Unbundling the quote into per product pricing recovered 10 to 20 points on its own, before any competitive pressure was applied
A bundle is a pricing device that makes each line unmeasurable. Taking it apart is not a negotiating tactic; it is the precondition for having a negotiation at all.
Prepared by Redress Compliance · August 17, 2026 · Broadcom advisory. 15 to 25 Symantec under Broadcom renewals advised, 2024 to 2025.
Executive summary
Unbundling the quote into per product pricing recovered 10 to 20 points on its own. Before any competitive pressure was applied, because a bundled line cannot be benchmarked and an itemised one can.
First renewal quotes arrived 30 to 100 percent above the prior run rate. With the steepest increases landing on estates that had no documented alternative to point at.
One piloted workload on a competitor moved the remaining Symantec lines 10 to 25 percent. Even where the pilot never converted, because the pilot is evidence rather than an intention.
Unbundled and benchmarked renewals closed 20 to 40 percent below the first quote. Neither surrender nor total exit was the winning play, which is the useful part of the finding.
Every product has its own market
A bundle prices a portfolio. Each product inside it competes in a separate market with its own benchmark, and that is the comparison the bundle prevents.
| Product line | Benchmark against | What the bundle hides |
|---|---|---|
| Endpoint | The EDR market | Whether the line is competitively priced |
| DLP | The data protection market | Whether it is carrying the bundle |
| Identity | The access management market | Whether it could be dropped |
| Entitlements | Verified in the Broadcom support portal | What you are actually entitled to |
There is a second reason the buyer has to do this work now, and it is structural. Fewer authorised partners means fewer competing quotes, so the price discipline that resellers once supplied has to come from the buyer's own benchmark. In a channel with many partners a buyer could obtain competing prices for the same products and let the market do the comparison. That mechanism has thinned, and nothing replaced it, which is why the per product benchmark has moved from a useful check to the only check.
Neither surrender nor exit was the winning play
Across roughly 15 to 25 Symantec under Broadcom renewals advised between 2024 and 2025, first renewal quotes arrived 30 to 100 percent above the prior run rate, with the steepest increases on estates that had no documented alternative. Faced with an increase of that size, buyers tend to reach for one of two responses: absorb it, or plan a full exit. The engagements reviewed suggest both are wrong, and that the winning play sits between them.
The first move is unbundling, and it is worth stating that it produced 10 to 20 points on its own, before any competitive pressure was applied at all. That is unusual for a step that involves no threat, no alternative, and no leverage. It works because a bundle is a pricing device that makes each line unmeasurable: while endpoint, DLP, and identity are quoted as one number, none of them can be compared to anything. Demanding per product pricing on every quote line, with entitlements verified through the Broadcom support portal, converts an unpriceable portfolio into a set of lines that each have a market.
The second move supplies the pressure, and the finding here is precise about how little is required. Estates that piloted one workload on a competitor moved their remaining Symantec lines 10 to 25 percent, even where the pilot never converted. The pilot is doing evidential work rather than strategic work. It demonstrates that migration is operationally possible and produces a real comparison price, which is a different object from a stated intention to consider alternatives. One workload is enough because the question being answered is whether you can, not whether you will.
Together those moves closed renewals 20 to 40 percent below the first quote while keeping the products that earned their place, which is why neither surrender nor total exit was the winning play. Benchmark each line against its own market: endpoint against the EDR market, DLP against the data protection market, identity against the access management market. And do it yourself, because fewer authorised partners means fewer competing quotes and the price discipline resellers once provided now has to come from your own benchmark. The wider Broadcom position sits in the ELA brief, the exit economics in the licensing pillar, and the library in the Broadcom practice.
- Your agreements decoded into plain English before the auditor interprets them for you
- 520 vendor benchmarks, from SAP RISE to Oracle ULA to Microsoft EA
- Every risky clause flagged with the exact quote, the page, and the replacement language
The Broadcom VMware negotiation brief
The renewal moves, the core count position, the exit economics, and the buyer side moves across the full Broadcom estate.
Get the brief →The three moves
- Demand per product pricing on every quote line, which recovered 10 to 20 points on its own with no competitive pressure applied.
- Verify entitlements through the Broadcom support portal, so the unbundled lines are checked against what you actually hold.
- Benchmark each product against its own market, endpoint against EDR, DLP against data protection, identity against access management.
- Pilot one workload on a competitor, which moved remaining lines 10 to 25 percent even where it never converted.
- Do not plan a total exit as the opening position, since unbundled and benchmarked renewals closed 20 to 40 percent down while keeping what earned its place.
- Supply your own price discipline, because fewer authorised partners means the competing quotes that once did this job are no longer available.
What the Symantec renewals showed, 2024 to 2025
Across roughly 15 to 25 Symantec under Broadcom renewals advised:
Recovered by converting a bundled quote into per product pricing, before any competitive pressure was applied.
Movement on the remaining Symantec lines from a single competitor pilot, even where the pilot never converted.
First renewal quotes arrived 30 to 100 percent above the prior run rate, with the steepest increases on estates with no documented alternative. Unbundled and benchmarked renewals closed 20 to 40 percent below the first quote.
Fewer authorised partners mean fewer competing quotes, so the price discipline that resellers once provided now has to come from the buyer's own benchmark.
Watch the briefing · 4:13Five Tactics for a Broadcom NegotiationWhy taking the bundle apart comes before any argument about price.
Your first five moves
- Refuse the bundled number and demand per product pricing, which is worth 10 to 20 points before anything else happens.
- Verify every entitlement through the Broadcom support portal.
- Benchmark each line against its own market, not against last year bundle.
- Pilot one workload on a competitor, and let the unit cost do the arguing.
- Keep the products that earn their place. The Broadcom practice unbundles the quote with you.
Frequently asked questions
How much do Symantec renewals increase under Broadcom?
First renewal quotes arrived 30 to 100 percent above the prior run rate across the 15 to 25 renewals advised, with the steepest increases on estates that had no documented alternative.
What does unbundling alone achieve?
10 to 20 points, before any competitive pressure is applied. That is unusual for a step involving no threat and no alternative, and it works because a bundled line cannot be benchmarked.
Why does a bundle prevent benchmarking?
Because while endpoint, DLP, and identity are quoted as one number, none of them can be compared to anything. Per product pricing converts an unpriceable portfolio into lines that each have a market.
What should each product be benchmarked against?
Its own market: endpoint against the EDR market, DLP against the data protection market, identity against the access management market. The bundle is not a market.
Does a competitor pilot need to convert?
No. Estates that piloted one workload moved their remaining Symantec lines 10 to 25 percent even where the pilot never converted, because the pilot is evidence rather than an intention.
Why is one workload enough?
Because the question being answered is whether migration is operationally possible, not whether you will do it. One workload demonstrates capability and produces a real comparison price.
Should we plan a full exit?
Not as the opening position. Unbundled and benchmarked renewals closed 20 to 40 percent below the first quote while keeping the products that earned their place, so neither surrender nor total exit won.
Why can we not rely on reseller quotes?
Because fewer authorised partners means fewer competing quotes. The price discipline resellers once supplied has thinned and nothing replaced it, so the benchmark has to be yours.
Where do we verify entitlements?
Through the Broadcom support portal, alongside the per product pricing demand, so the unbundled lines can be checked against what you actually hold rather than what is being quoted.
What is the full sequence worth?
20 to 40 percent below the first quote. Unbundle first, verify entitlements, benchmark each line against its own market, then apply pressure with one piloted workload.
