Shadow is a SaaS solution that allows access to any Microsoft Windows 10 or 11 PC from anywhere, on any device.
Types of tools used
SaaS tools span CRM, communication, payroll, data management
Before Najar
Duplicate tools stemming from subsidiary
Uncertainty about acquiring the best deals
Too much time spent on negotiations
Security and compliance risks
After Najar
Centralised locations for all tools across subsidiaries
Najar’s IT Buyers’ benchmarks and market data expertise
Negotiations delegated to Najar’s IT Buyers
Contract and tool nuances are clarified
Shadow faced visibility and purchasing challenges due to decentralisation
Before partnering with Najar, Shadow grappled with managing over 300 SaaS applications, reflecting the challenges of SaaS management in a growing tech landscape. Previously, teams independently purchased tools and negotiated prices, involving legal, finance, and IT departments only at the final validation stage, leaving little room for further negotiations and failing to optimise the process. Additionally, their subsidiary Genymotion, utilising its own SaaS solutions, also faced duplicate tool issues.
A critical issue for Shadow was the lack of a structured approach to purchasing and negotiation. Even when Nicolas entered negotiations early and was equipped with negotiation techniques, this wasn’t enough due to a lack of benchmark knowledge and market data. This prevented him from ensuring the best deals in every negotiation.
In addition, negotiations consumed significant time, posing a challenge amid concurrent project management.
“There are certain levers I don’t have, specifically a comprehensive understanding of market pricing practices and publisher pricing strategies. This absence of information inevitably affects my negotiation process, hindering it significantly and making it more time consuming.”
This decentralised decision-making led to missed competitive negotiating opportunities and suboptimal contract terms, hindering Shadow from fully leveraging market insights for better pricing. Additionally, ad hoc management practices introduced security and compliance risks, particularly concerning data security and privacy. The commitment to data sovereignty and European data protection standards was compromised by insufficient vetting of new SaaS tools, heightening security vulnerabilities.
Step into the cockpit of financial excellence
How streamlined Procurement and enhanced negotiations resulted in 33% savings on average
The key to Shadow's transformation was establishing a structured decision-making process and accessing strategic insights and benchmarking through Najar's Procurement team. With Najar’s comprehensive information, Shadow could align its SaaS purchases with company-wide goals and compliance standards, replacing previous disjointed and improvised Procurement methods.
Moreover, Najar provided invaluable information enabling Shadow to negotiate more effectively. For instance, during a CRM renewal, discussions with Najar's buyers revealed better financial, legal, security, and operational conditions than initially offered.
With Najar’s extensive knowledge of rates proposed by various vendors under different circumstances, Shadow's team now know they consistently secure the best deals for both new purchases and renewals.
“One of Najar's assets is the fact that we're dealing with buyers who are all experts, and who have a really good knowledge of the editors they're negotiating with.”
Operational efficiency and financial optimisation
These strategic changes led to notable operational and financial improvements, including a significant increase in savings, with more than €200,000 accumulated as a partial result of these initiatives. Moreover, Najar’s platform, which centralises contracts and associated critical information, streamlined the elimination of redundant tools and enhanced the alignment of the SaaS portfolio with operational requirements. Moreover, the platform's renewal alerts consistently enable them to anticipate upcoming contracts and strategically leverage them. This approach not only leads to cost savings but also enhances operational efficiency.
“Najar's platform enables me to visualise all the SaaS tools used by the teams, but above all, to easily manage my contracts. With this tool, I have easy access to the information I need to manage my contracts properly: I can find out when my contract ends and how much room I have to negotiate. These are key legal issues, and Najar does them perfectly well!”
Having a Procurement team to help with negotiations and a centralised platform gave Shadow the structure they needed when purchasing SaaS as it enabled them to anticipate their needs more thoroughly and smoothly implement a solution. This anticipation not only provides each team with more time to handle the file on their to-do list but also enables us to secure the best possible conditions.
Are you unsure if you’re achieving the best deals on your SaaS? Try our SaaS savings calculator to find out!
