At a Glance

  • A recent Deloitte report notes that rising data access fees in enterprise software are creatingunexpected costs。
  • for organizations scaling AI projects. The consultancy says software vendors are increasingly exploring ways to monetize access to enterprise data—so-called "toll" practices—as part of a broader shift in traditional pricing models.
  • "Organizations thought they owned their data. The 'toll' practice tells them they don't, because the data is being fenced off, metered, or sold back to them," said China Widener, Deloitte vice chair and U.S. technology, media, and telecommunications industry leader, in an interview.

Deep Insights

According to the research, data access policies have long been embedded in enterprise software contracts, often hidden in fine print and rarely enforced in practice.

What has changed, however, is enforcement. Vendors are now actively applying these long-standing clauses in the context of AI deployments.

"Enterprises that built AI and analytics strategies on assumptions of open data access are now discovering unexpected costs mid-project," the report states. "This represents a class of financial risk that most technology budgets and AI business cases simply haven't modeled, and it brings uncertainty about how to move forward confidently in a rapidly changing market."

Widener said the trend has caused "sticker shock" for some companies.

"As the AI market matures, vendors are looking for new ways to extract value," she said.

Deloitte advises that rather than waiting for software contract renewals, organizations should address potential "toll" issues within their broader enterprise planning cycles, while AI architecture, budgets, and technology roadmaps are still being developed.

By the time renewal negotiations begin, many key technology and investment decisions have already been made, the report says.

The report also recommends auditing legacy software agreements before contract renewals or acquisitions to identify data rights and other strategic terms that may no longer be available in new contracts. Once these rights are relinquished during modernization, they are difficult to recover, Deloitte says.

Widener said the shift requires closer collaboration between finance, technology, and procurement as AI pricing models become more complex.

"CFOs, CIOs, and chief procurement officers need to be more aligned than ever before," she said.