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Category: Microsoft Licensing

Microsoft 365 Copilot New Pricing Options

Posted on by Natalie Smith

As cloud adoption continues to surge, businesses face increasing pressure to effectively manage and optimize their cloud expenses. Enter FinOps is a cultural and financial management practice bridging the gap between finance, operations, and technology. This approach enables organizations to maximize cloud investments by fostering collaboration, enhancing visibility, and driving cost-efficient practices. In this blog post, we will explore the critical role of FinOps in cloud cost management and how it can transform your organization’s approach to cloud financial operations.

Understanding FinOps

FinOps, short for Financial Operations, is a set of practices and principles designed to bring financial accountability to the cloud computing variable spend model. It aims to align the objectives of finance, DevOps, and business teams, ensuring that cloud resources are used efficiently and effectively to meet organizational goals.

Critical components of FinOps include:

    • Collaboration: Promoting a culture where finance, operations, and technology teams work together to manage cloud costs.
    • Visibility: Providing detailed insights into cloud spending to help teams make informed decisions.
    • Optimization: Continuously identifying and implementing cost-saving opportunities without compromising performance.

Challenges Addressed by FinOps

FinOps addresses several challenges that organizations face in cloud cost management:

  • Lack of Cost Visibility: Many organizations struggle to understand their cloud expenses clearly. FinOps provides detailed visibility into where money is spent, allowing teams to identify and address inefficiencies.
  • Budget Overruns: Cloud costs can quickly exceed budgets without proper financial management. FinOps helps forecast and control spending, reducing the risk of budget overruns.
  • Resource Waste: Inefficient use of cloud resources can lead to significant waste. FinOps practices help identify and eliminate unused or underutilized resources.

The Core Principles of FinOps

FinOps is built on three core principles that guide organizations in managing their cloud costs effectively:

1. Teams Need to Collaborate:

    • Encourage cross-functional teams to work together to manage cloud spending.
    • Foster a culture of shared responsibility and accountability for cloud costs.

2. Decentralized Control with Centralized Visibility:

    • Allow individual teams to make informed decisions about their cloud usage.
    • Provide a centralized platform for tracking and analyzing cloud costs, ensuring transparency across the organization.

3. Everyone Takes Ownership of Their Cloud Usage:

    • Empower teams to take responsibility for their cloud spending.
    • Implement chargeback or showback models to allocate costs to the respective teams, promoting accountability.

Implementing FinOps in Your Organization

To successfully implement FinOps, organizations need to follow a structured approach:

1. Establish a FinOps Team:

    • Form a dedicated team comprising members from finance, operations, and technology departments.
    • Assign roles and responsibilities to ensure effective collaboration and communication.

2. Adopt FinOps Tools and Technologies:

    • Leverage cloud cost management tools to gain detailed insights into cloud spending.
    • Use automation tools to enforce cost-saving policies and optimize resource usage.

3. Develop a FinOps Framework:

    • Create a framework that outlines the processes, policies, and best practices for managing cloud costs.
    • Define key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of your FinOps initiatives.

4. Promote Continuous Improvement:

    • Encourage a culture of continuous improvement by regularly reviewing and optimizing cloud usage.
    • Conduct training sessions and workshops to update teams on the latest FinOps practices and tools.

Benefits of FinOps

Implementing FinOps in Your Organization

  • Cost Savings: Organizations can achieve significant cost savings by optimizing cloud usage and eliminating waste.
  • Improved Financial Accountability: FinOps fosters a culture of accountability, ensuring that teams take ownership of their cloud spending.
  • Enhanced Decision-Making: With detailed visibility into cloud costs, teams can make more informed decisions about cloud usage.
  • Operational Efficiency: FinOps helps streamline cloud financial operations by promoting collaboration and automation.
Unlock Massive Savings

Conclusion

FinOps is a transformative approach to cloud cost management that empowers organizations to maximize the value of their cloud investments. FinOps enables businesses to manage their cloud expenses effectively and achieve their financial objectives by fostering collaboration, enhancing visibility, and driving cost-efficient practices.

At MetrixData 360, we understand the importance of effective cloud cost management. Our solution Lucidity is designed to help organizations implement FinOps practices and optimize their cloud spending.
Contact us today to learn how we can support your FinOps journey and drive financial success in your cloud operations.

How IT Departments Can Navigate the Complexities of Windows and SQL Server Licensing

Posted on by Hailey Austin

As technology evolves and organizations become more reliant on it, managing software licenses and deployments has become increasingly complex and critical. Microsoft’s Windows and SQL Server are among the most widely used software platforms, making it essential for IT departments to ensure that they are adequately licensed and optimized. This is where MetrixData 360’s Microsoft True Up Support comes in.

Our Microsoft True Up Support is designed to help IT departments navigate the complexities of Windows and SQL Server licensing and optimize their deployments for maximum efficiency and cost savings. With our team of licensing experts and powerful tools, we can help you ensure that you comply with Microsoft’s licensing requirements and take advantage of all the benefits your licenses offer.

One of our clients, a Fortune 500 Customer, saw significant benefits from using our Microsoft True Up Support. The Director of Infrastructure at this organization stated, “MetrixData 360’s Microsoft True Up Support provided us with the expert guidance and tools we needed to optimize our Windows and SQL Server licenses. We reduced our licensing costs by over 30% and ensured that we fully complied with Microsoft’s requirements. The value we received from this service was tremendous, and I highly recommend it to any organization looking to optimize their Microsoft licenses.”

SQL Server Deployments And Additional ToolsSQL Server Deployments And Additional Tools

 

In addition to expert guidance and powerful tools, our Microsoft True Up Support also includes the following:

  • A comprehensive assessment of your current Windows and SQL Server deployments
  • A report outlining any compliance risks or inefficiencies in your current licensing and deployment strategies
  • Recommendations for optimizing your licenses and deployments for cost savings and efficiency
  • Ongoing support to ensure that you are fully up-to-date with the latest licensing requirements and best practices

We understand the importance of accessing reliable and accurate information when managing software licenses. That’s why we are dedicated to providing IT departments with the expert guidance and tools they need to optimize their Microsoft licenses and deployments. Our Microsoft True Up Support is a cost-effective solution that can help you save time, money, and resources while ensuring that your organization fully complies with Microsoft’s licensing requirements.

Customers Reviews On Microsoft Licensing and Microsoft True-Up Support

Customer quote 1: “MetrixData 360’s Microsoft True Up Support was a game-changer for our organization. The team provided a comprehensive assessment of our current licensing and deployment strategies. It recommended several cost-saving measures that we would never have thought of. The tools and support that we received have made it much easier for us to manage our licenses and ensure compliance with Microsoft’s requirements.” – CIO, a large financial services organization.

Customer quote 2: “We have been using MetrixData 360’s Microsoft True Up Support for several years, and it has been an invaluable resource for our IT department. The team’s expertise and attention to detail have allowed us to optimize our Windows and SQL Server licenses and reduce our costs significantly. We highly recommend this service to any organization looking to manage their Microsoft licenses effectively.” – IT Manager, a large healthcare organization.

At MetrixData 360, we aim to help organizations like yours achieve the greatest value from their Microsoft office licenses. Our Microsoft True Up Support provides you with the expert guidance, tools, and support you need to optimize your deployments and ensure that you fully comply with Microsoft’s licensing requirements.

If you’re interested in learning more about how our Microsoft True Up Support can help your IT department, we would be happy to arrange a consultation with one of our experts. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at MetricData 360 to schedule a time that is convenient for you. Alternatively, you can also answer the questionnaire.

Maximizing Your Microsoft Enterprise Agreement: A Guide to Optimizing Windows Licensing through Microsoft True-Up Support”

Posted on by Hailey Austin

Conducting Microsoft True-Ups is critical for organizations to maintain compliance with their Microsoft Enterprise Agreement (EA) and ensure they only pay for the licenses they use. However, the True-Up process can be complex and challenging, requiring a deep understanding of Microsoft licensing rules, accurate inventory information, and accurate analysis of software deployments.

IT departments often face challenges determining the licenses required for Windows Server. Inventory information may be stored in multiple systems and tools, leading to missing sources or inaccuracies in the recorded data. The different licensing calculator tools and editions with varying license rules add to the complexity of license calculation. 

Determining the EditionDetermining the Edition

Accurate inventory information is crucial for creating a correct license position. However, traditional software asset management (SAM) tools may not have the capability to determine the edition installed, leading to assumptions during software audits that can be costly. Even if the tools accurately record information, the data may not always be up-to-date, especially with the addition of new devices to the network or changes in deployments.

One of the Biggest Challenges Faced

One of the biggest challenges in Microsoft True-Up is ensuring cost-effectiveness in licensing. IT departments may assign licenses to meet software contract compliance without considering alternative solutions. This results in overspending on licensing—like a Fortune 500 customer spending over $200,000 on Windows Server licenses for a cluster. The customer’s SAM tool and reseller calculated the number of licenses needed but failed to consider the specifics of the deployments. Further analysis showed that the cluster was a Linux cluster with a small percentage of Windows Servers, and the Windows licenses were for Commvault. By changing the Commvault configuration, the customer reduced their Windows licenses by $200,000.

Conducting a Microsoft True-Up requires expertise, tools, and resources to optimize Windows, saving time and money. An understanding of Microsoft licensing rules, accurate inventory information, how to install management tools, and effective analysis of software deployments are necessary to ensure compliance, cost-effectiveness, and the best return on investment in Microsoft licensing.

Optimize Their Windows Licensing with the Right Expertise and Tools

Annual True-Ups are required for organizations to maintain compliance with their EA and only pay for the licenses they use. The process can be complex and challenging, but organizations can optimize their Windows with the right expertise and tools, saving time and money. Whether working with a licensing expert or utilizing a service to support the True-Up process, organizations can be confident in the accuracy of their Microsoft licensing and the cost-effectiveness of their deployments. 

Ready to learn more? Speak to Us!

Want to learn more and level up your confidence regarding the accuracy of your Microsoft licensing and the cost-effectiveness of your deployment? Do you want to know about Microsoft licensing options or need answers to their related questions? Want the experts to answer your questions? Contact us! https://ukl.cmh.mybluehost.me/contact-us/ 

SLIM 360: The Only Tool You Need to Control Licensing Costs

Posted on by Hailey Austin

Harness the Data You Need to Optimize Your Software Licensing

MetrixData 360 and SLIM 360, as software licensing management tools, provide the data you need to optimize your software licensing, reduce costs, and ensure compliance. With comprehensive and customized reporting, you can gain visibility into utilizing all your software assets and make informed decisions about the software you acquire.

 

The software industry is making incredible strides at all ends of the spectrum, bringing new challenges that organizations, large and small, must act on to remain competitive. One of the most critical areas executives must monitor license compliance. Ensuring your organization complies with thousands of software titles can become a nightmare. However, there’s finally a solution to this problem: SLIM 360.

Unlock Powerful Insights

SLIM 360: Manage Licensing Costs

MetrixData 360 and SLIM 360 software tools offer potent insights into utilizing your assets, helping you make informed decisions about software acquisition and usage. A comprehensive dashboard and detailed reporting allow you to monitor usage, track compliance easily, and identify cost-reduction opportunities.

Reduce Your Software Costs

Reduce Your Software Costs

With our software procurement solution, you can quickly reduce your software costs by taking advantage of volume discounts and other cost-saving measures. Our software procurement solution makes it easy to stay on top of your software costs and ensures that you always get the best deals on software licenses.

 

Say Goodbye to Manual Software Tracking

Say Goodbye to Manual Software Tracking

Manually tracking software licenses and costs is a time-consuming process that can be difficult to keep up with. With our software procurement solution, you can easily keep track of your software licenses, costs, and contracts in one place. You’ll have access to real-time data on your software usage and can make informed decisions about your IT procurement strategy.

Simplify Your Procurement Process

Our software procurement solution simplifies the procurement process by automating the process of purchasing software licenses. Our intuitive interface makes tracking your software licenses and costs easy and ensures you have the proper licenses for your organization. With our software procurement solution, you can rest assured that you’re always up-to-date with your software licensing agreement and costs.

Optimize Your Software Licenses

Software licenses can be complicated and expensive. Mike Austin, an experienced director who knows the challenges of managing software licenses and costs, decided there was a need for a software licensing management tool that users needed to provide the data needed to optimize their software licensing agreement and reduce cost.

 

With Mike Austin’s help, you can ensure you get the most out of your licenses. Mike will review your current licenses, identify opportunities for savings, and help you get the best deals for your next software purchase.

 

It’s no news that there are many ways to save money on your software licensing. But how do you know which one will be best for you? Are they worth the investment? What if you invest, but it never pays off? These are all questions that software buyers may have in mind, and SLIM 360 aims to provide insight into the answers.

 

Get a Health Check Today!  

 

Want to understand your software costs? The ability to document past decisions, current status, and future projections means that you’ll have a much more effective discussion with your team members to look at your options and make an informed decision. 

 

So, book a call here: Office 365 Savings Blueprint Meeting

Four Secrets of A Champion CIO

Posted on by Hailey Austin

Mastering Software Licensing: Insights from Champion CIOs

As a Chief Information Officer (CIO), one of your primary responsibilities is managing and optimizing your organization’s technology. To correctly manage technology includes ensuring you have the correct software licenses to support your business needs while controlling costs. This blog post will examine chief information officer roles, responsibilities, and secrets of champion CIOs who have excelled at software licensing and cost optimization.

Mastering Software Licensing

The first step in optimizing your software licensing costs is clearly understanding your business needs. To know what you need, you must identify the specific software applications and tools required to support your operations and the number of users needing access to these applications. It’s essential to take the time to carefully assess your needs, as having too few licenses can result in productivity bottlenecks while having too many can lead to unnecessary costs.

  • Negotiate favourable terms

Once you clearly understand your software needs, it’s time to start negotiating with vendors. Champion CIOs are skilled at negotiating favourable terms with software vendors, including discounts on licensing fees and additional features or services at no extra cost. The role of a CIO here is to be upfront about your budget and willing to walk away if the vendor is unwilling to meet your needs.

 

  • Leverage volume licensing agreementsLeverage volume licensing agreements

Volume licensing agreements allow organizations to purchase many licenses at a discounted price. These agreements are typically available for popular software applications such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite and can result in significant cost savings for organizations with many users. Champion chief information officers are adept at leveraging volume licensing (and combing with point 2 – negotiate favourable terms) agreements to get the best deal for their organization.

  • Monitor and review your licenses.

It’s essential to regularly review your software licensing agreements to ensure that you are still meeting your organization’s needs. A best practice is tracking the number of licenses you have in use and identifying areas where you may be over-licensed or under-licensed. The role of a CIO here is to be proactive in monitoring and reviewing their licenses and quickly make changes as needed to optimize costs.

In conclusion, optimizing your software licensing costs requires a combination of careful planning, strong negotiation skills, and ongoing review. By following the secrets of these champion CIOs, you can ensure that you have the correct software licenses to support your business needs while keeping costs under control. So, these are the secrets of four champion CIOs that will help optimize the cost of software licensing in your organization.

Bonus: Leverage data to your advantageBonus: Leverage data to your advantage

In today’s digital age, data is “the new oil” – a valuable resource that helps drive growth and innovation. A champion CIO method here seeks to understand the value of data and use it to advantage regarding software licensing and cost optimization. By collecting and analyzing software deployment and usage metrics data, CIOs can better understand how their software is used and identify areas where they can save costs.

For example, by tracking the number of active users for a particular software application, a CIO may discover they have more licenses than they need. They then use this data to negotiate a reduction in licensing fees with the vendor. Additionally, by analyzing data on software usage patterns, CIOs can identify underutilized applications and decide to discontinue them, reducing costs and simplifying the software environment.

In today’s fast-paced, data-driven world, having access to accurate and actionable data is essential for effective software licensing and cost optimization. A champion chief information officer understands the importance of data and uses it to gain insights that drive better decision-making and cost savings. Collecting, analyzing, and leveraging data can earn a competitive advantage and stay ahead of the curve in software licensing and cost optimization.

In summary, you can optimize software licensing costs in your organization by understanding your needs, negotiating favourable terms, leveraging volume licensing agreements, monitoring and reviewing your licenses, and leveraging data to your advantage. In today’s fast-paced and data-driven world, data is the new oil, and having access to accurate and actionable data is essential for effective software licensing and cost optimization. Using your own data around deployment and software usage metrics will give you the most leverage possible for cost optimization.

For more information on how our services at MetrixData 360 can meet the needs of your technology and financial departments, contact us today. Let’s work with you and your chief information officer’s roles and responsibilities to manage and optimize your organization’s technology.

 

How IT Departments Can Navigate the Complexities of Windows and SQL Server Licensing with Microsoft True Up Support

Posted on by Hailey Austin

As technology continues to evolve and organizations become more reliant on it, managing software licenses and deployments has become increasingly complex and critical. Microsoft’s Windows and SQL Server are among the most widely used software platforms, making it essential for IT departments to ensure that they are adequately licensed and optimized. This is where MetrixData 360’s Microsoft True Up Support comes in.

Our Microsoft True Up Support is designed to help IT departments navigate the complexities of Windows and SQL Server licensing and optimize their deployments for maximum efficiency and cost savings. With our team of licensing experts and powerful tools, we can help you ensure that you comply with Microsoft’s licensing requirements and take advantage of all the benefits your licenses offer.

One of our clients, a Fortune 500 Customer, saw significant benefits from using our Microsoft True Up Support. The Director of Infrastructure at this organization stated, “MetrixData 360’s Microsoft True Up Support provided us with the expert guidance and tools we needed to optimize our Windows and SQL Server licenses. We reduced our licensing costs by over 30% and ensured that we fully complied with Microsoft’s requirements. The value we received from this service was tremendous, and I highly recommend it to any organization looking to optimize their Microsoft licenses.”

 

SQL Server Deployments and Additional Tools

In addition to expert guidance and powerful tools, our Microsoft True Up Support also includes:

  • A comprehensive assessment of your current Windows and SQL Server deployments
  • A report outlining any compliance risks or inefficiencies in your current licensing and deployment strategies
  • Recommendations for optimizing your licenses and deployments for cost savings and efficiency
  • Ongoing support to ensure that you are fully up-to-date with the latest licensing requirements and best practices

We understand the importance of accessing reliable and accurate information when managing software licenses. That’s why we are dedicated to providing IT departments with the expert guidance and tools they need to optimize their Microsoft licenses and deployments. Our Microsoft True Up Support is a cost-effective solution that can help you save time, money, and resources while ensuring that your organization fully complies with Microsoft’s licensing requirements.

Customers Reviews On Microsoft Licensing and True-Up Support:

“MetrixData 360’s Microsoft True Up Support was a game-changer for our organization. The team provided a comprehensive assessment of our current licensing and deployment strategies. It recommended several cost-saving measures that we would never have thought of. The tools and support that we received have made it much easier for us to manage our licenses and ensure compliance with Microsoft’s requirements.” – CIO, a large financial services organization.

“We have been using MetrixData 360’s Microsoft True Up Support for several years, and it has been an invaluable resource for our IT department. The team’s expertise and attention to detail have allowed us to optimize our Windows and SQL Server licenses and reduce our costs significantly. We highly recommend this service to any organization looking to manage their Microsoft licenses effectively.” – IT Manager, a large healthcare organization.

At MetrixData 360, we aim to help organizations like yours achieve the greatest value from their Microsoft Office licenses. Our Microsoft True Up Support provides expert guidance, tools, and support to optimize your deployments and fully comply with Microsoft’s licensing requirements.

To explore how our Microsoft True Up Support can help your IT department, we would happily book a virtual consultation with one of our experts.

How to Simplify your Microsoft 365 License Management

Posted on by Hailey Austin

Keeping up with the ever-changing technology landscape can be a challenge. The rise of cloud computing has made it easier for businesses to quickly adopt new software, but now staying on top of license management is more important than ever. Microsoft 365 is a staple in many organizations, and understanding how to optimize licenses can save your business money and time. 

 

Managing office licenses for large-scale enterprise environments is no easy task. With a growing number of users, organizations are increasingly looking for ways to simplify their license management and optimize their use of cloud software. This blog will discuss some simple ways to simplify your Microsoft 365 license management and improve its risk mitigation. 

Optimizing Licenses Across Large Environments

 

It’s easy for a business to become over-dependent on the convenience of Microsoft 365. Save yourself costly mistakes by only buying the necessary licenses that your employees need. According to SaaS purchasing platform Vertice, businesses overpay for collaboration solutions by 20% to 30% on average. Organizations are wasting significant money per month due to the excess licensing of Microsoft 365. 

 

Hence, the first step in simplifying your Microsoft 365 license management is understanding how to optimize licenses across large environments. Identifying which users need which type of license can help you ensure that you are not overbuying licenses. It’s important to have a clear picture of who needs which type of license in order to maximize cost savings and efficiency. 

 

One way to do this is by leveraging an automated system that can quickly identify unused licenses, so they can be removed or reassigned as needed. This will help you avoid the costly mistake of paying for unneeded licenses and will also reduce the amount of time spent manually managing them. Automation is key when it comes to optimizing large environments where multiple users may need access to different types of software or services. 

 

Improving Risk Mitigation

 

Staying compliant with Microsoft 365 business standard activation and Microsoft 365’s licensure rules is key to avoiding potential penalties or fines and managing Microsoft licenses. Failing to do so can put your business at risk of hefty fines and disrupt operations that could have easily been avoided with the proper understanding of compliance laws.

 

A recent Flexera report shows that nearly 24% of respondents paid more than $1 million as a result of violations. Without a clear sense of Microsoft licensing explanation and understanding, you may find yourself or your company in hot water over an issue that could have been easily circumvented by procuring enough licenses to cover the Microsoft 365 number of users and features being utilized. Additionally, being aware of any and all changes in licensing regulations should also be taken seriously, as even small alterations can generate serious outcomes when disregarded.

 

A good office 365 device license management system should provide detailed tracking information about who has access to what, so you can identify any potential issues quickly and easily address them before they become a problem

SLIM360 as a Solution 

SLIM360 is an innovative online platform designed to streamline the process of managing Microsoft 365 licenses across large-scale enterprise environments. It applies to any type of agreement, including pay-as-you-go, term, subscription, and perpetual implementations. The solution quickly scans your computers for installed software and compares the identified instances to your current licenses purchased, which identifies both over-licensed and under-licensed usage. 

 

The tool also provides an estimated cost for any unused or expired licenses, along with a risk analysis that measures the potential benefit these licenses may offer in improved security. Moreover, SLIM360 provides actionable insights through predictive analytics to gain a proactive advantage in managing and avoiding unexpected costs due to using more licenses than necessary. 

 

In summary, SLIM360 is designed to compare your usage to the available licensing tiers and highlight where your employees are over-licensed so you can save money and identify any areas that you may be potentially under-licensed, ensuring you stay compliant without exposing yourself to risk caused by under-licensed employee usage.

Conclusion

Microsoft 365 licensing is an essential part of any organization’s IT infrastructure, but it’s easy for things to get out of control if not managed properly. Thankfully, there are some simple steps you can take that will help streamline your Microsoft 365 license management process while still ensuring that all users have the appropriate level of access they need. By leveraging automation tools and improving risk mitigation, you’ll be well on your way toward having an effective, efficient system in place for managing your licenses across large environments more effectively than ever before.

 

Without a software asset management tool, your company might be overspending on Microsoft software. In order to ensure that you have the right data and insights at the tip of your fingers, Metrix360 offers SLIM360, allowing you to streamline all the necessary information for your software assets. So contact us today or visit our website for more details.   

5 Tips for Controlling your Microsoft 365 Budget

Posted on by Hailey Austin

5 Tips for Controlling your Microsoft 365 Budget

5 Tips for Controlling your Microsoft 365 Budget

Microsoft 365 is a powerful cloud-based platform that provides businesses with various services, including applications, storage, and communications. Investing in Microsoft 365 can be extremely rewarding for businesses, giving them access to powerful tools and programs. However, costs can quickly add up if you are not careful. With this in mind, it’s important to ensure that your precious resources are being used effectively by controlling your Microsoft 365 budget.  In this blog post, we’ll discuss why it is essential to manage the Microsoft budget in 2022 and provide five tips for managing your Microsoft 365 budget to get the most value from it. 

Cloud Spend Costs with Microsoft 365

Cloud Spend Costs with Microsoft 365

Regarding cloud spending costs with Microsoft 365, it is extremely important to have a thorough understanding of all the associated with the Microsoft 365 budget. Without knowledge and oversight, businesses can easily find themselves facing unexpected spending spikes and surging costs due to inefficient or redundant use of cloud resources and consumption. 

 

Microsoft 365’s expansive offering of programs means that it can be easy to unwittingly rack up costs with disorganized budgeting and suboptimal planning. But thankfully, the right Microsoft budgeting app, approaches, and cost-management strategies can help ensure that organizations avoid runaway spending. Investing in cost management tools and having proper visibility into where their money is going are key strategies for reducing cloud spending costs with Microsoft 365. 

5 ways to Control Your Microsoft 365 Budget

5 ways to Control Your Microsoft 365 Budget

To avoid cloud spend costs sneaking up on you, staying informed about Microsoft 365 is essential. Staying within the budget template while taking advantage of Microsoft 365’s capabilities can be a tricky balancing act. To help, here are five strategies that organizations can use to get the most out of their Microsoft 365 investment without overspending. From optimizing license usage to researching subscription deals, these tactics will ensure your organization stays on track with its financial goals.

 

1. Utilize Discounts and Subscriptions 

 

One of the best ways to save money on your Microsoft 365 budget is to take advantage of discounts and subscriptions. Microsoft often has exclusive promotions or corporate discounts that you can leverage to get even more savings. The most popular discount program currently is the Workplace Discount Program (which allows businesses to give employees discounts on personal projects). Additionally, subscription-based plans can help you save money, as their TEI Study mentions that businesses are able to save up to 29$ per employee on technology costs in the long run since they come with a reduced fee over time. Taking the time to explore all the discounts and subscriptions available from Microsoft can pay off when it comes to reducing your budget and ensuring you get the subscription you need at a much lower cost.

 

2. Analyze Usage Reports 

 

Many businesses don’t realize how much they’re spending on their Microsoft 365 service until they look at Microsoft usage reports. These reports provide detailed information about what features are being used and how much each feature is costing you over time. You can obtain a pre-built dashboard with a cross-product overview of the preceding twelve months and a variety of pre-built statistics through Microsoft 365 usage statistics. You receive unique usage insights for each analysis. User-specific data is accessible for the previous full month of the calendar as well. By analyzing these reports, you can identify areas where you may be spending too much money or where there may be room for cost savings. 

 

3. Understand Licensing Requirements 

 

Understanding your licensing requirements is key when it comes to controlling your costs with Microsoft 365. Different licenses come with different price tags depending on what features you need, so it’s important to take the time to understand what licenses exactly will meet your needs without breaking the bank. 

 

4. Consider Third Party Solutions

 

There are plenty of third-party solutions available that can help reduce your costs with Microsoft 365 while still providing all the features you need to get work done efficiently. Researching these solutions before making any purchase decisions can help ensure that you’re getting the right product at the right price point without sacrificing quality or functionality. 

 

5. Optimize Your Storage

 

The last tip for controlling your costs with Microsoft 365 is optimizing your storage space usage. Many organizations find themselves paying more than necessary for storage space due to excess files or unnecessary backups taking up space on their servers. Taking steps such as regularly deleting old files or archiving older documents can free up valuable storage space and reduce your overall costs with Microsoft 365 significantly over time. 

 

There are four ways to optimize storage by 80%.

 

  • Cutting redundant, obsolete, and trivial information by evaluation through SharePoint Migration Assessment Tool.
  • Automating lifecycle management.
  • Adopting a defensible destruction approach (DDA).
  • Backing up content to remove inactive accounts.

 

SLIM360 as a Solution

For large-scale organizations, expensive over-licensing of employees can cause considerable losses each month. Recognizing this challenge, SLIM 360 provides an effective solution: by comparing current usage to available licensing tiers and highlighting any discrepancies that may result in wasted costs. This streamlined system offers modern organization for Software Asset Management which simplifies the process towards license optimization, so you’re able to accurately establish a budget planner for your business accordingly.

 

Furthermore, by carefully monitoring your agreements with its integrated AI engine, SLIM 360 prevents you from wasting valuable time finding, synthesizing, and analyzing gigabytes of licensing worksheets. By doing so, SLIM 360 will demonstrate and give you the following:

 

  • Notifications on possible cost reductions for purchases in Azure and Office 365.
  • Advise regarding Azure
  • Security alerts across Office 365 and Azure.
  • Automated subscription renewals

 

This will enable you to concentrate completely on license handling in your company.

 

Conclusion

Microsoft 365 provides businesses with an incredibly powerful platform that offers a wide array of features and functionality at a competitive price point, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement when it comes to managing costs associated with this service. By utilizing discounts and subscriptions, analyzing usage reports, understanding licensing requirements, considering third-party solutions, and optimizing storage space usage, you can maximize efficiency while minimizing expenses related to using this powerful cloud platform. Being mindful of spending and taking the time to plan ahead will put you on track for financial success.

 

To learn more about SLIM360 and how it can assist you in managing your Microsoft 365 budget. 

Microsoft 365 vs. Office 365: What’s The Difference?

Posted on by Mike Austin

Sometimes Microsoft 365 and Office 365 are used interchangeably, which can lead to confusion about what each represents. If you’ve wondered about the difference between Microsoft 365 and Office 365 and which one is the better option for you, you’ve come to the right place. Although they are frequently substituted for one another, they are significantly different. The term “Microsoft 365” describes a broader range of software and services, including Office 365.  

Let’s explore the differences between Office 365 and Microsoft 365. Once you are aware of the differences (and similarities), you can better distinguish between them and recognize their main characteristics. This knowledge can help you conquer the uphill battle of choosing the most cost-optimized Microsoft solution.

The Office 365 Suite

The Office 365 suite components are referred to as “Microsoft Office 365.” Microsoft launched the Office 365 package as a collection of teamwork tools to facilitate productivity. These include Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Microsoft Excel. Each of these instruments is designed to function with the others.  The Office 365 Suite But just because they were built to run on top of Windows doesn’t mean they have to. One of its greatest benefits is that most contemporary suites are cloud-based and readily available online. They can also be accessible on various platforms, including Mac and Linux laptops, iOS and Android mobile devices, and desktop computers. The Office 365 suite has effectively been expanded so that it is now essentially platform-neutral. Therefore, Windows-based machines are no longer exclusively used with the Office 365 package, which is significant for the larger “Microsoft 365” framework. While one of the top creative and collaboration suites for most organizations is still Office 365, Microsoft Teams allows staff members to collaborate on software like Microsoft Word and Excel from anywhere in the world. The Office 365 suite must also be carefully controlled to maintain communication efficiency and data protection.

The Microsoft 365 Suite

The Office 365 collaboration toolset and the larger Microsoft 365 environment are collectively known as “Microsoft 365”, comprising both the Enterprise Mobility Suite and the Microsoft Windows operating system. The operating system, mobility suites, and collaboration architecture have all seen significant improvements thanks to Microsoft – something that has become essential in a world where more employees work remotely. While operating the Office 365 suite from the cloud is an option, Windows also improves the simplicity of switching fluidly between desktop and cloud-based tasks.

The Microsoft 365 Suite

Organizations that desire higher levels of flexibility and privacy are supported by Microsoft 365. The Office 365 suite can be utilized on various systems, but it mostly connects with the Microsoft 365 environment. This infrastructure was designed to assist and surround the Office 365 product line.

Another benefit of adopting a Windows system is its versatility. Windows computers have significantly boosted security and manageability support, provided regularly-updated security fixes, and offered more capabilities for remote work and collaboration

The Comparison: Microsoft 365 and Office 365

When you purchase Microsoft 365 (M365), Office 365 is included in the M365 package. So, what’s the difference between Microsoft 365 and Office 365 if Microsoft 365 also includes Office 365? In truth, both Microsoft 365 and Office 365 are essentially Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions. But Microsoft 365 has more services bundled together, which can be particularly useful for enterprise-sized organizations.

Along with O365, Microsoft 365 also consists of the Windows operating system and Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS). Because it contains the operating system and the EMS, two platforms with considerable capabilities, Microsoft 365 truly isn’t the same as Office 365. With additional services included, M365 offers a single, secure package for organizations to use for enhancing operations and collaboration.

While it may appear like semantics, it’s not. When researching systems, diagnosing them, or learning more about updating, optimizing, and managing them, it’s critical to be aware of the distinctions. It’s also significant from a developmental and architectural perspective. Would you like to spend money on the complete Microsoft 365 infrastructure? Or are you just thinking about Office 365? The distinctions (and similarities) between products like Office 365 E3 and Microsoft 365 E3 can considerably contribute to well-informed purchase decisions.

MetrixData 360: Here to Help

It isn’t necessary to spend significant time and effort finding hard savings in Office 365 subscriptions. You can start recognizing savings within six months with our support. You’ll be able to identify the areas where money is mismanaged and which individuals have excessive, insufficient or no licenses, helping to make your regulatory shortcomings and value gaps in your purchases more evident. 

If you’re interested in software asset management, then visit our website to learn more about our Office 365 Licensing Bootcamp.

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