SaaS Masterminds - Optimizing SaaS Costs and Streamlining Procurement

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We welcome you to “SaaS Masterminds,” Season 2 of the CloudEagle podcast. In this episode, Prasanna Naik, the Co-Founder of CloudEagle, takes the stage as the host and welcomes Kalyan Gummadam, Head of Indirect Procurement at Matterport, as our esteemed guest.
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Kalyan's expertise includes optimizing SaaS costs, streamlining software sourcing, and aligning departments and resources for cost efficiency. He emphasizes the need for well-planned resource allocation over high-level cost reduction approaches.

The conversation focuses on the challenges of managing multiple SaaS applications within a company, highlighting the risk of overspending and underutilization. Kalyan calls for detailed stack consolidation, addressing the high-level view and functional-level optimization.

Throughout the discussion, Kalyan specified the need for a detailed understanding of a company's software landscape before initiating cost optimization strategies. He highlights the growing role of AI and geni (general intelligence) in shaping the future of SaaS.

This podcast will provide a complete view of the challenges and strategies of managing SaaS portfolios. Kalyan's insights provide a roadmap for businesses to align their software spending with growth objectives, highlighting strategic alignment and thorough analysis for effective spend management.

Don't miss out on this insightful conversation with a procurement expert who offers actionable insights to navigate the complexities of procurement and cost optimization. 

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YouTube Timestamp

00:02: Show Intro‍

00:20: Kalyan background and intro

01:06: Being first to AI Code & algorithms‍

02:10: How kalyan got into procurement

04:10: Getting into software sourcing 

04:54: Direct vs Indirect procurement‍

05:42: Grey area in indirect sourcing

07:08 Collaboration between the team to reduce SaaS spend

09:17: Tackling SaaS Sprawl

10:43: Aligning goals of IT, Finance and Procurement teams

14:13: Goals for 2024

15:58: Cutting down on department stack consolidations

18:36: Closing Thoughts