Licensing Advisory & CSP Services
Navigate Microsoft licensing complexity. Optimise what you have. Access programs you didn't know existed. Procurement and management through our CSP partnership.
Microsoft Licensing Is Complicated
Microsoft licensing is notoriously complex. Plans change constantly, entitlements overlap, and it's easy to overpay—or worse, be out of compliance without knowing it.
Licensing Confusion
Not sure what licenses you need. E3 vs E5, Microsoft 365 vs Office 365, add-ons and standalone SKUs—it's overwhelming.
Overpaying
Paying for features nobody uses. Premium licenses assigned to users who only need basic functionality. Money wasted monthly.
Compliance Risk
Think you're compliant but haven't verified. Unlicensed usage could result in audit findings, back-payments, and penalties.
Missed Programs
Qualify for discounts or special programs but don't know they exist. NFPs, education, and government pricing save significant money.
Renewal Pressure
Enterprise Agreement renewal coming, and you're unsure how to approach negotiations. Pressure to sign quickly benefits Microsoft, not you.
The Cost of Getting It Wrong
- • 20-40% overspend on unnecessary licenses
- • Compliance audit back-payments
- • Missed discounts worth thousands
- • Poor renewal terms locked in for years
- • Features paid for but never used
How We Help with Licensing
We provide independent licensing advice and CSP procurement services—helping you buy right, optimise continuously, and access every discount you're entitled to.
Assess
Inventory current licenses and assignments, analyse usage data, identify over-licensing and gaps, review compliance position.
Optimise
Right-size license assignments, recommend appropriate SKUs, identify program eligibility, calculate potential savings.
Procure
Procure licenses through CSP, manage transition from existing agreements, handle program applications, configure assignments.
Manage
Ongoing license management, regular optimisation reviews, new user provisioning, usage monitoring, renewal planning.
Assess
Inventory current licenses and assignments, analyse usage data, identify over-licensing and gaps, review compliance position.
Optimise
Right-size license assignments, recommend appropriate SKUs, identify program eligibility, calculate potential savings.
Procure
Procure licenses through CSP, manage transition from existing agreements, handle program applications, configure assignments.
Manage
Ongoing license management, regular optimisation reviews, new user provisioning, usage monitoring, renewal planning.
Independent Licensing Advice
We provide licensing advice that's in your interest—not tied to selling you more licenses.
Licence Assessment
Complete inventory, usage analysis, optimisation recommendations, and compliance status assessment.
- Current license inventory
- Usage analysis by type
- Optimisation opportunities
- Compliance review
Licence Optimisation
Downgrade over-licensed users, remove inactive licenses, consolidate subscriptions, enable hybrid benefits.
Renewal Support
Pre-renewal assessment, requirement forecasting, negotiation guidance, and proposal review.
- Strategy development
- Right-sizing forecast
- Negotiation talking points
- Independent advice
Compliance Review
Validate entitlements vs. deployment, secondary use rights, hybrid rights, and device licensing.
→ Confidence before any audit
Managed Procurement (CSP)
Buying direct from Microsoft often leaves you managing your own support tickets and billing reconciliation. As your Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) Partner, we act as your single point of contact—leveraging strategic partnerships with premium tier providers to give you better support, consolidated billing, and flexible terms.
Better Support
Faster escalation SLAs than standard Microsoft Direct support. Direct access to our team.
Consolidated Billing
One invoice for licenses, Azure, and services. No more credit card reconciliation.
Flexible Terms
Scale up or down monthly without the rigidity of enterprise agreements.
Single Point of Contact
One partner for billing, support, and licensing expertise. Simplified vendor management.
What We Provide Through CSP
Microsoft 365
- • Business Basic, Standard, Premium
- • Enterprise E3, E5, F1, F3
- • Office 365 plans
- • EMS add-ons
Azure
- • Azure Plan (pay-as-you-go)
- • Reserved Instances
- • Savings Plans
- • Hybrid Benefit management
Dynamics & Power
- • Dynamics 365 apps
- • Power Platform licensing
- • Add-on capacity
- • Power BI Premium
Other Products
- • Windows 365 Cloud PC
- • Visio & Project Online
- • Defender for Business
- • Additional storage
Why Buy Through Us?
| Feature | The Cloud Firm (CSP) | Microsoft Direct | Enterprise Agreement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commitment | Flexible (Monthly/Annual mix) | Monthly | Rigid (3-Year Locked) |
| Support | Included (Direct access to us) | Zero (Paid extra) | Basic (Slow queues) |
| Billing | Consolidated Invoice (One bill) | Credit Card hits | Complex Annual "True-Up" |
| Scaling | Instant (Up/Down anytime) | Instant | Difficult to reduce count |
| Advisory | Proactive Architecture Reviews | None | Annual Audit (Reactive) |
Note: We help you choose the right channel—CSP isn't always the answer for every organisation.
Programs You May Qualify For
Microsoft offers significant discounts through special programs. Many eligible organisations don't know they qualify or how to access them.
Not-for-Profit
Microsoft for Nonprofits
- Up to 10 free M365 Business Premium licenses
- 75-90% off additional licenses
- $3,500 USD annual Azure credits
- Discounted Power Platform
Eligibility:
Registered charities and eligible NFPs
Education
Microsoft 365 Education
- Microsoft 365 A1 at no cost
- Significant discounts on A3 and A5
- Free or discounted student access
- Discounted faculty/staff licensing
Eligibility:
Accredited educational institutions
Government
Microsoft for Government
- Government Community Cloud (GCC)
- GCC High for higher compliance
- Azure Government regions
- Government-specific SKUs and pricing
Eligibility:
Government organisations
We Handle the Application Process
Eligibility validation, application submission, program optimisation, and ongoing management. Don't leave money on the table—let us help you access every discount you're entitled to.