SaaSMe Unfiltered: The SaaS Management Podcast Zylo

Companies spend a lot on Infrastructure and even more on SaaS. Yet, the market has seen Cloud growth drop dramatically. Clearly, companies have prioritized optimization of their cloud investments. Why aren’t they putting the same emphasis on SaaS optimization? In this episode, Ben Pippenger explains three reasons why, the opportunity at-hand for SaaS cost reduction, and his rallying cry for SaaS management as a business priority.
Have a question you’d like answered on SaaSMe Anything? Submit yours here. 
Key Takeaways
[00:08 - 01:03] Cloud spend run on Zylo, cost savings and visibility[01:03 - 01:35] Cloud management platforms history[01:35 - 02:22] FinOps provides predictability and visibility, decreases in growth rate[02:23 - 03:00] Gartner spend forecast, infrastructure, platform, software as services[03:00 - 03:36] Why aren't businesses optimizing their SaaS?[03:35 - 04:08] Scale and cloud complexity[04:08 - 04:49] Cloud optimization and culture[04:48 - 05:21] Ben's software optimization challenge for youSaaSMe Anything is the bi-weekly podcast that brings clarity to the chaos of SaaS, hosted by your resident SaaS expert and Zylo co-founder Ben Pippenger. Connect with Ben on LinkedIn here.

Redundant applications get a bad rap. Between wasted spend, low adoption, and operational inefficiencies, you’d think eliminating all redundancies would be the answer. Think again. In this episode, Ben Pippenger explains when application redundancy may be ok, factors to consider in your strategy, and best practices to consolidate your software.
Have a question you’d like answered on SaaSMe Anything? Submit yours here. 
Key Takeaways
[00:08 - 01:08] Introduction, Ben has a lot of streaming subscriptions, addressing redundancy[01:11 - 01:47] What is application redundancy, and what are the biggest culprits?[01:47 - 02:22] Why is app redundancy so prevalent?[02:22 - 03:05] The difficulties of resolving redundancies[03:04 - 03:36] Determining the right amount of redundancy for your organization[03:36 - 04:33] Considerations for tackling organization redundancy, the scope of the problem[04:33 - 05:04] Features and functionality, app preferences and favoritisms[05:29 - 06:04] Steps to rationalize the redundant apps in your stack[06:04 - 06:18] Understanding app value and their ROI and importance to business objectives[06:18 - 06:42] Anecdotal data and feedback about apps from end users[06:40 - 07:03] Identify what you can eliminate, consolidate, and replace[07:03 - 07:20] Utilization usage rates in understanding what to remove[07:18 - 07:47] The big takeaway on redundancySaaSMe Anything is the bi-weekly podcast that brings clarity to the chaos of SaaS, hosted by your resident SaaS expert and Zylo co-founder Ben Pippenger. Connect with Ben on LinkedIn here.

Optimizing your SaaS spend has a tangible impact on your company’s bottom line and ability to innovate. If you’re not reporting on the value you’re driving, you’re doing your company – and yourself – a disservice. In this episode, Ben Pippenger breaks down the growing need for managing SaaS costs, why quantifying program value is so hard, and what you need to tie savings results directly back to your efforts.
Have a question you’d like answered on SaaSMe Anything? Submit yours here. 
Key Takeaways
[00:12 - 02:06] Introduction to tying savings back to a SaaS management program[02:06 - 03:08] A growing need for managing SaaS costs, and a huge opportunity to optimize[03:08 - 04:40] The challenges of quantifying SaaS management's value[04:42 - 05:19] Cross-functional support and political support[05:18 - 06:04] Identify, quantify, and capture savings[06:04 - 06:26] Takeaway: Savings achieved from implementing a SaaS management programSaaSMe Anything is the bi-weekly podcast that brings clarity to the chaos of SaaS, hosted by your resident SaaS expert and Zylo co-founder Ben Pippenger. Connect with Ben on LinkedIn here.

With 20+ years of IT experience, Keith Sarbaugh has led SaaS management at some of the biggest names in pharma – Eli Lilly & Co, Biogen, and now Zoetis. What’s his secret for driving impact at scale with the business complexities of a pharmaceutical company? In this episode, Sarbaugh lets us in on his enterprise SaaS management strategy, indelible moments that shaped his career, and the biggest opportunities for IT teams in the year ahead.
Key Takeaways
[00:00 - 02:29] Introducing Keith Sarbaugh, CIO at Zoetis[02:41 - 04:33] Getting the right people, team, and engagement[04:33 - 05:35] OpEx management, and why cost-savings is so important to Keith's mission[05:35 - 07:56] What holds companies back from getting control of SaaS and innovating quickly[07:56 - 09:12] Keith's strategy for delivering value and ROI quickly[09:13 - 11:09] Common challenges and overcoming them, navigating resistance and discipline[11:09 - 12:52] Boom and bust cycles with pipeline, being 100% on top of renewals[12:51 - 14:29] Renewing with intelligence and a business processes.[14:27 - 15:52] Intelligence means knowing utilization and entitlements[16:46 - 17:59] Keith's "oh shit moment" with SaaS licensing and spend[18:01 - 22:53] Partnerships vs revenue plays, a renewal experience that shifted Keith's perspective[22:55 - 24:46] Licensed usage and waste, taking a programmatic approach[24:53 - 27:03] Sprawl and finding value with their tools, making sure enterprise knows what is in house[27:03 - 28:26] Biggest opportunities for CIOs during a tumultuous economy and post-pandemic environment[28:26 - 30:41] Rapid fire

Just as “Googling” has assimilated into our vernacular, it’s not uncommon for someone to say, “Let’s Zoom,” when asking to video chat. Soaring into popularity during the pandemic, Zoom has become an integral tool for businesses today. It’s also an application ripe for optimization. In this episode, Ben Pippenger examines the complexities of SaaS licensing, the ins and outs of Zoom licensing, and advice for optimizing your Zoom licenses.
Have a question you’d like answered on SaaSMe Anything? Submit yours here. 
Key Takeaways
[00:08 - 00:33] Overview of Today's Episode: How do I optimize my Zoom Licensing"[00:36 - 00:58] Understanding the complexity of SaaS licenses[00:58 - 01:25] Two steps to thinking about SaaS licensing, access and utilization[01:25 - 01:53] Tying data back to renewals and the opportunity to optimize licenses[01:54 - 02:56] Zoom application licensing and utilization example[02:56 - 03:24] Zoom's subscription tiers and add-ons[03:24 - 04:26] Optimizing your Zoom licensing[04:26 - 04:52] Often employees aren't aware of different license types[04:52 - 05:34] Bottom Line on SaaS Licensing: It's complexSaaSMe Anything is the bi-weekly podcast that brings clarity to the chaos of SaaS, hosted by your resident SaaS expert and Zylo co-founder Ben Pippenger. Connect with Ben on LinkedIn here.

SaaS suppliers are increasing prices at mind-boggling percentages on a spend category that’s already through the roof. That makes getting a favorable renewal feel like a losing scenario. But according to procurement pro and SaaS negotiator Dylan Margonari, there are ways to find a win. In this episode, Margonari delves into how to prepare for your upcoming renewals, the big gotchas in SaaS contracts, and tactics to mitigate the one-two punch of those steep price increases.
Key Takeaways
[00:00 - 02:20] Introducing Dylan Margonari[02:25 - 03:15] From hockey to procurement[03:15 - 04:12] Dylan's passion for helping customers on their SaaS journeys[04:13 - 06:35] What makes SaaS renewals challenging, from Dylan's perspective and experience in procurement[06:35 - 08:54] Data is a gold mine in procurement, utilization metrics and beyond[08:54 - 10:31] Executive buy-in for standardizing tools[10:32 - 14:46] The 'gotchas' of renewals[14:47 - 16:18] Single-year renewals vs multi-year agreements, the greatest debate in procurement today[16:23 - 19:08] How Dylan partners with customers to think about and define success[19:15 - 22:23] The changing landscape of the market and how it is impacting procurement[23:22 - 26:12] Executing great negotiation that drivers a good partnership, considerations for headcount[26:13 - 27:41] Ghosting, leaving a vendor without response and calling it quits[27:58 - 29:05] The most underrated negotiation tactic[29:05 - 30:48] Price increases, partnership approaches[30:48 - 33:01] New scenarios in renewals and negotiations, new pricing models and timing with negotiations[33:02 - 36:04] Getting a budget approval, supporting people through renewal processes is a team effort[36:03 - 38:55] Looking for partnerships and relationships built on credibility and expertise[38:55 - 40:19] Align with your executive team, the one thing procurement leaders can start doing today[40:22 - 42:19] Rapid fire & Closing