Mainframe Licensing ExpertsIndependent Advisory

① Software AG · Renewal advisory

Software AG renewals: leverage without migration.

Adabas and Natural estates are among the longest lived contracts in enterprise software, and the publisher knows exactly how embedded they are. We negotiate Software AG renewals from validated capacity, term structure, and a credible long term trajectory. Typical outcome across 500+ engagements: 20 to 35 percent off renewal spend.

Get expert help → Software AG buyer side guide
№ 01

The situation

Adabas & NaturalLegacy contractsNew ownership

Software AG has been reshaped. Silver Lake took control in 2023, the webMethods and StreamSets integration business went to IBM in 2024, and Adabas & Natural now operates as a standalone business focused on exactly one thing: the installed base. When a publisher's entire commercial future is its existing mainframe customers, renewal economics tend to follow. Patterns commonly observed on these estates include firm uplift positions, multi year commitments pushed as the default, and pricing that leans on how difficult migration is assumed to be.

The estates themselves are typically decades old: Adabas, Natural, Entire Net-Work, EntireX, Com-plete, layered across contracts and amendments written across generations of the company. Capacity terms are commonly MSU based, and what the contract says you may run frequently diverges from what you actually consume, in either direction. That divergence is unmanaged risk in an audit and unclaimed money in a renewal.

№ 02

Our approach

BaselineReconcileLeverageClose

Five steps, in order

  • Baseline: every Adabas and Natural agreement, amendment, and side letter inventoried, with capacity terms, term expiry, and product scope mapped
  • Reconcile: contracted capacity validated against actual MSU consumption per environment, independently, before the publisher does its own version
  • Right size: production, development, test, and DR environments examined for capacity that can credibly come out of the agreement
  • Leverage: the long term trajectory built and made credible, modernization options, workload evolution, and timing assembled into a position the publisher has to price against
  • Close: the renewal locked with caps on future uplifts, capacity flexibility in both directions, and audit and exit terms that protect the next cycle
№ 03

What changes with us in the room

BenchmarksCredibility

The publisher's renewal position rests on one assumption: that you have no real alternative and no independent view of your own numbers. We remove the second premise on day one and put real work behind the first. Benchmarks from comparable Adabas and Natural agreements, validated consumption data, and a documented trajectory typically change both the tone and the number.

Directionally: we have negotiated $180M+ in mainframe spend across 500+ engagements, with renewal reductions typically landing between 20 and 35 percent against opening positions. We mobilize within 48 hours when the renewal clock is already short.

№ 04

Frequently asked

FAQ
Q1
Who actually owns Adabas and Natural now?The Adabas & Natural business operates as a standalone company under the Software AG umbrella, controlled by Silver Lake since 2023. The webMethods and StreamSets business was sold to IBM in 2024. Your renewal counterparty is the Adabas & Natural organization.
Q2
We have no migration plan. Do we still have leverage?Yes, though less than buyers who build one. Leverage typically comes from capacity right sizing, term structure, a credible long term trajectory, and timing. Deadline pressure with none of these prepared is where the worst uplifts happen.
Q3
What metric are Adabas and Natural licensed on?Agreements are typically capacity based, commonly tied to MSU levels of the machines or LPARs where the software runs. Validating contracted capacity against actual consumption is usually the first money finding.
Q4
When should we start on a Software AG renewal?18 months out. Reconstructing entitlements, validating capacity, and building the alternative trajectory takes time. We mobilize within 48 hours when the timeline is already short.

Go deeper before the publisher sets the agenda.

From the same desk: the Software AG buyer side guide, Adabas renewal negotiation without migration, the Natural and Adabas license exit math, and product detail for Adabas and Natural. If the letter on your desk is an audit, start with Software AG audit defense.

Audit notice or renewal under 18 months out? We mobilize within 48 hours.

Embedded is not the same as captive.

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