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 guided 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 no one wants to pay more than necessary

B – Because no one wants to pay more than necessary

C – Because no one wants to pay more than necessary 

The joke landed because it is true. Licenses are rarely anyone's favorite topic – and that is exactly why quiet waste accumulates in them 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 presentation's example, the savings potential is approximately €15,000 in the first year, but in larger organizations and with three-year contracts, we are already talking about hundreds of thousands of euros.  

Where is the waste found? 

Money most often leaks from these four places: 

1. Inactive users. The easiest find: licenses are being paid for accounts that nobody is using. 

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 doesn't need to be logged into, turn it into a shared mailbox – for free. 

4. Wrong license tier. Does everyone really 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") – which can be customized to suit your own environment's needs. 

Redesign: start before it's too late 

When a contract auto-renews, negotiating leverage disappears. 

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

• Set an alarm on your 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 auto-renewal in good time: from the self-service portal, through your 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 multiple different subscriptions, with different renewal dates, different commitments, and even from different resellers. 

Understand commitment models 

Two different things that easily get mixed up: subscription length (1 month / 1 year / 3 years) and billing interval (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 entire year at once is the most cost-effective but requires cash flow. 

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

Campaigns, bundles, and hidden savings 

Campaigns are occasionally available for new subscriptions – they are not always offered proactively, so you need to know to ask for them. Bundles, such as Microsoft business licenses combined with Copilot, are also worth checking with your 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. Assess the current situation with a license optimization report.

2. Identify unused and over-allocated licenses.

3. Align licenses with actual needs.

4. Compare prices and negotiate before renewing.

5. Repeat the process regularly, at least quarterly.

A one-time clean-up saves once. A process saves year after year.

Find out how much your organization can save? 

Enora Solutions helps organizations get the most out of Microsoft 365. Our services include license optimization, Copilot implementation, 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 

Thank you HELish Summit – and remember: don't pay more than you have to! ;)