How we saved 3400 PLN on Microsoft licenses in one year
A local wholesaler from Częstochowa was paying high monthly bills for office software because the owner assumed the highest package was the only way to security. We analyzed the real needs of 14 employees and found 3400 PLN in annual savings without deleting a single account. It turned out that most of the team only needed email and documents, not expensive mobile device management tools.
Why is overpaying for licenses the standard?
Many companies in our region fall into the trap of default settings when purchasing cloud software. Salespeople often suggest the most expensive Business Premium packages, arguing for a higher level of protection. In the case of the wholesaler we worked with from February 14, 2024, the situation was similar. The owner purchased 14 licenses for the full amount, even though 9 employees exclusively used Excel and Outlook on desktop computers in the office at Najświętsza Maryi Panny Avenue. No one logged in from private phones, no one needed the advanced file encryption the company was paying for every month.
Technology is meant to serve you, not drain your budget for features no one will touch all year. During the initial conversation, we determined that the real risk of data leakage in this specific company was minimal and could be secured with cheaper methods. Instead of blindly trusting corporate marketing promises, we focused on what people actually do in front of their monitors for 8 hours a day. Facts instead of promises allowed us to quickly identify where the cash was leaking, which could then fund new monitors for the logistics department.
In our 8 years of operation, we've seen dozens of such cases. Entrepreneurs often don't have time to track Microsoft price changes, which happen more often than one might think. Lack of a regular subscription review means that after three years, a company can lose even several thousand zlotys on something that has long ceased to be necessary. At Innovation Embassy, we believe that technological sovereignty is also about consciously spending every zloty on IT so that you have control over the finances, not the service provider.
Most of the team only needs stable email and documents, not expensive device fleet management tools they don't even own.
Audit from April 14 – black and white
We took action in mid-April, specifically on the 14th day of the month. Our two-person technical team spent 3 hours analyzing logins and application usage in the client's administration panel. The results were clear: of the 14 Premium licenses, only the owner and the chief accountant occasionally used additional security features. The remaining 12 people used basic tools. We calculated that the price difference between the Premium and Business Standard packages is about 32 PLN net per month per user. With 9 people we immediately qualified for a change, this gave a concrete amount of savings.
We don't act blindly, so we consulted every change with the sales manager. We had to be sure that after lowering the plan, no one would lose access to important files on SharePoint. After conducting a test on one account on April 17, we confirmed that all processes work without disruption. We operate stably and predictably, so we couldn't afford a break in the wholesaler's work, which serves 47 regular recipients every morning. Data security was maintained by implementing free multi-factor authentication (MFA), which replaced the paid Premium package features.
It is worth adding that the audit revealed another curiosity: two accounts belonged to employees who left the company last October. No one deleted them, and invoices were paid automatically from the linked business card. This is a common mistake in small offices where staff turnover is not immediately reported to the IT supervisor. These two dead accounts alone generated a cost of over 1400 PLN per year. Deleting them and changing plans for the rest of the crew allowed for closing the savings budget at 3400 PLN over 12 months.
Where did the recovered money go?
The owner of the wholesaler, Mr. Tomasz, initially didn't believe that such a small change would bring such an effect. However, when we summarized the expenses in September 2024, it turned out that 3412 PLN remained in the wallet. Instead of leaving these funds in the account, we suggested investing them in infrastructure that would actually improve work comfort. With this money, the company bought three modern high-resolution monitors for the invoicing department and one efficient Wi-Fi router, which solved the problem of dropped connections in the warehouse. This is technological sovereignty in practice – your data stays with you, and your money works for your development.
Częstochowa companies are often afraid to touch their IT systems because 'it works.' In our opinion, IT should not only work but also be cost-effective. The investment in monitors translated into less eye strain for Ms. Anna from accounting, which in turn reduced the number of small errors in invoices by about 14% during the first quarter after the equipment replacement. This is proof that license optimization is not just about cutting costs but real support for the people who create your company every day at their desks.
The example of this wholesaler shows that you don't have to be a giant corporation to take care of technology spending hygiene. We have already served 67 companies in a similar way and found room for improvement in almost every one. Often a 20-minute conversation is enough to determine if your subscription makes sense. If you pay for something just because it was set that way 4 years ago, you're losing money that could fund faster internet or better local server security. We handle these details so you can handle sales.
The saved money allowed for the purchase of 3 new monitors and a router, which significantly improved the work comfort of the entire warehouse team.
Your turn for an IT cost audit
If you run a business in Częstochowa or the surrounding area and feel that your software bills are too high, don't wait until the end of the tax year. The license review process usually takes 3 to 5 business days and does not require stopping the team's work. At Innovation Embassy, we start with a simple question: which of your employees actually needs the premium version of Excel, and for whom is browser access enough? The answer to this question is the first step to freeing up funds currently landing in the accounts of tech giants for no business reason.
Honestly, it's not always possible to save as large an amount as 3400 PLN. Sometimes it's 800 PLN, and sometimes only 400 PLN per year. However, even a smaller amount allows for purchasing a better mouse for every employee or paying for a proper antivirus on all workstations. What's important is that you regain control. We operate stably and predictably, so after the audit, you will receive a simple table with a comparison from us: what you have now and what you can have after the changes. The decision is always yours; we provide hard data and perform the configuration.
Technology is meant to serve you, not the other way around. If your current IT company has never suggested switching to a lower, cheaper plan, they probably aren't looking after your interests as they should. We treat the client's budget like our own. We invite you to our office at Najświętszej Maryi Panny Avenue 24, where over coffee we can review your latest Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace invoices. It costs nothing at the start and can bring tangible benefits as early as next month.
