BMC Software case study

A Transformation Inside the Transformer

BMC Software is a global leader in software solutions that help organizations simplify complexity and accelerate innovation. For more than four decades, BMC has partnered with the world’s largest enterprises—including 86% of the Forbes Global 50—to automate IT operations, manage hybrid and multi-cloud environments, and drive digital resilience across the business.

Historically, BMC’s business centered on perpetual software licensing and on-premise deployments, delivering mission-critical solutions for IT service management, automation, and mainframe operations. As the market shifted toward SaaS and recurring revenue models, BMC began evolving its portfolio to include cloud-based, subscription-driven offerings across its Helix and Control-M product lines.

This transformation demanded more than new products; it required a new way to monetize innovation.

As the company shifted from perpetual licensing to SaaS and subscription models, its finance and operations teams faced mounting pressure to support new monetization strategies and deliver a seamless customer experience at scale.

Behind the company’s market leadership, however, outdated quote-to-cash systems were holding it back. The infrastructure that once fueled success had become a barrier to growth and to delivering the seamless customer experience BMC envisioned.

“Our quote-to-cash system was more than 20 years old. It worked when we sold perpetual software, but it couldn’t keep up with SaaS. We were literally jamming square orders into round holes and losing over $10 million a year because of it.”

— Ron Clegg, VP Revenue Office, BMC Software

A Quote-to-Cash System Stuck in the Past

When Ron Clegg joined BMC Software’s revenue organization, he inherited a challenge that would sound familiar to any enterprise trying to pivot from perpetual licenses to SaaS: a quote-to-cash process stuck in the past. The systems worked—barely—but they were designed for a different era, one that no longer fit BMC’s business ambitions.

For more than two decades, BMC had relied on a homegrown billing and revenue system built on Oracle, known internally as “Order Entry +” (OE+). Over time, it had been patched, extended, and heavily customized to accommodate new business models. When SaaS and on-premise subscription offerings entered the mix, that same legacy architecture strained under the weight of change.

“Our quote-to-cash process was held together by a customized CPQ solution bolted to OE+,” explained Ron. “It worked when we sold perpetual licenses, but by the time we were selling SaaS and subscriptions, it was brittle. Every modification took heroic effort.”

The CPQ itself had been customized to the point that BMC couldn’t upgrade it. Frustrated sellers created their own Excel-based configurator—a “shadow IT” tool that competed for adoption. “Both systems were so complex that sales usage fell below 25%,” said Ron. “We were quoting thousands of SKUs, doing swivel-chair operations between systems, and spending 43 minutes booking a single moderate order.”

The operational impact went beyond efficiency. Five days after every quarter close, BMC’s revenue team was still waiting for bookings to finalize. And because the old systems often mismatched what customers bought versus what BMC recorded, the company was losing over $10 million per year in renewals.

As Ron put it, “Our IT team used to joke that nobody made the parts for our system anymore. We had to machine them ourselves.”

“Some people advised us to start small—fix one piece of the puzzle. But we knew we’d only get one shot at this. So we took it all on. If you make the project big enough, everyone has to be all in.”

 — Ron Clegg, VP Revenue Office, BMC Software

The Turning Point: From “Fix It” to “Transform It”

A reorganization gave Ron’s team the opportunity to take a hard look at the process end-to-end. “We decided we weren’t just going to modernize, we were going to reimagine our entire quote-to-revenue process,” he said.

That vision became Project ROME (Reimagining Order Management Excellence), a multi-phase program to unify quoting, billing, and revenue on a single modern platform.

BMC evaluated multiple solutions, including Oracle and Salesforce. The company’s first consulting partner pushed for an ERP-first approach, but internal stakeholders reached a different conclusion: “Our evaluation showed Zuora’s platform was best suited for where we needed to go,” Ron recalled. “It wasn’t just about billing; it was about monetization agility.”

Before finalizing the decision, BMC switched consulting partners, bringing in PwC for their deep Zuora expertise, transformation experience, and strong change management capabilities. “We knew that technology alone wasn’t going to solve this,” said Ron. “We needed partners who had done this before, who could guide us through the human and process change.”

The transformation’s mantra was simple: “One quote, one order, one invoice.” But delivering on it required integrating 48 boundary systems, aligning 300–400 people globally, and reporting progress directly to BMC’s executive leadership team. A tall order if ever there was one. 

“Our evaluation showed Zuora’s platform was best suited for where we needed to go. It wasn’t just about billing, it was about monetization agility.”

 — Ron Clegg, VP Revenue Office, BMC Software

From Vision to Execution

BMC chose an end-to-end implementation of Zuora CPQ, Billing, and Revenue, integrated with its existing CRM and ERP systems. Zuora’s unified architecture became the backbone of its monetization strategy, bridging sales, finance, and operations.

PwC’s design sessions soon became large-scale idea-thons. “We met in their Houston offices with over 100 people in the room,” Ron recalled. “It was like designing a house, discussing what the dream kitchen should look like, debating trade-offs, and aligning on how everything connects.”

The team also made change management a first-class workstream. “PwC helped us build a global network of change ambassadors,” said Ron. “They weren’t just trainers, they were respected sales leaders who could influence their peers and drive adoption. Every country, every function had someone accountable for making the change real.”

The result was a rollout executed in three phases over 18 months, with PwC leading implementation and Zuora Professional Services advising on best practices. “Both teams weren’t afraid to push back when we were heading in the wrong direction,” said Ron. “They’d tell us, ‘No, you shouldn’t do it that way—here’s why.’ That kind of candor made all the difference.”

“Together with BMC and Zuora, we helped build a connected platform that reshaped how the business operates and grows.” said David Crowell, Principal at PwC US. “This represented enterprise transformation—aligned, integrated and built for scale.”

“We decided we weren’t just going to modernize, we were going to reimagine our entire quote-to-revenue process.”

 — Ron Clegg, VP Revenue Office, BMC Software

Shrinking Quarter Close From 5 Days to 0

When BMC’s new quote-to-revenue engine went live, the impact was felt almost immediately. Within the first four quarters, the company had not only stabilized its operations but exceeded every business case objective, transforming how its teams sold, closed, and recognized revenue.

The first sign of success came from the field as sellers embraced a system that finally worked the way they did: CPQ adoption among sales has grown by more than 60% since go-live, up from below 25% usage and continuing to rise. With intuitive workflows and cleaner data, quotes could be created in minutes instead of hours, and for the first time, the entire process felt frictionless from quote to invoice.

The operational ripple effects were also dramatic. What once took 43 minutes to book now happens in near real time. “When midnight hits, we’re booked,” said Ron. “The revenue team now gets clean data instantly, not five days later. What used to be a fire drill at quarter close is now a non-event.”

With clean, connected data flowing across systems, revenue leakage became a thing of the past. BMC eliminated more than $10 million in annual renewal losses simply by aligning how deals were quoted, contracted, and billed. The accuracy of its revenue data gave finance leaders new confidence in forecasting and reporting, turning what was once a recurring pain point into a new source of predictability.

The cultural shift was just as powerful. “We used to have massive fire drills every close,” Ron shared. “Now, the stress level is way down, and predictability is way up.”

But perhaps the most profound change? BMC’s teams finally trusted their systems again. “Now, what you quote is what goes into the system,” said Ron. “It’s simple, but it’s transformational. That alignment between the front and back office is what gives us agility.”

“We used to have massive fire drills every close. Now, the stress level is way down, and predictability is way up.”

 — Ron Clegg, VP Revenue Office, BMC Software

A Platform Built for Agility and Growth

Today, BMC’s quote-to-revenue process runs on a fully connected platform that unites sales, finance, and operations. With data now moving seamlessly across quoting, billing, and revenue recognition, BMC has gained a single source of truth for customer and product information. 

That unified foundation has also unlocked new strategic agility. BMC can now experiment with pricing models, accelerate SaaS offerings, and adapt to market shifts with confidence. Instead of wrestling with systems, teams can focus on growth, launching new subscription and hybrid offerings in weeks rather than months.

As the subscription economy continues to evolve, BMC is already preparing for what’s next. The company is exploring usage-based and AI-driven monetization models, confident that its modern architecture can support whatever innovation comes next. “We used to be stuck in maintenance mode,” said Ron. “Now, we’re in experimentation mode. We can try, learn, and scale. That’s what this transformation was all about.”

In the end, BMC’s story isn’t just about modernizing technology, it’s about reclaiming agility, alignment, and growth in a world defined by change. 

By transforming its own revenue engine, BMC didn’t just keep up with the subscription economy, it built the foundation to lead in it.

“This wasn’t about cutting costs or upgrading tools. It was about giving our business the agility to respond to customers faster and capture value immediately. With Zuora and PwC, we’ve exceeded every goal we set.”

 — Ron Clegg, VP Revenue Office, BMC Software