Real-world challenges. Real savings. No guesswork.
The Problem
While supporting multiple healthcare organisations in the UK, I noticed a
pattern:
Many were overpaying for Microsoft 365 licenses — not because they needed more tools, but because they weren’t tracking what they already had.
Here’s what I kept seeing:
Resigned staff accounts still consuming licenses (sometimes for years)
Premium licenses assigned to users who only needed basic email
No regular audits or monitoring systems
Manual processes — often just resetting passwords instead of proper offboarding
In one home alone, over 30% of the licenses were unused or misaligned — silently renewing year after year.
My Approach
I worked closely with managers and IT leads to clean up their environment and implement best practices.
✅ Step 1: License Audit
Exported a full user/license usage report from Microsoft 365 Admin Center
Mapped active users to current roles
Flagged redundant and inactive accounts
✅ Step 2: Optimization
Downgraded premium licenses (e.g. Business Premium → Basic) for non-admin users
Removed licenses for ex-staff and set a retention policy
Created automation to alert admins about inactive accounts
✅ Step 3: Documentation & Training
Provided documentation for offboarding and license reassignment
Trained key admin staff on license management and periodic audits
💰 The Result
Across several homes and clinics:
30–45% reduction in unnecessary license spend
More efficient license allocation
Better compliance with GDPR by deactivating stale accounts
Increased IT awareness and control among internal teams
🔧 Tools Used
Microsoft 365 Admin Center
PowerShell scripts (Get-MsolUser, Get-AzureADUser)
License usage reports (CSV exports)
SharePoint and Teams for internal documentation
🧠 Lessons Learned
Most organisations aren’t overspending because they want to — they’re just too busy to monitor.
License audits should be part of quarterly IT reviews, especially in sectors with high staff turnover.
Teaching non-technical managers to ask the right questions can save thousands.
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