Our Services

An Enterprise Agreement is often the largest software contract an organization maintains. Yet most companies renew at or below their current spend without understanding what they're actually using.

Our EA optimization service combines deep technical analysis with commercial negotiation expertise to unlock significant savings.

The Process

• Pre-Renewal Audit: 4–6 weeks before renewal, we conduct a comprehensive inventory of all installed Microsoft products and versions across your estate
• License Position Analysis: Map entitlements to actual usage. Identify underutilized licenses, over-provisioned tiers, and compliance gaps
• Negotiation Strategy: Model alternative SKU mixes, volume commitments, and multi-year terms. Build a commercial case for better pricing
• Contractual Protections: Review terms and conditions. Negotiate favorable true-up provisions, price protection caps, and exit clauses
• Implementation: Manage the final negotiation, contract signature, and transition to new licensing posture

Typical Outcomes

EA optimization engagements typically identify 20–40% in potential savings through a combination of reduced license purchases, better pricing, and elimination of unused seats. Average engagement fee: €15K–€45K depending on organizational complexity.

Azure costs grow unpredictably if licensing and resource allocation are not optimized. We help you reduce Azure spending by 20–60% through systematic cost and licensing analysis.

Optimization Areas

• Azure Hybrid Benefit: Apply on-premises Microsoft licenses (Windows Server, SQL Server) to Azure workloads for up to 40% discounts
• Reserved Instances: Commit to 1- or 3-year terms for predictable workloads; save up to 72% vs. on-demand pricing
• Compute Right-Sizing: Right-size VMs, App Services, and databases to actual demand; eliminate oversized or idle instances
• Dev/Test Pricing: Apply special pricing to non-production environments if properly licensed and isolated
• BYOL Scenarios: Leverage existing Microsoft licenses in Azure where permitted (SQL Server, Windows Server, certain products)
• Storage & Data Transfer: Optimize storage tiers, redundancy policies, and cross-region replication
• License Mobility: Apply SQL Server and Windows Server licensing rules to on-premises and hybrid deployments

Engagement Model

We conduct a 2–3 week assessment of your Azure environment (via cost analysis, bill review, and Azure Advisor integration), then deliver a prioritized roadmap of 10–20 cost reduction actions. Many improvements can be implemented by your team within weeks. Typical savings: €50K–€500K annually depending on current Azure spend.

A mature Software Asset Management (SAM) program ensures continuous compliance, reduces audit risk, and creates the foundation for ongoing licensing optimization.

Program Components

• Discovery Phase: Assess current state: What tools exist? What data quality do you have? What processes are in place?
• ITAM Tooling Recommendations: Recommend and help procure the right tooling (hardware inventory, software usage analytics, license reconciliation)
• Governance Framework: Define policies, roles, responsibilities, and workflows for procurement, deployment, and retirement of Microsoft products
• Compliance Posture: Establish how you'll track compliance against contractual terms (EA, CSP, SPLA, VLS)
• Ongoing Management: Monthly or quarterly reviews of license position, new purchases, retirements, and usage trends

Benefits

A well-designed SAM program reduces the cost and risk of Microsoft audits, enables faster optimization during EA renewals, and provides visibility that drives better procurement decisions year-round. Investment: typically €25K–€75K for program design and initial tooling implementation; then ongoing retainer support (see Advisory below).

When Microsoft contacts you about a license audit, the stakes are high. We've guided clients through hundreds of audits and consistently achieved settlements well below the initial exposure.

How It Works

• Initial Assessment: We review the audit notice and Microsoft's specific claims to determine exposure and likelihood
• Data Preparation: Gather and organize supporting documentation (EA terms, license inventories, deployment records, version evidence)
• Technical Response: Provide detailed responses to Microsoft's audit questions, backed by technical evidence and licensing interpretation
• Gap Remediation: Where gaps exist, work with you to purchase the minimum necessary licenses to achieve compliance
• Negotiation: Represent you in settlement discussions to minimize true-up costs and negotiate payment terms

Track Record

We've helped clients reduce audit exposure by an average of 60–75% through a combination of technical evidence and skilled negotiation. An audit that starts at €2M in claimed exposure often settles at €300K–€500K. Investment depends on complexity; typical engagements: €30K–€100K.

Most organizations assign all employees the same M365 license tier (often E5 or E3) regardless of actual usage. Right-sizing—assigning licenses based on genuine need—typically saves 20–40% on M365 spend.

Our Approach

• Usage Analytics: Extract M365 usage data (email, Teams, SharePoint, Power Apps) for all users over the past 3 months
• License Tier Analysis: Model which features each employee actually needs (E1, E3, E5, F1 + add-ons)
• Workforce Segmentation: Categorize employees into groups (Executives, Knowledge Workers, Frontline, Guest Access, etc.) and assign optimal tiers
• Migration Planning: Create a phased plan to migrate users to the right licenses with minimal disruption
• Ongoing Optimization: Quarterly or semi-annual reviews to adjust for organizational changes

Typical Results

A 1,000-person organization spending €150K/year on M365 might be reassigned to a mix of E1, E3, and F1 licenses, reducing spend to €90K–€110K while maintaining all needed functionality. Engagement fee: €10K–€35K depending on organization size.

Technology and licensing change fast. A retainer-based advisory engagement ensures you stay ahead of new opportunities and risks.

What's Included

• Ongoing Retainer: Monthly advisory hours to support licensing questions, procurement decisions, and strategic planning
• Change Notifications: We track Microsoft licensing announcements and flag what matters to your business
• EA Amendment Support: When you need mid-term EA changes (growth, reductions, product swaps), we provide negotiation support
• Benchmarking: Quarterly or annual reviews comparing your license costs and mix to industry peers
• Vendor Coordination: Support for interactions with resellers, cloud solution providers (CSPs), and Microsoft directly

Investment

Retainer engagements typically range from €2,000–€10,000/month depending on organization size and complexity. Many clients find that a retainer more than pays for itself by avoiding a single poor licensing decision or by identifying one cost reduction opportunity per year.