Author
Prem Chandran
Are we overpaying for Microsoft 365 and how would we even know?
It’s a question more IT and business leaders are asking as Microsoft 365 pricing continues to evolve.
With upcoming pricing changes in 2026, many organizations expect costs to rise. But in most cases, the bigger issue isn’t the increase itself, it’s that licensing has quietly drifted out of alignment with how the business operates.
Licenses get assigned once and rarely revisited. Roles evolve. New tools like Copilot are introduced. Security needs expand. And over time, licensing becomes harder to track, harder to justify, and more expensive than it needs to be.
This is where a more structured approach makes a difference.
Why This Matters
In our previous session, “Is Microsoft 365 E7 Worth It?”, we explored how Microsoft is reshaping licensing around AI, identity, and security, and why decisions like E3, E5, and E7 are no longer just about features.
The takeaway was clear
Licensing is no longer a technical decision. It’s an operating model decision.
That naturally leads to the next question: What should you do, especially with pricing changes approaching?
Microsoft’s 2026 pricing updates are bringing increased costs across most Microsoft 365 plans. At the same time, organizations are dealing with growing complexity. From Copilot adoption to evolving security and identity requirements
How Creospark Approaches Cost Reduction
Reducing Microsoft 365 spend isn’t about making one adjustment at renewal, it’s about building a smarter, ongoing approach to how licensing is managed. Creospark focuses on three key areas:
- Optimizing what you already have — identifying unused licenses, aligning tiers to real roles, and removing overlap
- Structuring how licensing is purchased — leveraging partner pricing models and simplifying how licensing is managed
- Managing licensing continuously — so it evolves with your business instead of being revisited once a year under pressure
The result is a licensing model that adapts alongside your business, giving you greater transparency into where spend is going, the flexibility to scale up or down as priorities shift, and a more controlled, predictable path into every renewal cycle.
What You’ll Walk Away With
This session breaks down a practical approach to reducing Microsoft 365 licensing costs-and keeping those savings in place.
We’ll cover:
- Why licensing naturally drifts out of alignment over time
- Where the most common (and often overlooked) cost-saving opportunities exist
- How to move from reactive decisions to a structured, repeatable licensing strategy
This is a straightforward, real-world look at how organizations are regaining control over licensing-without adding complexity.
