Without keeping an official count, more than 50% of the end-users we speak with are incredibly frustrated with their Microsoft environment. This includes Exchange, O365, Azure, Virtualization, Server, etc.  The challenges end-users face today are the same challenges from the 2000's (or earlier) when dealing with Microsoft and their licensing agreements.

In short, if you have 250+ devices, you are likely on a Microsoft EA (Enterprise Agreement) which is intended to provide volume discounts and make life easier when adding or removing licenses. If you are under 250 devices, you can still qualify for a Microsoft EA, but your licensing spend must meet their minimum requirements.

It is not always the same frustrations from customer to customer, but here are some of the common complaints we hear:

• Mixture of On Premise, Cloud, Desktop, Email and Server licenses (spans across multiple decision makers in an organization) which equate to a lack of understanding of the environment
• Disagreements about licenses that were added or removed (internally or with Microsoft)
• Licensing challenges when merging, combining or removing a business unit, acquired business, etc.
• Lack of help from Microsoft or a "Value Added" Reseller

However, even with all of these frustrations, we see an unwillingness or lack of urgency to switch the management of their environment to another Microsoft partner.  Statements we might hear might include:

• "Well they (current reseller) have been doing it for a long time"
• "It is confusing and would be burdensome to switch"
• "I don’t have time to change providers right now”
• "I worry this will change the per license cost if I change providers"

If this sounds like you or your organization….STOP NOW!!! Yes, Microsoft is not necessarily the easiest vendor to manage licensing for even though they do make great technology. HOWEVER, there are plenty of knowledgable Microsoft Partners who can help the organization make an easy transition and can help with your licensing challenges. They might even charge you less than your current provider too.

Here are a few suggestions if you are the person (or one of the people) responsible for your organization's Microsoft licensing:

1. Ask for an accurate inventory of licenses you think the organization should be paying for.  Use last year's inventory or the latest “true up” as a starting point.
2. Identify and collect pain points in the organization when handling the Microsoft licenses
3. Speak to a trusted advisor (like Opkalla) to go through your other options for managing your organization's licenses. Even if your current provider is doing okay, it is worth having this conversation because it can give you leverage at the next negotiation (lower cost, more services, etc.).

Instead of keeping your licensing with a partner you see no value from, find someone who will focus more time and attention to helping make this process easier and more standardized.

Reach out to Opkalla today to find a better resource for your Microsoft Licensing.