IT Solutions Area
Microsoft Licensing Consulting & M365 License Optimization
Microsoft is often the single largest line item in a mid-market technology budget, and also the least examined. Licenses get added as teams grow, subscriptions quietly overlap, and renewals arrive with a true-up nobody planned for.
Overview
Microsoft is often the single largest line item in a mid-market technology budget, and also the least examined. Licenses get added as teams grow, subscriptions quietly overlap, and renewals arrive with a true-up nobody planned for. Defender IT brings independent scrutiny to all of it. We inventory your Microsoft 365 and Azure footprint, benchmark what you pay against comparable companies, and map every license to whether someone actually uses it. We are vendor-neutral, so the recommendation comes from your usage data rather than a reseller quota. We run a Microsoft CSP comparison against your Enterprise Agreement and Microsoft Customer Agreement options on real cost and flexibility, flag the shelfware you can retire, right-size your Azure consumption to identify savings, and manage the renewal so you sign on terms that fit. The result is a Microsoft estate you pay for only where it earns its place, with the tradeoffs in plain language and an advisor who stays independent of what you buy.
What we evaluate
- Your Microsoft 365 license mix mapped to who actually uses each subscription
- Azure consumption and right-sizing opportunities to identify savings
- Enterprise Agreement, CSP, and Microsoft Customer Agreement options compared on cost and flexibility
- Shelfware and overlapping subscriptions you can consolidate or retire
- Renewal timing and true-up exposure so nothing auto-renews unchecked
How the process works
Review. Shortlist. Evaluate. Negotiate.
Review
We map your current contracts, spend, and roadmap in this area, then benchmark it against what comparable companies pay.
Shortlist
We research the market and narrow a crowded field to the two or three suppliers that actually fit your requirements.
Evaluate
We run structured demos, normalize pricing so it is finally comparable, and lay out the tradeoffs in plain language.
Negotiate
We sit on your side of the table through negotiation and renewal, so the terms and the price work in your favor.
FAQ
Microsoft Licensing questions, answered.
Do you resell Microsoft licenses or take commissions from a provider? +
No. We are vendor-neutral advisors. Our recommendations come from your usage data and benchmarks, not from a reseller quota. That independence is the entire point of hiring us.
How do you find M365 license optimization and shelfware? +
We map every Microsoft 365 subscription to actual usage and assignment, then flag the licenses nobody touches, the plans that overlap, and the users who are overlicensed for what they do. You keep the findings and decide what to consolidate or retire.
What is the difference between an Enterprise Agreement, CSP, and MCA, and which fits us? +
Each Microsoft purchasing model prices and flexes differently, and the right one depends on your size, growth, and how predictable your usage is. We run a Microsoft CSP comparison against your Enterprise Agreement and Microsoft Customer Agreement options so you choose on cost and flexibility rather than on whatever your current reseller happens to offer.
Can you help reduce our Azure costs? +
Yes. Azure cost optimization is a core part of the engagement. We right-size resources, surface idle and overprovisioned services, and benchmark your consumption so any savings we identify are documented and defensible.
How does a Microsoft licensing engagement start? +
It starts with a complimentary technology review of your Microsoft 365 and Azure licensing and current spend. You keep the findings whether or not we work together again.
Find out what your Microsoft estate should cost.
We benchmark your Microsoft 365 and Azure licensing against comparable companies, map every license to actual usage, and show you the shelfware you can retire. You keep the findings either way.
Ready to make IT decisions easy?
Book a call with a technology advisor. Thirty minutes. No pitch. You will leave with next steps whether you work with us or not.