① Broadcom (CA) · MSU optimization
Every Broadcom (CA) mainframe quote is built on an MSU or MIPS baseline, and renewal uplifts of 30 to 80 percent are commonly observed where that baseline went unmanaged. MSU optimization is the work of making the licensed number match the consumed number before Broadcom prices it.
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Get expert help →Since Broadcom acquired CA Technologies in 2018, the commonly observed renewal pattern is firm: portfolio agreements priced on capacity, uplifts of 30 to 80 percent where capacity grew uncapped, and a steady push toward the Mainframe Consumption Licensing (MCL) model with True Forward style reconciliation. The pricing logic anchors on your baseline, so the baseline is the battleground.
Three baseline failures are commonly observed. Older CA agreements still price on MIPS while the estate is managed in MSU, and the conversion rarely favors the buyer. Ratchet clauses permanently step up the licensed tier after a temporary peak, with no path back down. And sub capacity measurement gaps expose roughly one estate in three to full machine pricing claims for products that run on a single LPAR.
Five steps, 12 to 18 months before renewal
Broadcom's renewal teams quote against the baseline they can see. With the baseline reconstructed, measured and tuned before the quote exists, the anchor moves in your favor, and the uplift conversation becomes a consumption conversation. Buyers who arrive with validated MSU data and a credible alternative typically capture 20 to 35 percent against Broadcom's opening position; sub capacity corrections on affected products commonly run deeper.
We have negotiated $180M+ of mainframe spend across 500+ engagements. The Broadcom (CA) pattern rewards exactly one thing: preparation that starts before the publisher controls the clock.
Uncapped capacity resets at renewal, ratchet clauses stepping the tier up after temporary peaks, and full machine pricing on products that run in one LPAR. None of these reflect usage; all are negotiable. See MIPS creep explained.
A clause that permanently steps up the licensed tier after consumption exceeds it, with no step back down. At renewal it can typically be replaced with annualized measurement, seasonal allowances or an explicit step down right.
Only on your numbers. The baseline, the growth and contraction treatment, and the True Forward mechanics decide whether consumption pricing saves money or locks in a peak. See MCL explained and True Forward explained.
For much of the portfolio, yes, and the move from full machine pricing commonly captures 25 to 50 percent on affected products, provided the measurement discipline is in place first.
12 to 18 months before renewal. The optimized baseline has to exist before Broadcom builds the quote, because the quote anchors on whatever baseline it finds.
The commercial engagement the optimized baseline feeds into.
The protocol when the quote has already landed and the number is large.
The single number that decides whether MCL works for you or against you.
Why the conversion rarely favors the buyer by default, and how to run it so it does.