Microsoft 365 Licensing
Microsoft 365 licences somebody reviews once a year
Microsoft 365 has a way of quietly growing. Seats for people who left, add-ons bought for one project, half the company on a plan that does more than they need. We supply the licences, and then we keep an eye on them.
The honest version
Nobody audits their own licensing
The bill arrives, it is roughly what it was last month, and there are more pressing things to do. Then a year passes. That is not negligence, it is just how it goes.
The waste is rarely dramatic. It is three seats for people who left in the spring, an add-on bought for a project that finished, and a dozen staff on a plan built for people who need far more than they do. Individually none of it is worth a morning. Together it is a real number.
Someone has to look. We would rather it was us, once a year, than nobody.
What a review usually turns up
- Seats still billing for leavers The most common finding, and the easiest to fix.
- Duplicate or overlapping add-ons Bought separately, then included in a plan change later on.
- Everyone on the same tier Convenient to administer, and usually the wrong shape for the business.
- Shared logins standing in for licences Cheaper on paper, awkward when someone asks about access control.
- Renewal dates nobody is tracking Which is how a term quietly rolls for another year.
What we do
Supply, adjust, review, repeat
Licensing is not complicated. It is just tedious, and it goes wrong when nobody owns it.
Supply
Licences bought and billed through us, on one invoice alongside whatever else we run for you.
Adjust
Joiners added, leavers removed, plans changed when somebody's role changes. Usually the same day you ask.
Review
Once a year we go through what you are paying for against who is actually using it, and put the findings in writing.
Track renewals
We hold the term dates so a renewal is a decision you make rather than something that happens to you.
Choosing
Most businesses need three plans, not one
Microsoft moves the contents of these around more often than anyone would like, so treat this as the shape of the decision rather than a specification.
- Web and mobile only
- Suits shift, retail and front-line staff who need email and files but do not sit at a desk with a laptop all day. The cheapest genuinely legitimate option, and often the right one for a large slice of a workforce.
- Desktop apps included
- The usual default for office staff: installed Office applications, email, files and the collaboration tooling. Most businesses have more people here than anywhere else.
- With the security and device management
- Adds the controls you get asked about in client questionnaires and insurance renewals: conditional access, device management, better threat protection. Worth it for anyone handling sensitive material, and increasingly worth it for everyone.
- Enterprise plans
- Where you land when the compliance, analytics or identity requirements are genuinely enterprise. Not somewhere to arrive by accident, because the per-seat difference is significant across a whole company.
Tell us roughly who does what and we will suggest a mix, including where a cheaper plan covers what you actually need.
Why through us
One number for the whole lot
If we already run your hosting, putting the licensing in the same place removes a supplier rather than adding one.
The same people answer
A question about a mailbox goes to the number you already ring about your server. No separate account manager, no portal you never log into.
One invoice
Licences on the same bill as the hosting, with the seat count itemised so you can see what changed and why.
We notice things
Because we are already in your environment, the review is not a questionnaire we send you. We can see what is being used.
Licensing on its own is fine too. You do not have to host anything with us to buy your Microsoft 365 through us.
FAQs
Licensing questions
Send us your current licence list
A screenshot of your subscriptions page is enough to start. We’ll tell you what looks wrong before you commit to moving anything.
Or email hello@coffeecupsolutions.com