Need to optimize your Office 365 provision and migration? Here are our top 5 tips for managing and reducing your Office 365 subscription costs for Software Asset Managers.

1. Office 365 role based provisioning

As all software asset managers know, Microsoft love SKUs, and Office 365 is no exception. It’s unlikely that one SKU, or in Office 365 terminology ‘plan’, will be optimal across your entire employee base. Office 365 has lots of functionality, from email to PSTN conferencing, online web apps to a fully installed desktop suite. Ideally each employee should only have functionality required for their role; this ideal might not be fully achievable within the plans available but you should ensure there isn’t a massive discrepancy. For example, none or infrequent IT users like retail staff or drivers shouldn’t be consuming an expensive fully featured Office 365 E5 license when an Office 365 E1 or Office 365 K1 license might be sufficient. Perform an audit of how Office is currently installed on your network and understand its usage; this will help you plan user profiles, establishing who needs what functionality.

2. Strengthen links with HR

Ensure users in your Office 365 Admin Center accurately reflect the current status of employees within your organization. Integrating Office 365 user provision with HR’s Joiners/Movers/Leavers processes should ensure new employees have access to Office 365 functionality from day one and free licenses for reuse when employees leave. Managing the assignment of Office 365 licenses in the Joiners/Movers/Leavers processes also ensures you only ever purchase the actual number of licenses needed come renewal.

3. Eliminate Office perpetual license redundancy

Ensure users aren’t double licensed for traditional perpetually licensed Office and Office 365. As you move from the traditional model of purchasing Office with a perpetual license (possibly via an Enterprise License Agreement) to an Office 365 subscription plan there is scope for been over licensed, this should obviously be avoided.

SOURCE: vector-networks.com