| Industry | Professional Services — Consulting and Technology Integration |
| Location | United States (global operations) |
| Employees | 200,000+ |
| IT Environment | Office 365, Azure, Dynamics 365, Power Platform — supporting consulting, digital transformation projects, and technology integration services for global clients across hybrid cloud and on-premise environments |
| Issue | Impending Microsoft EA renewal with complex licensing across 200,000+ distributed users, overlapping business functions, underutilised resources, no peer benchmarking, and need for AI/cloud strategic alignment |
| Services Provided | Deployment Assessment, Licence Optimisation, 3-Year Cloud-First Roadmap, Industry Benchmarking, EA Negotiation Strategy and Execution |
| Outcome | $13M saved over 3 years ($8.4M optimisation + $4.6M negotiated discounts). Full compliance achieved. Scalable agreement aligned to growth and AI adoption. |
The Challenge
Complex EA renewal for 200,000+ distributed users
A prominent US-based professional services firm with over 200,000 employees engaged Redress Compliance to assist with its Microsoft Enterprise Agreement (EA) renewal. The company’s IT environment supported diverse operations, including consulting, digital transformation projects, and technology integration services for global clients.
The upcoming EA renewal presented a critical opportunity to assess current deployments across business units, optimise licensing allocations, align the strategy with future growth and technology adoption plans, benchmark against industry peers, and negotiate flexible terms for scalability and cost predictability. The firm’s licensing requirements were particularly complex due to its extensive and distributed workforce.
The Process
Five-phase engagement tailored to global scale and complexity
Redress Compliance executed a five-phase engagement tailored to the scale and complexity of the firm’s global operations.
Deployment Assessment
Conducted a detailed inventory of Microsoft product usage including Office 365, Azure, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform solutions. Analysed licence utilisation across global offices to identify inefficiencies and underutilised resources. Assessed cloud and on-premise hybrid setups to ensure alignment with the company’s IT goals, establishing a comprehensive baseline of actual usage versus entitlements.
Licence Optimisation
Consolidated licences across overlapping business functions to eliminate redundancy. Transitioned select teams to more cost-effective licensing models based on actual usage patterns. Identified and recommended discontinuing low-priority solutions to streamline the software portfolio, eliminating waste without impacting consulting delivery or client-facing capabilities.
Strategic Roadmap Development
Collaborated with IT leadership to create a three-year roadmap for cloud-first initiatives and workforce enablement tools. Prioritised investments in AI-driven analytics and collaborative platforms to enhance client delivery capabilities. Integrated flexibility into the roadmap to adapt to evolving client demands and employee needs, ensuring the agreement structure could support the firm’s growth trajectory.
Industry Benchmarking
Benchmarked licensing terms and pricing against other professional services firms with similar global footprints. Identified key cost-saving opportunities in Azure and Dynamics 365 based on market trends. Quantified specific areas where the firm was paying above-market rates, providing concrete data points to strengthen the negotiation position.
Negotiation Strategy and Execution
Presented data-driven recommendations to Microsoft, leveraging deployment insights to secure cost savings. Negotiated a flexible agreement structure to accommodate the company’s growth and seasonal demand fluctuations. Achieved concessions on advanced features and training packages to support workforce enablement, positioning the firm to adopt AI and cloud capabilities without renegotiation.
💡 Expert Insight: Benchmarking as Negotiation Leverage
For large professional services firms, the real negotiation leverage comes from understanding how Microsoft prices comparable accounts, not from internal usage data alone. Microsoft’s account teams tailor pricing individually, and firms with 200,000+ users often assume their scale automatically secures competitive rates. In practice, Microsoft’s initial proposals for professional services accounts frequently include premium-tier bundles at near-list pricing, inflated Azure commit requirements, and limited flexibility on mid-term adjustments. By benchmarking against peer firms of similar headcount, revenue, and geographic distribution, Redress Compliance identified that the firm was paying 15-25% above market on several product lines, intelligence that directly translated into $4.6 million in negotiated discounts and significantly improved contractual flexibility.
The Outcome
$13M in total savings with full compliance and strategic alignment
Cost Savings
$8.4M Licence Optimisation
Annual savings from consolidating overlapping licences across business functions, transitioning to cost-effective models, and retiring low-priority solutions.
$4.6M Negotiated Discounts
Additional savings secured through data-driven negotiation on Azure, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform, leveraging peer benchmarking and volume positioning.
$13M Total (3-Year)
Combined optimisation and negotiated discounts delivered $13 million in savings across the three-year EA term.
Operational and Strategic Outcomes
Reduced Licence Complexity
Streamlined licensing across departments, eliminating overlapping allocations and simplifying ongoing management and reporting.
Full Compliance Achieved
Confirmed full compliance with all Microsoft licensing terms across 200,000+ users and global offices.
AI and Cloud Roadmap Aligned
Scalable agreement supporting AI-driven analytics, collaborative platforms, and cloud-first initiatives to enhance client delivery capabilities.
Governance Strengthened
Improved visibility into software usage and costs across global operations, with robust governance framework for ongoing cost control.
Redress Compliance delivered exceptional value by optimising our Microsoft licensing strategy. Their insights and negotiation expertise ensured we secured a flexible agreement aligned with our business goals while achieving significant cost savings. They were a trusted partner throughout the process.— CIO, Large US Professional Services Firm
Key Results Summary
| Total Savings | $13,000,000 over three years |
| Licence Optimisation Savings | $8,400,000 annually |
| Negotiated Discounts | $4,600,000 in additional savings |
| Compliance | Fully compliant with all Microsoft licensing policies |
| Portfolio Efficiency | Streamlined licensing portfolio with reduced overhead and eliminated redundancy |
| Strategic Alignment | Licensing strategy tailored to support innovation, AI adoption, and growth |
| Governance | Strengthened visibility into software usage and licensing costs across global operations |
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