Don't pay more than you have to – Enora Solutions at the HELish Summit

Today we took the stage at HELish Summit with a topic that might not sound glamorous, but directly impacts every organization's bottom line: Microsoft license cost optimization. 

Presented and led by Eetu Hämäläinen, the message was simple: "Don't pay more than you have to." 

Why is license optimization important? 

The favorite slide of the presentation was a multiple-choice question where all three answer options were the same: 

A – Because nobody wants to pay more than necessary

B – Because nobody wants to pay more than necessary

C – Because nobody wants to pay more than necessary 

The joke hit home because it is true. Licenses are rarely anyone's favorite topic – and that's exactly why silent waste accumulates year after year. 

Small monthly prices, big annual sums 

An individual license looks cheap. Multiply it by the number of users and twelve months, and the picture changes: 

Note: Prices are indicative and vary depending on contract type, billing model, and reseller. 

According to the example in the presentation, the savings potential is approximately €15,000 in the first year, but in larger organizations and three-year contracts, we are talking about hundreds of thousands of euros. 

Where is the waste found? 

Money most commonly leaks from these four places: 

1. Inactive users. The easiest find: licenses are paid for accounts that nobody uses. 

2. Overlapping services. A classic: Power BI Pro is purchased separately, even though it is already included in E5. 

3. Unnecessarily licensed mailboxes. If a mailbox does not need to be logged into, it is converted into a shared mailbox – for free. 

4. Wrong license tier. Does everyone need desktop applications? For subcontractors and seasonal workers, F3 or F5 is often more than enough. 

As a practical tip, the presentation highlighted Tony Redmond's ready-to-use PowerShell report script for finding inactive accounts (office365itpros.com, "Find inactive accounts") – it can be customized to suit your own environment's needs. 

Redesigning: Start before it is too late 

Once a contract renews automatically, negotiation leverage disappears. 

• Verify your license renewal date and mark it in the calendar (Admin Center → "Your products"). 

• Also set an alert on the calendar 1–2 months before – that's when the process begins. 

• Request quotes from multiple resellers every time. Also ask about campaigns and bundles. 

• Cancel automatic renewal in time: through the self-service portal, via the reseller, or directly from the Microsoft portal if you pay by credit card. 

• Cancel licenses you no longer need. The same licenses are often in several different subscriptions, with different renewal dates, different commitments, and even from different resellers. 

Understand commitment models 

Two different things that are easily confused: subscription length (1 month / 1 year / 3 years) and billing frequency (monthly / annually / every three years). 

• A monthly subscription is more expensive, but flexible. 

• A one-year or three-year commitment is cheaper – and protects against price increases. 

• Paying for the whole year at once is the cheapest option, but requires cash flow. 

• And the most important rule: once something is locked, it's locked. 

Campaigns, bundles, and hidden savings 

Campaigns are occasionally available for new subscriptions – they are not always actively offered, so you have to know to ask for them. Bundling options, such as a Microsoft business license combined with Copilot, should also be clarified with the reseller before ordering. 

License optimization is not a project, but a process 

A one-time check will find savings. Continuous optimization ensures that costs do not creep back up.

Five steps:

1. Find out the current status using a license optimization report.

2. Identify unused and oversized licenses.

3. Allocate licenses according to actual needs.

4. Compare prices and negotiate before renewal.

5. Repeat the process regularly, at least quarterly.

A one-off cleanup saves once. A process saves year after year.

Find out how much your organization could save? 

Enora Solutions helps organizations get the most out of Microsoft 365. Our services include license optimization, Copilot deployment, demanding migrations, as well as the design and development of Microsoft 365 environments.

Eetu Hämäläinen M365 Architect & Founder

Enora Solutions

eetu.hamalainen@enora.fi 

+358 (0) 40 577 0194