A fixed-scope, fixed-price review of your Microsoft licensing estate. We identify compliance gaps and optimisation opportunities before your next renewal. No reseller interest in the outcome.
Independent Microsoft licensing assessment
Fixed price
per defined scope
Vendor-agnostic
no reseller margin
1 to 3 weeks
typical delivery
ISO 27001
certified
What organisations typically find when they look closely
Most Microsoft environments carry between 15 and 25 percent over-licensed or misaligned spend. It rarely shows in a standard licence report. It becomes visible when someone works through what was bought, what is actually deployed, and whether the two agree.
The challenge is not technical. It is that the person doing the review usually has a commercial interest in the outcome. A reseller’s job is to sell licences. An independent assessment gives you the numbers before the negotiation — not the numbers shaped by a vendor relationship.
What typically surfaces
- Inactive or blocked accounts still licensed
- Teams-bundled suites where unbundled is cheaper
- Under-used or misassigned Copilot seats
- Server and SQL licensing gaps
- Azure Hybrid Benefit not claimed
- Role-based licence mismatches
What changed in 2025 and 2026
Several commercial changes in late 2025 and early 2026 shift the economics of staying unreviewed.
Nov 2025
EA volume tiers eliminated
All EA and MPSA customers now pay Level A list price regardless of contract size. Six to 12 percent renewal cost increase for most customers before any optimisation.
Nov 2025
Teams unbundled from M365
Suites now sold with or without Teams. Teams-free suites are around 44 percent cheaper than equivalents that include Teams.
May 2026
E7 launched at $99 per user per month
Top-tier SKU bundling Copilot for M365 with E5. The E7 vs stand-alone Copilot economics decision is on the table for most enterprises right now.
Jan 2026
Role-based validation enforced
Microsoft now validates licences against assigned security roles, not just app usage. Mismatches are flagged and are common across Dynamics and M365 add-ons.
2026 trend
Copilot adoption gap around 36 percent
Only about 36 percent of bought Copilot seats are actively used in a typical month. The strongest lever for getting more from Microsoft spend that most organisations have right now.
Jul 2026
Azure RI families retiring
Microsoft ending new purchases and renewals for 18 legacy VM families. Existing RIs honoured until expiry; migration to Dv5 / Ev5 required before 2028.
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What the assessment covers
In scope — available workloads
- Microsoft 365 + Desktop — E1, E3, E5, E7, Business, frontline, Teams-bundled vs unbundled, M365 Apps, Office LTSC
- Servers and Databases — Windows Server core counting, SQL Server licensing, Datacenter vs Standard ROI, CALs, virtualisation density
- Azure licensing position — Azure Hybrid Benefit gaps, Reserved Instance position including 2026 legacy retirement, BYOL for migrated workloads
- Copilot adoption check — Licence position vs actual MAU, E7 vs stand-alone economics, governance readiness, department-level adoption gap
- Power Platform check — Premium licence usage, AI Builder credit deprecation planning, per-app retirement flag (add-on, +€500)
What is not included
- Dynamics 365 (separate specialist engagement)
- Full Power Platform audit (beyond the spot-check add-on)
- Full Azure FinOps (separate RixMind service)
- Deep security and compliance audit beyond licensing
- Multi-tenant M&A consolidation
- Non-Microsoft estate (Oracle, SAP, IBM, Adobe, separate SKUs)
Final scope confirmed at kick-off based on data availability.
How the engagement runs
A typical engagement for Size M runs across three weeks. Smaller environments are often faster.
Week 0
Kick-off
Stakeholder alignment, data-source confirmation, access provisioning, NDA execution.
Week 1
Data collection
Microsoft Licence Statement, existing inventory or SAM platform exports, Azure usage exports, virtualisation data, admin-centre reports.
Week 2
Analysis and delivery
Cross-system reconciliation, LEO and ELP built, validation session, executive report and presentation deck.
+ Optional
Post-renewal advisory
Up to 10 hours of advisory through the negotiation window. Size M and above.
Request an assessment consultation
Why a vendor-agnostic assessment works differently
- No Microsoft partner status. We do not hold Microsoft partner status, which means no partner incentives, no partner margin, and no commercial reason to recommend a particular SKU or tier.
- No reseller income. The assessment fee is the only source of income for this engagement. The findings belong to you and cannot be selectively disclosed to any third party.
- The analysis works for any procurement route. Whether you buy direct, through a CSP, or via a reseller — the numbers stand on their own.
- We cover what you select. The configurator above shows exactly what is in and out of scope. There are no discovery upsells.
- Fixed price. The price shown in the configurator is what you pay. Re-scoping during the engagement is rare and always re-quoted, never billed by the hour.
- ISO 27001 certified.
- ISO 9001 certified.
- ISO/IEC 19770 aligned ITAM practices.
- NDA executed before engagement.
Pricing
Estate size
S
< 100
M
100–500
L
500–2k
XL
2,000+
What to review
Microsoft desktop applications
Installed Office, M365 Apps, Office LTSC, perpetual and volume licences
Servers and databases
Windows Server, SQL Server, cores, CALs, virtualisation
Azure licensing position
Hybrid Use Benefit, Reserved Instances, BYOL for migrated workloads
Copilot readiness Coming soon
Licence position vs actual usage, E7 vs stand-alone economics
Power Platform Coming soon
Premium usage, per-app retirement
Indicative price
€2,000
Assessment, Size M
€2,000
Fixed price. Re-scoping always re-quoted, never billed by the hour. EUR, excl. VAT.
Request a tailored quote
Frequently asked questions
What data do you need before the engagement starts?
Before kick-off we send a tailored data-collection checklist based on the workloads selected. Typically this covers a Microsoft Licence Statement, inventory exports from any SAM tool you have, virtualisation exports, Azure usage reports, and admin-centre reports for M365 and Copilot. If you do not have a SAM platform, the assessment proceeds using MAP Toolkit and admin-centre reports.
How is the price set?
The price is fixed for the configured scope. Select your workloads and estate size in the configurator above — the indicative price is shown immediately. There are no hourly rates and no surprises. If scope changes materially during the engagement, which is rare, we re-quote before proceeding.
Do you share findings with Microsoft or our reseller?
No. Findings, data, and the assessment report are confidential to your organisation. We operate under ISO 27001 and sign an NDA before engagement. Nothing is shared with Microsoft, any reseller, or any third party.
Do you sell Microsoft licences?
No. We have no reseller status and no commercial relationship with Microsoft. Our income comes from the assessment fee. This is the structural basis for genuine independence.
What happens after the assessment?
You receive the full deliverable set — the Licence Entitlement Overview, Effective Licence Position, executive report, and presentation deck. Most clients use the findings directly in their renewal negotiation. We offer up to 10 hours of post-renewal advisory for Size M and above if you want support through the negotiation window.
Can you help even if our renewal is several months away?
Yes. The best time to run the assessment is before renewal discussions begin, not during them. Most engagements complete in one to three weeks. Running it early means you have time to act on the findings rather than reacting to a deadline.