfer to a cloud contracting vendor.
• Get strategies to minimize or mitigate some of the legal risks inherent in cloud computing.

Robert Wright / Scott Thomas
Why “Industry Standard” Isn’t Good Enough

You hear it from vendors all the time: “The terms we’re offering are industry standard.” In this session, two of Humana’s most seasoned technology contracts negotiators will discuss the true norms in software licensing and share tips and strategies for achieving them in your deals.

• Receive tips and strategies for negotiating software licenses.
• Get detailed suggested language.

Sherry Irwin
Software Asset Management: Life Cycle and Best Practices

Software Asset Management (SAM) has become mandatory as a way to reduce software costs, avoid risks (including license compliance), and maximize the value from software investments. This presentation will introduce basic SAM concepts and terminology, as well as a program framework and best practices.

• Learn software asset life cycle SAM program framework.
• Assess current practices.
• Implement new/improved practices key accountabilities.
• Learn best practices.
• Lessons learned.

Cynthia Farren
Software Audits — Avoiding Data “Lies”

Software audits are on the rise, and even properly managed licensing can be caught with costly and unexpected surprises. Audit firms work from data, but data frequently lies. Learn from an expert in responding to software audits what some of the common tripping points are, how to avoid them, and the tactical steps your organization can take to minimize the time and cost impact of a software audit.

• Learn how to perform pre-audit due diligence.
• Manage scope areas of exposure/concern for major publishers.
• Common data interpretation.

 

Software

Charlotte Lawson
Sourcing Open Source

We have heard about the challenges and advantages of using Open Source Software (OSS) from the legal and development sectors. With a few updates to our procurement processes, we can ensure that our clients can leverage OSS for competitive advantages while managing the business risks.  You will learn:

• Competitive advantages of Open Source Software (OSS) optionsHow to compare OSS options with Closed Source (perpetual or subscription) licenses
• How to assess the qualifications of an OSS support provider
• Key terms to look for in OSS support agreements
• Policy ideas to expand consideration of OSS options while managing IP and security business risks

 

Negotiations

Tamara Pawloski
Super Storm Sandy — Having the Right Clauses Makes a Difference

Are your contracts ready for a disaster event like Super Storm Sandy? In this session, you will hear about the importance of Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity requirements, along with the variation on the force majeure clause that will ensure that your company can rely on sound terms. Examples will be provided from various industries.

• Receive specific clauses that have been successfully used.

Bruce Leshine
Planning For — And Surviving — Contract Termination

During contract negotiations, neither party worries very much about what happens once the contract ends. But that’s exactly when you must worry about the end of the contract. Whether upon expiration of the natural term or — gasp! — earlier termination for convenience or cause, the best — no, the only — time to plan for contract termination is during contract negotiations. Learn the “right” and the “wrong” provisions in IT services agreements in connection with:

Negotiations

• End-of-term support and transition assistance
• Purchase or lease of hardware and licensing of software
• Transfer of personnel
• Audits, confidentiality, and intellectual property rights
• Representations and warranties
• Charges and payment
• Limitations on liability
• Termination transition costs

Stephen Covert
Preparing to Negotiate with Microsoft

Learn valuable approaches for preparing to negotiate a Microsoft Volume License Agreement. This session will provide an overview of a competitive negotiation approach versus a cooperative negotiation approach with Microsoft. Stephen will lead the group through a schedule of events that an organization should consider while preparing for the negotiation. The session will conclude with a focus on building a competitive position, with an analysis of how to determine the value that the present agreement brings to the organization and how to build alternatives that can be used as fallback positions in preparing for the negotiation.

• Gain an understanding of the difference between a competitive negotiation and a cooperative negotiation with Microsoft.
• Take away a schedule of events that should be followed when preparing for a negotiation.
• Learn how to assess the components of the volume agreement and determine the value of a volume agreement.
• Realize how to build alternatives that may be used as fallback positions during the negotiation.

 

Vendor Management

Scott Lazev
Developing and Sustaining a Supplier Management Program

Learn how to develop tools, processes, people, and key elements/principles when creating and maintaining a successful Supplier Management Program.

Vendor Management

• Learn how to create and manage data that is important to measure, improve, and report for Supplier Information and Performance.
• Get specific examples of Supplier Dashboards, Segmentation Definitions, Contact and Contract Databases, Supplier Issue Logs, Supplier Surveys, 360° Surveys, Supplier Day Agendas, and Internal Scorecards to validate ROI of Program.

Kelly Longgrear
Negotiation: Leading from the Center

Negotiation tends to be one of the most overlooked and undervalued functions within a company. Because of this failure to recognize the importance of a properly positioned and executed negotiation, companies are missing much of the value that a solid approach to negotiation represents. This presentation will discuss the hows and whys behind this challenge, provide some case studies that underscore the issues, and provide a path for better negotiation outcomes for the enterprise.

• Understand the center-led negotiation process and structure.
• Measure its impact on value and risk.
• Assess the current state within your organization.
• Align your structure to drive improved outcomes.

Aaron Oser / Roger Roy
Service Integration — Harmonizing Your Service Delivery Environment

Outsourcing relationships often fail to deliver their promised results. There are typically two reasons. One is simply failure by the supplier to deliver on its contractual commitments. The other is failure by the customer to address the critical responsibilities it is retaining in the future delivery model and to properly manage the relationship. Customer-related failures have only been amplified as a result of the greater use by customers of multi-supplier solutions. This session will address ways to avoid outsourcing failures by focusing on the customer side of the relationship.

• Learn common challenges/pitfalls associated with outsourcing and managing multi-supplier environments.
• Avoid contracting in isolation — transparency is needed among your suppliers and customer-retained functions.
• Design and implement customer-retained functions with the same rigor that is used for supplier solutions.

 

Vendor Management

• Gain the critical centerpiece in any ongoing IT operation: The IT Service Management and Integration function.
• Learn Supplier Relationship, no longer an afterthought or someone’s secondary job.
• Develop an implementation strategy.

Thomas Worner
Vendor Executive Briefings (Strategic) — The Vendor or Procurement or the Business — Our House, Not Vendor’s Headquarters

Traditionally, vendors host executive briefing on their terms, at their headquarters, and follow their agenda. Does this form of an executive briefing provide the strategic direction your IT organization and business partners desire? Share in a discussion and see a model that will permit you, your IT organization, and your business partners to collaborate in preparation for the “executive briefing/summit”; build an 18- to 36-month strategic capability plan unique to the vendor; and have the vendor deliver its strategic road map of capabilities/portfolio of products to meet and mirror your organization’s growth plan.

• Get an understanding of a traditional executive briefing, along with its pros and cons.
• Understand, discuss, and explore a new creative and collaborative approach to building an improved executive briefing (a “summit”) and its pros and cons.
• Receive working templates to customize and use in redesigning your executive briefings going forward, including material reasons why this approach will improve and/or exceed the current benefits to your IT organization.
• Improve the effectiveness of your strategic vendor relationships.

General

Marilyn Gettinger
Managing a Portfolio of Suppliers

Senior management in many organizations today are aware that their organization is only as successful as the supply base that supports it. Organizations also have learned that long-term partnerships, integrated relationships, collaboration, and multiyear contracts have brought significant improvements and cost reductions.

General

As organizations move closer to their suppliers, they are demanding risk-free and high-performance delivery. Supply base management is successfully selecting, evaluating, managing, and developing a portfolio of different suppliers as well as following the up-and-comers and the possible future front runners. You will learn:

• The latest perspective on supply base management or supplier relationship management
• New possibilities for cost-reduction initiatives
• Supply management’s significant role in supply chain management
• How to use a template when establishing a supply base program
• Return on investment statistics identified by organizations with successful supply base management programs

Ruth Ginzberg
Managing “Rogue” Cloud Usage

Learn how the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee examined cloud computing from multiple angles and holistically addressed the purchasing, auditing, risk management, IT integration, and legal issues.

• Rogue cloud usage happens everywhere
• Moving beyond “Don’t Do That”
• Bringing rogue users into the fold
• Turning resistance into advocacy
• Protecting assets and mitigating risk
• We’ve done it!
• A multipronged, multifaceted approach that works

Kevin Green
Demonstrating Value to Your Leadership — Development and Utilization of an Organizational Scorecard

In today’s times, all functions, especially those viewed traditionally as support functions, must be sure they are demonstrating value to the organization. Do you have a scoredcard/method of communication with your senior business leaders on the value that your organization provides? Is it one that can be used across multiple functions? Learn how one sourcing/supplier management organization has solved this problem.

• Other points of value beyond savings
• Better ways to communicate with senior leaders across your business
• Ideas on how to organize metrics/KPIs
• Sample organization scorecard

 

General

• Other points of value beyond savings
• Better ways to communicate with senior leaders across your business
• Ideas on how to organize metrics/KPIs
• Sample organization scorecard

 

Hardware

Prashant Kumar
Hardware Procurement Best Practices (PCs, Servers, Networks, and Printers)

Hardware
Discover best practices in IT hardware procurement, including PCs, servers, networks, and data centers.  Examine the various market trends, shifts, and outlooks in the hardware industry in terms of supply and demand, technology shifts, and other category-specific shifts. Learn best practices in sourcing for categories such as single/multi-vendor sourcing, types of vendors for various services, pricing analysis, models, drivers, negotiation tactics, and supplier performance management.

· Learn the latest trends and market shifts in each of the hardware subcategories
· Understand pricing aspects of hardware sourcing by subcategory
· Obtain best practices for efficient hardware sourcing

Lita Weiter

Resellers: the Good, the Bad…Make Them Work for You

This session will address choosing a reseller to suit your needs; contract language to add into your reseller agreement; the “value adds”; where to beware; and how to make resellers work for you during negotiations with OEMs and software publishers. Is there one reseller that can “do it all” for you?

• Get contract language you can use.
• Learn all about “value adds.”
• Learn how to choose the best reseller for you.
• Discover the areas to beware of.

 

 

Telecom

Justin Castillo
The (R)evolution of Enterprise Wireless

In the ‘good old days’ of enterprise wireless, deals were simple: There were corporate-liable phones available at a great discount, and employees could piggyback on their employer’s deal and get their own individually liable device.

The world is more complicated now: BYOD, pooling, shared data plans, DAS systems, and tablets/smartphones have all revolutionized how enterprises purchase — and how their employees use — wireless.
This session discusses what’s changed and what it means for the enterprise, as well as why some elements of the good old days might be worth preserving.

• The hidden pitfalls of BYOD
• Why you might not want to jettison that corporate-liable wireless deal just yet
• The importance of regular optimization
• What’s more important:  the cost of wireless or its value?

Justin Castillo
Planning and Implementing a Successful SIP Trunking Procurement

SIP trunking has gone mainstream as enterprises discover the cost and performance benefits of implementing this new technology. This presentation will help you make the transition to SIP trunking smoothly and successfully. Topics covered include:

• Evolution of network services
• “SIP Trunk” basics
• How businesses are implementing SIP Trunks
• Preparing for the move to SIP Trunks
• A disciplined approach to sourcing SIP Trunks
• SIP Trunk service and pricing structures
• SIP as the “new local”
• Technical aspects of SIP — a deeper dive
• SIP service levels
• Contract and legal considerations for SIP Trunks

Services

Mark Kaufmann
SaaS, Web-based Services / Hosting Services Agreements

More and more companies are finding they must negotiate contracts that provide for SaaS, web-based services, and hosting services. Discover the must-know key terms and provisions that are needed to provide your company with the optimal services from providers.

• Learn the key clauses to improve your contracts.
• Discover great contract provisions.
• Learn negotiations tactics.
• Avoid “gotchas” that all companies should know about.

 

Outsourcing

Charles Wijayawardhana
Best Practices in Outsourcing

Understand from a practitioner’s standpoint how the outsourcing landscape of 2013 differs from the past and what you can expect in the future. Develop a strategic plan for the next two to three years in your program as your outsourcing partners continue to face multiple challenges and struggle to deliver high-quality results. No matter where your current outsourcing program is (or even if it is nascent), this session will provide you with a tool kit that will help determine the health of your outsourcing program, establish whether it is heading in the right direction, and bring value-add that you may be missing to your organization.

• Receive a framework for classifying your vendors based on their strengths and weaknesses, and how they best fit your needs.
• Learn how to balance cost and quality in outsourcing engagements.
• Learn how to leverage your existing vendors to improve your TCO.
• Learn best practices for outsourcing RFPs, including transitioning to another provider or renegotiating with your incumbent to improve your position.

 

 

Professional Development

Gregg Catalano
The Charismatic Leader: Unlocking the “It” Factor to Powerfully Influence and Inspire Other People

Want to energize, inspire, and instill enthusiasm in others? Be admired and maybe even envied by peers because of your magnetism, presence, and ability to get your staff to produce results that exceed expectations? Then developing leadership charisma is a must. Charisma is considered the “It” factor and one of the keys to your success . . . do you have it? Do you want it? If so, join Gregg in this high-energy workshop as he teaches you the principles of positive charismatic leadership and how leadership charisma can help you get noticed, listened to, respected, and followed.

• Gain a better understanding of who you are and how you can best use your most positive attributes for personal and professional success.
• Identify personality differences in yourself and others.
• Discover the natural talents of each of the four personalities and the important values that motivate them.
• Dramatically improve your communication skills and minimize miscommunications.
• Learn how to meet people where they are rather than where you are to create instant rapport. Understand how “true colors” can increase morale, improve teams, and increase productivity.

Gregg Catalano
What Are You Really Saying During Negotiations?

Nonverbal communications account for between 60 percent and 80 percent of the impact made around a negotiating table. Join the Communication Magician, Gregg Catalano, as he discloses tricks and tips to help you read other negotiators and know how to avoid disclosing your position too easily.

• Gain a better understanding of what you are saying from the moment you walk into the room.
• Discover how to determine whether your opponent is being open and honest.
• Dramatically improve communication skills and minimize miscommunications at the negotiation table.

 

Roundtables

BYOD — Bring Your Own Device

Roundtable — BYOD and Mobility

Is your company using smartphones and tablets?  Does your company allow its employees to receive company email and conduct company business on their personal phones, tablets, and/or computers?  Join in the discussion about the mobility proliferation and BYOD revolution.  Share your experiences with your peers and compare notes on how others are dealing with the latest onslaught of personal devices in the business environment.

• Learn what technologies others have deployed
• Explore how to secure business data accessed by personal devices
• Examine how sourcing can help to “connect the dots” between internal customers and IT

Meaningful SLAs

You’re negotiating a contract for a new system or service that will be business-critical.  What happens when you experience an unplanned outage or failure?  While such failures can and do happen, it is possible to include contractual language with meaningful SLAs and associated liquidated damages to focus the vendor on what’s important to your company, thereby lessening the blow to your company if such a failure happens.

• Two 9s to five 9s — why you need to know the difference
• Focus on the most critical needs when crafting SLAs
• SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) SLAs
• Sharing the financial risks