As Microsoft’s license management has become more structured, companies need to ensure the right users have the right licenses. For a mid-sized international industrial company, an upcoming license renewal became the starting point for a review that both created better control and identified savings of approximately 3.5 million kronor – per year.
License management has traditionally been handled by many as almost an administrative matter, given little attention. But as businesses change over time – with new employees, changing roles, and new ways of working – it’s common for licenses and permissions to no longer reflect the actual needs of the business.
With Microsoft now introducing a more structured validation of user licenses, where the link between user roles, assigned permissions, and the correct license level is becoming increasingly important, the conditions are changing for many Dynamics 365 customers.
For companies, this means that a license review is no longer just about cost control. It’s also about ensuring business continuity, reducing compliance risks, and gaining control over who has access to what.
An upcoming license renewal was the starting point
For a mid-sized international company in the industrial sector, an upcoming renewal of Dynamics 365 licenses became the reason for a major review.
The company knew the license situation needed to be reviewed, but didn’t have a full picture of how well existing licenses and permissions matched users’ actual roles and tasks.
The timeline was also important. The company needed to quickly get a clear picture before the renewal, both to avoid unnecessary costs and to ensure that employees who needed access to the systems could continue working without interruption.
– This is a situation many companies recognize. You know the license situation needs to be reviewed, but it’s only when you analyze roles and actual usage that you see the real picture, says Hampus Andersson, Microsoft D365 consultant at Implema.
From license overview to actual usage
Implema analyzed the company’s Dynamics 365 environment based on users’ actual roles, security roles, and tasks.
The analysis showed that the company needed some additional licenses. The initial assessment was that this could mean an additional cost of around 4 million kronor.
At the same time, the review showed that parts of the existing license portfolio no longer met the business’s needs.
This included:
- users who had left the company but whose licenses were still active,
- people who had changed roles and no longer needed the same license level,
- users who had broader permissions than their tasks required.
By mapping users, roles, and licenses against each other, Implema was able to identify redundant licenses worth approximately 3.5 million kronor annually.
The result was that the company’s actual need for new licenses decreased significantly. Instead of a potential cost of about 4 million kronor, the net effect ended up at around 500,000 kronor.
The right permissions strengthen both security and compliance
For the customer, however, the value was about more than just financial savings.
A key part of the work was creating better control over user permissions. When roles change or employees leave the organization, there’s otherwise a risk that access remains longer than necessary or that users get broader permissions than their current role requires.
– The right license and the right permissions go hand in hand. It’s about giving users the tools they need, while ensuring no one has more access than the role requires. This is important from both a security and compliance perspective, says Oscar Hallenberg, Microsoft D365 consultant at Implema.
The result: control, cost optimization, and more secure management
By mapping users, roles, licenses, and permissions, the company gained:
- Significant cost savings – by identifying licenses that no longer met the business’s needs, the company was able to reduce its future license requirements by approximately 3.5 million kronor.
- The right license for the right role – license allocation was adapted to actual tasks and needs.
- Better control over access – the company got a clearer picture of who has access to what and could reduce the risk of unnecessary or overly extensive permissions.
- Better decision-making data for future renewals – decisions can now be based on actual usage instead of estimates.
- A foundation for ongoing governance – through follow-up in the Power Platform Admin Center (PPAC), the company can continue to monitor licenses and permissions as the organization changes.
From analysis to ongoing license governance
As part of the work, Implema also helped the company create better opportunities to follow up on license allocation in the future through the Power Platform Admin Center (PPAC).
This means the company can continuously monitor how licenses are linked to users and roles, identify changing needs, and create more active governance of its Dynamics 365 environment.
Following the analysis, Implema has been given continued trust to assist the company with the ongoing management of licenses and permissions.
A matter for both large and small companies
License optimization isn’t just a matter for large corporations. Even smaller organizations can find significant value when licenses and roles have changed over time.
– We see that many companies have a lot to gain from doing a structured review. This applies regardless of size. Often, a relatively limited effort is required to quickly get a picture of whether there are savings opportunities or a need for better governance, says Hampus Andersson.
For this company, the result was both significant cost savings, better control over its Dynamics 365 environment, and a more sustainable model for future license management.
