Are you still paying for people who left last year? In many Microsoft 365 tenants we see licences assigned to former staff, add-ons nobody uses and the wrong plan for the job. A 30-minute check before your renewal usually pays for itself. Here’s what to look at in the Microsoft 365 admin centre.
Four things to check
- Licences on leavers’ accounts. Convert mailboxes to shared mailboxes where you still need the email, then remove the licence.
- Add-ons and extra subscriptions nobody uses.
- Plan mix. Does everyone need the same plan, or would some roles fit a different one?
- Renewal date and billing: annual versus monthly commitment.
Do it before the renewal, not after.
Check you’re using what you pay for
The opposite problem is just as common: paying for features nobody has switched on. Microsoft 365 Business Premium, for organisations of up to 300 users, includes security many businesses buy elsewhere:
- Intune to manage and secure laptops and phones.
- Defender for Business for endpoint protection with detection and response.
- Entra ID P1 for Conditional Access.
- Purview sensitivity labels and data loss prevention.
- Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 for stronger protection against phishing links and attachments.
The licence is only half of it. The value comes when it’s switched on and configured properly.
Make leavers part of the routine
Most wasted licences come from leavers. Add Microsoft 365 to your leaver checklist: block sign-in on the last day, convert or hand over the mailbox, move OneDrive files, then remove the licence.
How Pentacle IT Solutions can help
Pentacle IT Solutions, a Microsoft Solutions Partner for Modern Work, manages Microsoft 365 for businesses in Lucknow and across Uttar Pradesh: licences, joiners and leavers, security settings, Intune and backup.
