Our Microsoft practice helps clients use what they already own. Here's what that work looked like for one client, and how we estimate the value of an automation project.
01 — The practice: What the practice does
Our Microsoft engagements focus on five things:
- Remove bottlenecks in everyday processes
- Put unused Microsoft capabilities to work
- Consolidate overlapping software spend
- Address security weaknesses
- Automate ongoing security tasks
02 — Licensing: $85,200 in annual software renewals removed
This client was renewing three separate tools every year. Their existing Microsoft licensing included Defender capabilities that covered the security functions they needed.
We moved them over. Their existing retainer covered the migration, so there was no additional project fee.
Removing those three renewals avoided approximately $85,200 in annual licensing costs. That figure excludes our service fees.
03 — Staff time: An estimated 39 staff hours freed each month
The same client's IT team handled patching, setup and account cleanup by hand. We automated those tasks. That freed an estimated 39 hours a month for other work.
Their payroll stayed the same. The benefit was time the team could spend elsewhere. That can translate into cash savings when it reduces overtime or avoids an additional hire.
04 — Security: Patch compliance improved from 60% to 95%
Patch compliance was about 60% in December 2025. By September 2026, it was about 95%.
- DEC 2025: 60%
- SEP 2026: 95%
Patch compliance, one anonymized client, approximate.
We also removed more than 900 unused guest accounts for external users.
Patching and account cleanup now run through automated processes. Unpatched machines and forgotten accounts can give attackers a way in, something anyone who has worked a ransomware weekend knows too well.
05 — Beyond IT: Where to look beyond IT
The same approach applies to work elsewhere in the business. Some useful places to start:
- Sales: How long does a new lead wait before a rep follows up?
- Finance: How many people handle an invoice before it gets approved?
- Operations: Where do requests sit while one team waits on another?
For a repeatable task, we estimate the value of the time saved:
The formula
Monthly capacity value = Tasks per month x Staff hours saved per task x Loaded hourly cost
For example, suppose a team processes 400 invoices a month and automation saves 15 minutes of staff time on each one.
That frees 100 hours a month. At a loaded hourly cost of $60, the capacity value is $6,000 a month, or $72,000 a year.
This is a hypothetical example. The calculation values time available for other work. To assess whether a project is worthwhile, compare that benefit with the cost of implementation and ongoing support.
06 — Checklist: Questions to ask about your Microsoft environment
Ask whoever runs your IT, whether that's an internal team or an outside provider:
- Which Microsoft capabilities are included in our licenses but still unused?
- Which software renewals overlap with those capabilities?
- What does the team still do by hand, and how many hours does it take each month?
- What percentage of our devices meet our patching policy today?
- Which external users still have access to our files, and who still needs it?
About the figures
The licensing reduction, staff-time estimate, patch-compliance figures and guest-account cleanup come from one anonymized ModernOps client. Figures are rounded estimates. The $85,200 represents annual software renewals avoided and excludes service fees. The invoice calculation is an illustrative example, separate from the client results.
Originally published at modernops.com.
Disclosure: I work for ModernOps, and this piece describes our own Microsoft practice and one anonymized client engagement. Figures are rounded estimates; the $85,200 excludes service fees; the invoice calculation is an illustrative example. Validate against your own environment.
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