Ep 102 - 3 ways to maximize hyperscaler discounts (Brandon Pizzacalla)

A recent Infosys report found that telcos use only 48% of the cloud services they commit to. Fortunately, the Big 3 hyperscalers offer significant discounts to enterprises that commit to spending targets, helping operators reel in cloud costs. A great example is Amazon Web Service’s (AWS) Enterprise Discount Program (EDP). But many telcos leave millions on the table by not using the right strategies and tools to capture these savings.

For this episode, I talk with Brandon Pizzacalla, CEO of CloudFix, to talk about how operators can maximize the benefits they get from AWS’s Enterprise Discount Program (EDP). Listen now to hear:

• The biggest mistakes enterprises make when negotiating EDP with AWS [02:55];
• Why ignoring "long-tail" expenses leaves millions on the table [06:25];
• How CloudFix uses AI to uncover hidden optimization opportunities [08:40]; and
• Innovative ways to get your team to invest in cost optimization strategies [11:07].

Links and Resources

• Learn more about CloudFix.
• Read this case study about how a company that spends $50 million per year with AWS saved ~$28 million over three years with CloudFix.
• Don’t forget to check out the exclusive TelcoDR/CloudFix partnership that can save you even MORE money.
• Read more about AWS’s Enterprise Discount Program, and similar offerings from Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.
• Brandon’s favorite pizza crust is stuffed crust. If you don’t know, this type of crust is usually stuffed with cheese. Confession: I’ve never actually tried a stuffed crust; now there are all sorts of different varieties ranging from “grilled cheese” to “pepperoni stuffed” to “hot dog stuffed” (EW!). It was first introduced to the world in March 1995 by none other than Donald Trump.
• Watch this episode on our YouTube channel.
• You can find the episode transcript here.

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This week’s guest

Brandon Pizzacalla, CEO of CloudFix, has a robust history of building and scaling SaaS companies, driving innovation, and delivering impactful results.Before taking the helm at CloudFix, he co-founded and led an AI-driven sales engagement platform, guiding the company to $3.5 million ARR, listing notable firms like Xero and HelloFresh as clients. He exited the business in 2023 shortly after it was acquired by a private equity firm. Brandon brings valuable mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and corporate strategy experience to CloudFix from his tenure at Bell Canada. During his time there, he was involved in transactions totaling over $9 billion.

Podcast Credits

• Executive Producer and Host: Danielle Rios, TelcoDR
• Senior Producer: Lindsay Grubb, TillCo Media
• Senior Editor/Brand Manager: Alisa Jenkins, Springboard Marketing
• Audio Editor: Andrew Condell
• Supervising Producer: Amanda Avery
• Associate Producer: Kriselda Dionisio
• Music: Dyami Wilson

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