IT Consulting Organisation

Introduction

The client was a mid-level IT consulting firm that required support in managing its Microsoft 365 (M365) estate. The organisation had accumulated a large number of licences that were poorly managed, resulting in unnecessary costs and inefficiencies. We were engaged to help them optimise their M365 licence usage, reduce waste, and create a more structured approach to managing their estate.

Their Challenge

The client faced a number of challenges in managing their M365 licences:

• They had accumulated more licences than required.
• When employees left the organisation, their accounts were not deactivated, meaning the company continued paying for unused licences.
• Different users were on inconsistent versions of M365 (Basic, Premium, etc.), leading to further inefficiencies and unnecessary spend.

Their Objectives

The client’s objectives were:

• To save money on M365 licences.
• To identify wider opportunities for cost savings.
• To manage their M365 estate in a more structured and controlled way.

bedigital Solution

We implemented a staged approach to support the client:

• Initial risk assessment
• Internal audit
• Optimisation of licences
• Recommendations for ongoing governance

How bedigital Delivered

Each stage followed a structured process:

• Initial Risk Assessment: Reviewed available data to highlight immediate risks, including compliance exposure and licence overspend.
• Internal Audit: Conducted a detailed audit of all M365 accounts and licence usage, identifying unused or misallocated licences.
• Optimisation: Rationalised licence allocations, ensuring users had the appropriate licence tier, and removed redundant accounts.
• Recommendations: Delivered a final savings report and proposed governance improvements to help the client maintain control over their M365 estate going forward.

Challenges

There were numerous challenges to overcome to deliver a successful project:

• Many employees were using different licence tiers (Basic, Premium, etc.), making it difficult to standardise allocations.
• User offboarding processes were inconsistent, with licences often left active long after staff departures.
• There was limited internal visibility and ownership of licence management, which meant issues had gone undetected for some time.

Outcomes

• The project delivered savings of 30% across the client’s M365 estate.
• Non-compliance risks were identified and removed, ensuring the organisation was fully audit-ready.

Benefits

• Significant cost savings achieved by eliminating unused and misallocated licences.
• Improved confidence in the accuracy and control of the M365 estate.
• Time savings through a more streamlined and transparent licence management process.

Conclusion

The project was delivered efficiently and provided the client with immediate cost savings alongside long-term improvements in licence management. By reducing spend, removing compliance risks, and creating a clearer process for ongoing governance, the client gained both tactical savings and a more strategic approach to managing their Microsoft 365 estate.