We hear that a lot. Our lead consultant was actually brought in to support a dedicated ITAM team when delivering what’s believed to be the UK government’s largest Microsoft optimisation project. We’re not here to replace your existing licensing lead or ITAM team. Instead, we act as a specialist overlay, bringing fresh eyes, questioning assumptions, and applying deep, focused expertise that often uncovers value even in well-managed estates. Our insight is shaped by hands-on experience from over 350 Microsoft estate reviews, including Microsoft-led audits delivered through Softcat. That scale gives us a wider lens than any single organisation can realistically develop in-house, and we know exactly where risks, inefficiencies, and overspend typically hide. We focus on what matters most, delivering everything through a structured, time-bound project with targeted sessions on optimisation and internal process maturity. The outputs are clear, actionable, and designed to help your team drive improvements, reduce audit risk, and unlock meaningful savings.

Absolutely. We understand that budget is always a factor, which is exactly why our work focuses on uncovering 15 to 30 percent in savings on Microsoft spend. That is real money you can allocate to your priorities. We offer four service levels to suit different budgets and levels of internal coverage, all outlined in our brochures. Each one is designed to deliver clear value, and we offer a risk-free guarantee so you are not committing without confidence. The greater cost comes from inaction. Renewals and true-ups come around quickly, and without specialist eyes, it is easy to stay locked into overspend for another three years.

Most teams we work with are already stretched, which is why our process is designed to be low touch and efficient. We handle the heavy lifting, from data gathering to analysis, and package everything into clear, prioritised actions your team can work through at a manageable pace. Microsoft is often an organisation’s largest SaaS spend. Even with a £200,000 annual bill, we typically identify £30,000 to £60,000 in savings, and often the same in compliance risk. That kind of result can help fund extra IT resource and ease the wider workload. It's also worth knowing that Microsoft audits every three to five years. If you're overdue, you may be forced to allocate time anyway, but under pressure, with no room to optimise and worst-case assumptions taken. That can lead to 15 to 30 percent higher costs, or even penalties. We offer flexible timelines and service levels to match your capacity.

It’s a valid question. Automation can help surface anomalies and crunch data more efficiently, but in our experience, it only solves part of the problem. Real optimisation still depends on people, process, and context. Licensing is full of grey areas, historical exceptions, and manual interpretations. We regularly find human errors, entitlement mismatches, and misapplied rules that need to be discussed and worked through. Tools can flag issues, but they don’t explain what they mean, why they matter, or how to resolve them properly. Multiplexing, for example is still something automation cannot interpret reliably and something Microsoft auditors will always assess manually. Even when Microsoft audits, a human still reviews and interprets the data. The default position is often strict and worst-case, and unless you can challenge it with clarity and confidence, you are at risk. That takes deep licensing expertise, not just a report. There is also real benefit in having an expert guide the project from start to finish. We handle the heavy lifting, keep things on track, and package the findings into a clear, tailored report and presentation that your stakeholders can easily understand and act, all for a modest fee, with typically a huge ROI. Our service includes interactive workshops, collaborative reviews, and structured aftercare. It is not just about fixing the current state. It is about helping your team avoid future risks by improving internal processes and building understanding. Automation has its place, but when the financial exposure is significant, and it usually is, best practice is to validate and challenge everything. That is exactly what we do, giving you confidence, clarity, and real outcomes that tools alone cannot deliver.

Not at all. In fact, this is the ideal time to start. The most meaningful savings often come from structural changes, whether that’s consolidating infrastructure, migrating workloads, or rethinking how licences are assigned. These take time to identify, plan, and implement properly. Starting early gives us the chance to build a clear picture of your current position, highlight hidden inefficiencies or risks, and forecast future needs. It means you can make informed, strategic decisions instead of last-minute ones. And when it comes to renewal, you’ll be better prepared for commercial negotiations, with the data and confidence to take control.

Tools like Snow and Flexera are excellent at gathering and structuring data. In our view, they’re among the best in the market for providing a reliable foundation for optimisation. They help surface key inventory and usage information in a cleaner, more consistent way than many other platforms, which gives us a strong starting point for deeper analysis. But data alone doesn't equal insight. These platforms typically show raw figures without revealing the full story behind usage, entitlements, or strategic risk. They don’t take your future plans into account, interrogate workloads to validate production status, or suggest more efficient licensing options. They also don’t run knowledge transfer sessions with your team to build internal capability. Even with great tooling in place, people and processes still matter. These systems depend on accurate inputs and consistent configuration, which means there is still room for user error, incomplete tagging, or blind spots. Without the right expertise to interpret the data and validate assumptions, real risks and opportunities can remain hidden. This often leads to unnecessary costs, compliance exposure, or missed opportunities to maximise the value of your Microsoft investment. We help bridge that gap by taking what your tools do well and layering in licensing strategy, risk assessment, and optimisation insight. This helps unlock more value and strengthens your internal practices for the long term.

Many of our clients work with MSPs or LSPs for day-to-day licence supply, but still choose to bring in independent expertise to validate, optimise, and challenge assumptions. MSPs typically focus on provisioning and renewals, not detailed optimisation or risk mitigation. Our role is to provide an objective review, uncovering overspend, highlighting compliance gaps, and identifying licensing strategies your MSP may not be incentivised to suggest. We’re not here to disrupt your existing relationships. We're here to make sure you're getting full value from your Microsoft estate.

Microsoft account teams can be a valuable source of information, especially around product roadmaps, entitlements, and available licensing programs. However, it is important to recognise that Microsoft representatives ultimately serve Microsoft’s commercial interests. Their guidance is often aligned with sales objectives and may not always focus on cost reduction, licence rationalisation, or long-term efficiency from your side. At LicenceSync, we work solely in your interest. We offer independent, specialist insight that complements your Microsoft relationship, helping you make fully informed decisions and avoid unnecessary spend. At the very least, we can help validate whether the advice you are receiving is fair, balanced, and fit for your environment. We also offer a risk-free guarantee on our services, so there is nothing to lose by having us take a look.

Not at all. In fact, the opposite is true. Engaging external specialists shows initiative, not weakness, especially in an area as complex and fast-moving as Microsoft licensing. Most of the clients we work with already have someone internally managing their estate, and it’s often those individuals who benefit most. We don’t come in to point fingers or discredit anyone’s work. We come in to enhance it, providing a fresh perspective, validation, and specialist insight that isn’t possible without reviewing hundreds of other estates in detail. When we uncover value, it reflects well on you. It shows you’re proactive, commercially minded, and committed to doing the right thing for the business. You don’t need to know every edge case or licensing nuance. That’s exactly why we exist.

That’s completely understandable. We treat client confidentiality with the highest level of care and professionalism. We are BPSS-cleared and experienced in handling sensitive data across both public and private sector environments. We are happy to sign NDAs and will never share your data or findings with any third party without your explicit written permission. Our role is to act in your best interest, operating independently, discreetly, and with full respect for your internal processes and governance standards. It is far better to catch inefficiencies and risks early, before they quietly eat into your budget or become larger compliance issues. If Microsoft audits your environment, your position is effectively frozen in time. Under their EULA, they are within their rights to request logs and apply charges retroactively. LicenceSync puts you in a strong position to proactively smooth everything out before Microsoft inevitably come knocking. For full details on our approach to security and compliance, visit our security and compliance page.

We specialise in Microsoft licensing optimisation, covering on-premise, Microsoft 365, and Azure environments. Our focus is on reducing costs, improving compliance, and maximising your Microsoft investment. See our services section for more information.

This depends on the scope and the size of your environment. A typical Microsoft 365 optimisation project might take 1 to 2 weeks, while full ELP reviews start to finish could run for 4 to 6 weeks. We’ll always clarify timelines during the scoping phase.

We offer four service levels to suit different needs and budgets: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond. Each tier reflects the depth and scope of engagement, from light-touch reviews through to strategic, estate-wide optimisation. For a detailed breakdown of what’s included in each level, please refer to the relevant services brochures in the services section. After an initial scoping call, we provide a clear project rate for B2B clients based on the agreed scope, deliverables, and timescales.

Terms vary slightly depending on the project. We typically issue a Statement of Work or Engagement Letter outlining the scope, deliverables, timelines, and payment terms. For full details, please review our Terms of Service.

LicenceSync Consulting Ltd holds professional indemnity insurance, which covers the services we provide and protects our clients. While we do not currently carry public liability insurance, this is rarely relevant for the nature of our work, which is delivered remotely or on-site at client offices. Public liability cover can be arranged upon request, should a particular engagement require it. For full details on our terms, including insurance and liability, please refer to our Terms of Service. In the event of any discrepancy, the Terms of Service take precedence over this FAQ.

Every engagement begins with a short scoping call to clarify your goals and define the next steps. From there, we guide you through data collection, analysis, and recommendations, with optional support depending on the level of service. The exact process varies slightly depending on the service and tier selected. For a full breakdown of what’s included, including timelines, deliverables, and support options, please refer to the relevant service brochures in our services section for more information.

Absolutely. We regularly work alongside internal ITAM, procurement, and infrastructure teams. We’re comfortable working with export data from most industry-standard tools, including Snow, Flexera, Lansweeper, and Microsoft’s native platforms, and can guide your team to the data we need. Our goal is to complement your existing setup, not replace it.

We treat client data with strict confidentiality and only request what’s necessary to complete the engagement. All data is stored securely using encrypted, access-controlled systems, and shared only through secure channels. We never share data with third parties without your written consent, and access is limited to those directly involved in delivering your project. LicenceSync Consulting Ltd holds BPSS (Baseline Personnel Security Standard) clearance, providing an added layer of assurance for sensitive or regulated environments. For full details on our approach to security and compliance, visit our security and compliance page.

Yes, we are fully compliant with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). We only collect and process personal data when it is strictly necessary for project delivery, such as contact details or access credentials. This data is handled with care, stored securely, and never used outside the scope of the engagement. To help safeguard client information, our systems benefit from enterprise-grade security features, including enforced multi-factor authentication (MFA), conditional access policies, device management, and data encryption at rest and in transit. We also use Microsoft Secure Score to monitor and strengthen our security posture on an ongoing basis. You can find more detail on our approach in our security and compliance page.