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Alexander Golev advises enterprises on Microsoft licensing and cloud costs. He runs SAMexpert, an independent consultancy, and has saved clients over $1 billion in licensing and audit fees.

Alexander Golev is the CEO of SAMexpert, an independent consultancy that advises enterprises and cloud providers on Microsoft licensing, Azure costs, and audit defence. He has worked in Microsoft technology for 30 years and licensing specifically for over 20. SAMexpert holds no Microsoft partnership, which lets Alexander negotiate and advise without divided loyalties. His work has saved clients more than $1 billion in licensing costs and audit penalties. He was named ITAM Review Specialist/Consultant of the Year in 2021. He hosts SAMexpert TV (500+ videos on Microsoft licensing) and co-created the ITAM Kitchen channel.

Alexander Golev is the CEO of SAMexpert, an independent consultancy headquartered in England that advises enterprises and cloud infrastructure providers on Microsoft agreements, compliance, and Azure costs. He has worked in Microsoft technology for over 30 years and in licensing specifically for more than 20. SAMexpert does not resell Microsoft licences or hold any Microsoft partnership. This independence lets Alexander represent clients without conflicts when negotiating agreements or responding to audit claims. Much of his work involves helping procurement, finance, and IT teams understand what is genuinely negotiable in Microsoft deals and where costs tend to hide. His client work has resulted in over $1 billion in documented savings from licensing costs and audit penalties. He was named ITAM Review Specialist/Consultant of the Year in 2021. Alexander hosts SAMexpert TV, a YouTube channel with over 500 videos on Microsoft licensing and cloud costs. He co-created the ITAM Kitchen channel and was its original co-host alongside Bill Talbot and Jeremy Boerger. He speaks several languages and has worked across the UK, Switzerland, Cyprus, and the former Soviet Union.

Alexander Golev is the CEO of SAMexpert, an independent consultancy headquartered in England that advises enterprises and cloud infrastructure providers on Microsoft agreements, compliance, and Azure costs. He has worked in Microsoft technology for over 30 years and in licensing specifically for more than 20. SAMexpert does not resell Microsoft licences or hold any Microsoft partnership. The absence of vendor relationships lets Alexander represent clients without divided loyalties when negotiating agreements or responding to audit claims. Much of his work involves helping procurement, finance, and IT teams understand what is genuinely negotiable in Microsoft deals and where costs tend to hide. His current focus is on how AI changes the economics of Microsoft agreements. Copilot subscriptions, Azure OpenAI consumption, and bundled AI features are creating cost centres that many organisations struggle to forecast. Alexander helps clients work out what they are actually buying, whether they need it, and how to structure terms that make sense for their situation. His client work has resulted in over $1 billion in documented savings from licensing costs and audit penalties. He was named ITAM Review Specialist/Consultant of the Year in 2021. Alexander hosts SAMexpert TV, a YouTube channel with over 500 videos on Microsoft licensing and cloud costs. He co-created the ITAM Kitchen channel and was its original co-host alongside Bill Talbot and Jeremy Boerger. He co-hosts the SAMexpert Podcast with Daryl Ullman and has appeared on ScaleUp Radio and other business podcasts. He has spoken at Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conferences (Houston 2008, LA 2011, Houston 2013), BCS SM-ITAM conferences (2022, 2026), Heliview IT & SAM events, and multiple ITAM Summit conferences in Atlanta. He has developed over 10 training courses on Microsoft licensing and ran a free 8-week Microsoft License Management Training programme with over 1,000 live attendees. Alexander speaks seven languages and has lived and worked across the UK, Switzerland, Cyprus, Malta, and the former Soviet Union.