9. April 2025
The cloud is supposed to be cost-efficient, scalable, and secure. At least that is what providers promise. However, the reality after a migration often looks different. This is what Melanie Achten, Managing Director of the Microsoft reseller MRM Distribution, hears in discussions with system integrators and IT service providers. More than 6,000 MRM partners support German SMEs in implementing software and hardware. They are well aware of the challenges their customers face when moving to the cloud. Among other reasons, they work with the distributor because MRM offers a way to refinance the high initial investments.
The cloud is becoming increasingly expensive
“Microsoft’s online services undoubtedly set milestones in digital transformation,” says Melanie Achten. Until mid-2024 she was Head of Software Sales and License Management at Bechtle AG. She then moved to MRM Distribution. What attracted her was the fact that not everything about hyperscaler cloud models is ideal: M365 services are becoming steadily more expensive, monthly cancellable plans are disproportionately costly, and even Teams is often no longer included. “And on top of that, not all services are sufficiently protected against cyberattacks,” she adds.
Refinancing cloud costs
As Managing Director of MRM Distribution, Melanie Achten can now do something for SMEs that she had already begun at Bechtle: financially support companies on their path to the cloud. She explains the business model as follows:
“The move to M365 makes previously used Microsoft programs such as Office, Windows, Exchange, or SharePoint obsolete. Depending on the version, however, they may still represent considerable capital value within the company. MRM Distribution purchases these licenses.”
An IT department that sells 350 Office 2024 licenses plus various servers and CALs to MRM can receive around €60,000. That roughly corresponds to the budget required for migration in the first year. In other words, the old software helps finance the new.
Acting sustainably
“Selling licenses is also about sustainability,” says Melanie Achten. Software largely determines the lifecycle of hardware. “The transition from Windows 10 to Windows 11 illustrates this clearly: the upgrade forces companies to purchase new computers, servers, and laptops.”
The longer a license is used, the less electronic waste is created. “That is a very good reason to make Microsoft products available to others until the end of their support lifecycle,” Achten explains, adding another argument for selling licenses: equal opportunities.
“We place fully functional Microsoft licenses on the used software market that would otherwise cost 30 to 70 percent more when purchased new. Companies that sell their unused Microsoft licenses to us not only reduce their own cloud costs but also enable healthcare providers, start-ups, and many other organizations to access high-quality software at affordable prices.”
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