Should we share usage data with AWS right away?

Not before review. Vendor measurement routinely over-reports. An independent measurement first protects your position and is the foundation of every reduction.

When should we engage on a AWS review?

As early as possible, ideally before a renewal. Engaging an independent buyer-side adviser before the cycle materially reduces both exposure and the final settlement.

AWS Audit Defense and License Compliance

AWS audit defense for enterprise buyers

AWS compliance reviews and true-ups open with the most expensive reading of your deployment, and across our audit defense engagements claims settle at an average reduction of 72% against the opening figure. The opening number is a negotiating position, not a debt. We control the data the vendor sees, run an independent measurement, and dispute the methodology line by line.

This service is part of our wider AWS practice and our Vendor Audit Defence pillar. Most engagements connect across AWS negotiation and the rest of the estate.

Where we focusIndependent, buyer-side only, no vendor commissions
Former vendor insiders who know the playbook
Public pricing and contract mechanics, evidenced
Renewal and audit positions that hold

Where AWS cost and risk concentrate

Three areas drive most of the exposure. Each is contestable with evidence.

BYOL and license mobility

Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP workloads moved to AWS under bring-your-own-license carry their own compliance rules. We reconcile what is genuinely covered against what the vendor will claim.

Marketplace and entitlement drift

Spend and entitlements drift across accounts and Marketplace private offers. We map the real position before any data is shared.

EDP shortfall exposure

A committed floor that outruns consumption becomes a true-up. We model the gap and the protections that cap it.

How we work

1. Baseline

We reconcile your AWS entitlement against real usage and contract terms before anything is shared with the vendor.

AWS EDP Commitment Calculator ->

2. Position

We build the evidenced position, model the numbers, and identify where the value and the exposure sit.

AWS EDP Negotiation Playbook ->

3. Outcome

We run the renewal or review as a commercial event so you capture value rather than absorb a penalty.

Book a 30-minute call ->

Illustrative scenario, not a quote

A buyer reconciles AWS entitlement to real usage, brings an independent measurement to the table, and resets the renewal on evidence. Outcomes are deal-specific. Our headline record across more than 500 engagements is over $2.4B negotiated at an average saving of 38%, with audit claims reduced by an average of 72%.