Advertise on podcast: Staying Connected

Comcast and Equinix are moving last-mile connectivity into an API-driven environment where customers can check availability, get pricing and place orders digitally. But faster ordering raises important questions: if the transaction becomes almost effortless, are the architecture, commercial terms, competitive checks and lifecycle controls keeping pace? In this 11-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Keith Cook to discuss what API-driven network procurement could mean for enterprise customers and why sourcing strategy increasingly needs to be built into the operating model. Tony and Keith explore how the enterprise can automate routine connectivity decisions without weakening pricing discipline, contract protections, diversity requirements or future flexibility. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our IT Strategy webpage.

The next phase of C-Band deployment is moving forward, but this time the wireless and aviation industries are operating under a more coordinated framework. The FCC's new Upper C-Band rules bring wireless operations closer to aircraft radio altimeter frequencies while adding stricter emissions limits, antenna-height restrictions, mandatory aircraft upgrades, firm transition deadlines, and a radio altimeter rebate program funded by auction winners. In this 11-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by LB3 Partner Steve Rosen to discuss how the new Upper C-Band framework differs from the Lower C-Band rollout, what the FCC and FAA have done to address interference risk, and what wireless and aviation stakeholders should expect between now and full deployment. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Communications Regulatory Advice webpage.

Back billing and recovery provisions can look like routine contract language, but they determine who carries the financial risk of the supplier's billing errors. A supplier may have up to 12 months to collect charges it failed to invoice, while the customer may have a much shorter contractual window to recover amounts that were billed incorrectly. In this 11-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Theresa Knutson and Jaime Hansen to discuss how enterprise customers should approach supplier back billing, audit recovery rights and the billing controls needed to protect both recovery of billing errors and the future run rate. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our IT Cost Management webpage.

Supplier escalation does not have to mean open warfare. When service quality drops, customers need more than frustration and another status meeting. They need a controlled escalation path built on facts, business impact, clear remedies and credible options. In this 11-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Bryan Carriker to discuss how the enterprise can escalate serious supplier problems without creating unnecessary conflict.   If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Disputes & Workouts webpage.

As suppliers use software and partner networks to deliver service across owned and third-party access, the old on-net/off-net distinction is becoming less straightforward. Customers may not need to manage every underlying circuit relationship themselves, but they still need to know who provides the access, what changes because of it and whether the supplier remains accountable when something goes wrong. In this 11-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Julie Gardner to discuss what Lumen's Multi-Cloud Gateway expansion says about the changing network market and how enterprise customers should rethink sourcing questions around access, accountability, digital operating platforms and network diversity. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing & RFx webpage.

TC2 and LB3 have recently completed a refresh of their brands and digital platforms to convey their breadth of capabilities, their depth of expertise and the sophistication of their work. In this 15-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by LB3's Andrew Brown and TC2's Ben Fox for a discussion about the exciting changes at our enterprise and what they mean for our future work with our clients. If you would like to learn more about the wide portfolio of technologies, services and expertise that TC2 and LB3 offer, please explore our new websites at www.techcaliber.com and www.lb3law.com.

Between big projects, customers deal with supplier quotes, change orders, renewal proposals, billing questions and "standard" terms that can create cost, reduce flexibility or simply set bad precedent. The challenge is staying commercially ready for such business as usual items without turning every supplier event into a full sourcing project. In this 10-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Frank Zagrodnik to discuss how customers can stay ready between major sourcing projects by stress-testing supplier claims, validating quotes, reviewing change orders, monitoring renewals and preserving leverage while still moving at the speed the business requires. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Lifecycle Services webpage.

Cloud, software and networking deals all sit under the enterprise technology umbrella, but they do not behave the same way. Enterprise customers need a benchmarking approach that compares lifecycle value, flexibility, operating reality and commercial risk without forcing dissimilar deals into a misleading math exercise. In this 9-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Brent Knight to discuss how customers can benchmark complex cloud, software and network proposals in a way that supports better decision making, stronger negotiation positions and clear internal alignment. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Benchmarking and Strategic Sourcing webpages.

The HPE-Juniper combination may create stronger technology options, but it also changes the competitive map for enterprise networking. Customers that once viewed HPE, Aruba and Juniper as distinct sourcing alternatives need to reassess how consolidation affects channel strategy, roadmap decisions, pricing leverage, and future flexibility. A broader supplier relationship can simplify operations, but it can also create dependency if the commercial structure makes it harder to compete, reduce or unwind parts of the technology estate. In this 10-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Larry York to discuss what the HPE-Juniper transaction means for enterprise customers and how they can protect leverage by revisiting supplier alternatives, asking roadmap questions early and negotiating portfolio deals with future options in mind. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing webpage.

Run-rate waste often hides in the gaps between contracts, invoices, service inventories and operational ownership. In dynamic network environments, old services may keep billing after new circuits are installed, closed sites may retain active charges, and valid overlapping transition costs can quietly become permanent waste.  Enterprise customers need a disciplined way to recover value without creating operational chaos.   In this 8-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Jaime Hansen to discuss how enterprise customers can identify stranded services, validate pricing, separate planned migration cost from avoidable waste, and drive supplier remediation without creating service continuity risk. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our  Contract Compliance & Optimization webpage.

AI is changing the commercial model inside enterprise software agreements. Seats and users are giving way to credits, tokens, agent actions and outcome-based pricing. The issue is not only what the AI capability costs but also understanding the pricing construct to know where financial exposure stops if adoption is slower—or much faster—than expected. In this 10-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Julie Gardner to discuss how AI pricing is changing software negotiations and why customers need to evaluate commitments, usage models, pricing constructs and how to model demand before your next SaaS negotiation. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing webpage.

Sourcing CCaaS and UCaaS can appear straightforward, that is until the proposals arrive. If customers don't force comparability early, the decision can turn into a contest of narratives instead of a rigorous evaluation of cost, scope, accountability and operating risk. In this 11-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Julie Gardner to discuss how customers can structure CCaaS and UCaaS sourcing so suppliers actually show their work. Tony and Julie explore why licensing, migration, voice, AI features, usage-based costs, responsibility matrices and contract terms need to be clear before supplier selection. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing webpage.

A polished report, monthly invoice or TEM dashboard doesn't necessarily give customers a baseline they can trust. In complex technology environments, contracts, invoices, inventories and ownership records often drift apart as services change, sites move and suppliers bill differently. When the baseline is wrong, strategy, sourcing decisions, savings targets, and budgets are built on shaky ground. In this episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Frank Zagrodnik to discuss how enterprise customers can move from invoice fire drills to a defensible and actionable baseline by connecting contracts, invoices, inventory and ownership. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our IT Cost Management webpage.

A rate review is more than a routine supplier meeting. Done poorly, it can produce a modest price reduction while giving the supplier more term, more commitment and better control over the next negotiation. Customers need to understand the baseline, market position, service mix and strategic roadmap before trading flexibility for short-term savings. In this 10-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Larry York to discuss how customers can turn rate reviews into real leverage events. Tony and Larry explore how benchmarking, service segmentation, contract guardrails and negotiation discipline can improve your contract economics without weakening future options and flexibility. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing webpage.

A network transformation roadmap can look robust on a slide, but if enterprise customers go to market before all the details. steps and sequencing are clear, the sourcing process can quickly expose gaps in the baseline, stakeholder alignment, contract timing and migration readiness. In this 8-minute episode of Staying Connected, Tony Mangino is joined by TC2's Brent Knight to discuss how enterprise customers can ensure a network transformation roadmap is truly executable before launching an RFP. Tony and Brent explore why the baseline, sourcing structure, contract planning and migration timing all need to align before suppliers start shaping the conversation. If you would like to learn more about our experience in this space, please visit our Strategic Sourcing webpage.