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Getting the best possible value for money, combined with world-class performance, from your Microsoft licences
We live in a truly interconnected world, which means organisations' day-to-day operations depend on a growing range of platforms… all of which require their own licensing arrangements. For many years, the provisioning and management of employees' software licences was relatively straightforward, with IT teams typically providing software keys on hardware dongles. However, the emerging dominance of Cloud-based services and an increasingly dispersed workforce - all of whom will require different combinations of software solutions - means a number of previously hidden challenges are revealing themselves…
A hidden aspect of employee performance and wellbeing
The growing complexity of many licensing arrangements often makes it difficult to tell whether the required products have been purchased for the best possible pricing. Furthermore, any licenses sitting unused represent an ongoing expense that could easily be reinvested in other areas of the business. By avoiding purchasing redundant licences and ensuring each one is appropriate for the user's specific needs (it is unlikely that every Microsoft 365 user in an organisation will require a full E5 licence, for example), the overall spend will be significantly reduced. In addition to the ongoing challenges around cost control, it is important to bear in mind the reason the licenses are being purchased in the first place: your employees. If the software platforms they use each day are a hindrance rather than a help, staff churn will be inevitable, but unfortunately, more than one third of frontline staff recently reported that they don't have the right tools to fulfil their duties. This can be a case of the tools themselves not being suitable, or them not being properly integrated with other systems. Regardless, the provisioning of the right licences is an all-too-often neglected aspect of employee performance and wellbeing.
Developing an effective licence management strategy
It is therefore essential to establish a clear picture of teams' specific requirements before any investment is made, and to monitor all usage, so any inactive or redundant licences can be transferred or deactivated. This should be an ongoing process, as teams' requirements are likely to change, staff will leave, and new employees will inevitably need to be onboarded. Control and visibility of all licences and how they are being utilised is essential - ideally complemented by an annual audit of the entire software ecosystem.
So, taking all this into account, it is understandable the licence management is increasingly a burden for many IT teams, taking them away from other routine tasks and limiting their ability to focus on the projects that drive long-term business growth. Nonetheless, an effective licence management strategy is essential, not only in terms of cost control and scalability, but also ensuring employees are properly supported and always have the right tools at their fingertips.
So, what's the answer?
The case for software licencing as a managed service
The growing complexity of licence management means accessing your preferred software platforms as a managed service is an increasingly attractive option for many organisations. Working with a trusted Cloud Services Provider (CSP) to establish a streamlined, modern licensing arrangement delivers the best of all worlds - the platforms you require, intelligently integrated to accommodate your unique workflows, with proactive management and support from technical specialists, complementing your internal IT team's expertise.
That's why EXPO.e Networks offers managed Microsoft licences - from the Microsoft 365 solutions that are now omnipresent in the workplace to Copilot's next-gen AI and ML capabilities - as part of our thirty-plus IT flavours! Drawing on our deep knowledge of Microsoft's full range of products, we take the complexity out of the entire process, ensuring you enjoy the best possible rate cards, and can take full advantage of the very latest special offers. Once you are connected to our network, you will be able to select and deploy your ideal Microsoft licenses, with special discounts available, depending on the level of connectivity you have purchased.
Get in touch to discuss your own licensing requirements, and we will work closely to provision and manage your ideal Microsoft ecosystem, ensuring it continues to evolve with your business.
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