How to Control Costs in the Cloud: Strategies and Tactics for Smarter Spending

Session Date & Time: Day 3, March 25, 7:30pm EST (4:30 pm PST) (45 min)
Keywords: Cloud Costs.
Authors:Rob Bernshteyn, CEO at Coupa.
Abstract: No organization can afford to waste dollars on purchases that do not support immediate business needs. That’s partly why Cloud Computing is having such a big moment, right? But it’s not just a moment. It’s not just a trend. This a game changer, and the changes will endure.

During this session, Coupa CEO Rob Bernshteyn will discuss the implications of the Cloud on company business models, processes, and cultures.

The Cloud -> Business Models

• Enterprise use of cloud infrastructure services (such as Amazon’s) has established a “new normal” of enormous computational power being employed on a pay-as-you-go basis — with many compelling examples of extraordinary projects that are being carried out with startling speed at astonishingly little cost.
• Coupa is also modeled on an on-demand model so that customers can save on up-front costs and maintenance

The Cloud -> Processes

• New real-time Cloud applications, platform, and infrastructures mean that when a market zigs, customers won't have to wait weeks or months for their software to zag
• In Coupa’s case, the Cloud provides feature benefits like instant visibility into spend, alerts to reject unnecessary purchases before they happen, and easy-to-change workflows, and real-time benchmarking

The Cloud -> Culture

• Systems built on archaic technologies that are difficult to use, are going to turn off the end users, and adoption will decrease. The Cloud supports more innovative, easy-to-use platforms
• In Coupa’s case, modern easy-to-use UI that is modeled after Google and Amazon increases adoption, as well as provide more opportunity for innovation

Speaker Bio:
Rob brings 15 years of experience in enterprise software to his position as CEO at Coupa. Prior to joining Coupa, Rob spent four years with SuccessFactors, the global leader in Performance and Talent Management delivered via the software-as-a-service model. As a member of the SuccessFactors executive management team he served as their global vice president of product marketing and management.

Rob has also directed product management at Siebel Systems, where he contributed to building their Employee Relationship Management suite of applications into Siebel’s fastest-growing product two years after launch. Before that, Rob was an associate at McKinsey & Company and a global project manager at Accenture where he managed numerous successful global SAP enterprise resource planning (ERP) software implementations.

Rob holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Information Systems from the State University of New York at Albany and an MBA from Harvard Business School.