Independent. Your side only. We sit on your side of the table when you negotiate, renew, or defend an audit with the world's largest software publishers. No reseller margin. No vendor sponsorship. No conflicts.
Founded in 2018 by senior negotiation executives from inside vendor sales floors, audit teams, and reseller channels. We left because of a structural conflict nobody on the client’s side seemed willing to fix: the advisors most enterprises hire are paid, directly or through margin, by the publishers they are supposed to push back on.
Always on audit defense and renewal program management across the estate, before the vendor calls.
Vendor Shield →Contract negotiation strategy, license position reviews, and true up defense run with your team.
Negotiation services →The big commercial events: ULA exit economics, RISE migration math, and cloud commitment sizing.
See the outcomes →M365 mix optimization and post merger contract harmonization across publishers.
Cost optimization →A partner sits inside your SAM or procurement function as an extension of the team.
Tied to a single negotiation, audit, or renewal, scoped and priced up front.
Vendor Shield covers every negotiation, benchmark, renewal, and audit notification across 11 publishers.
Fixed fee or contingency: on contingency, no savings means no fee. Zero risk.
| Firm type | Their economics | Where we differ |
|---|---|---|
| Big Four consultancies | Also run audits for the same publishers, disclosed in their engagement letters | We never run vendor audits. We only sit on the client’s side |
| Reseller advisory teams | Publisher margin and rebates fund the advisory team, and the publisher knows it | No reseller margin, so advice is never calibrated to protect a publisher relationship |
| Boutique SAM firms | Usually specialize in one or two vendors | 11 full vendor practices, each led by a partner from inside that publisher’s ecosystem |
Certified compliance value in a Fortune 500 retailer’s Oracle ULA exit.
Off a global bank’s Microsoft Enterprise Agreement, with audit protections that did not previously exist.
Phased SAP RISE migration for a German automotive manufacturer that avoided an indirect access claim.
In a healthcare network’s ServiceNow estate at renewal.
Microsoft has raised Enterprise Agreement list prices. Oracle has accelerated Java SE audits and pushed the universal subscription. SAP has hardened RISE economics and indirect access enforcement.
Broadcom has compressed VMware customers into bundles at 3 to 10 times the prior run rate. AWS, Google Cloud, ServiceNow, and Workday push harder on multi year commitments. GenAI procurement arrived with no playbook.
If you are facing a renewal, an audit, a migration, or a major new commitment in the next twelve months, we should talk.
Vendor Shield is our always on independent advisory subscription. Global enterprises pay a fixed annual fee in exchange for partner led cover across six pillars: contract negotiation, benchmarking, renewal strategy, vendor advisory, cost optimization, and audit defense protection. Every renewal, every new purchase, every audit notice, and every commitment recalibration is handled by our partner team without a per engagement fee.
We have delivered Vendor Shield to clients in financial services, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, and the public sector. Our average client renews their subscription for three or more years.
Inside Vendor Shield →We hired Redress because we needed someone who would tell us when the vendor was bluffing. They did, on day three. We saved seventeen million dollars in the next ninety days.
Most clients begin with a single project. Many move into Vendor Shield within the first twelve months. Some retain a partner inside their procurement or software asset management function as a permanent extension of the team.
We do not push you into a particular shape. The right shape is the one that maps to your renewal calendar, audit risk profile, and internal capacity. We will tell you on the first call which mode fits your situation.
Scope an Engagement →
If a renewal, audit, or major commitment is on your desk, the next step is a 25 minute call. No follow up sales pressure unless you ask for one. Mutual NDA available before any commercial details.
Monthly intelligence on enterprise software vendors, audit risk, and renewal economics.
