Alright, so we're looking at Cybereason. Here's the thing nobody in these security vendor reviews wants to admit upfront: their list price is basically a suggestion. A very expensive, eye-watering suggestion, but a suggestion nonetheless.
I come from the marketing automation and CRM world (HubSpot, Marketo, etc.), and the playbook is identical. The published "enterprise" pricing is for the CFOs who don't know any better. For a legit mid-market company with a decent seat count and a real intent to buy, you have room to maneuver. Is it negotiable? Absolutely. The question is how much.
Based on the kind of integration messes I've seen between platforms, your leverage isn't just your company size. It's your timeline and your willingness to be a reference account. Tell them you're evaluating two other platforms (even if you're not, *especially* if you're not) and that procurement needs a "competitive" quote to move forward. Suddenly, the "standard discount" magically deepens.
The real pitfall isn't the initial price. It's the year-two renewal when they've got you locked in and the "promotional" pricing falls away. You need to negotiate a multi-year with caps on increase, or you'll be right back here complaining about the bill in 18 months. They all do this—the security suite is no different than a fancy marketing cloud in that regard.
Another tool isn't the answer.