Contract Negotiation for System Administrators

Mini Tutorial
Wednesday, November 11, 2015 - 2:00pm-3:30pm

Derek J. Balling, Collective[i]

Derek J. Balling, Collective[i]

Derek is the director of technical operations for Collective[i], a SaaS provider. He has been leading operations teams and managing data-center facility relationships for nearly a decade.

Open Access Media

USENIX is committed to Open Access to the research presented at our events. Papers and proceedings are freely available to everyone once the event begins. Any video, audio, and/or slides that are posted after the event are also free and open to everyone. Support USENIX and our commitment to Open Access.

BibTeX
@conference {208709,
author = {Derek J. Balling},
title = {Contract Negotiation for System Administrators},
year = {2015},
address = {Washington, D.C.},
publisher = {USENIX Association},
month = nov
}
Download
View the slides
Description: 

We will discuss the basics of contract negotiation, as well as how to read a contract, Master Service Agreement, EULA, etc., with a critical eye. We will also discuss how to express your technical needs in a manner that your lawyers will understand so that they can codify your needs in an effective manner. 

This tutorial is *NOT* legal advice. It has its foundation in things which I have learned, myself, over my career which has aided my interactions with attorneys both inside and outside of my employers.

Who should attend: 

System Administrators or Team Leads who are interested both in the big picture on how contracts are negotiated with data centers or other service providers, as well as details on how to read contracts with a critical eye

Take back to work: 

You will take back a better understanding of how the contract negotiation process works, as well as what you can do to ensure that your technical needs are met by the contracts you agree to, by effectively communicating in the language that your counsel (and opposing counsel) speaks.

Topics include: 
  • The basics behind the art of negotiation
  • The practical realities and mechanics of how the art of negotiation gets applied to contracts
  • Reading a contract with a critical eye
  • Communicating your technical needs to counsel effectively