16. June 2025
On the savings potential in Microsoft licensing
Microsoft licensing is complex – and with every new product version and every change in usage terms, it becomes even more demanding. Anyone responsible today for a company-wide licensing strategy needs specialized knowledge to ensure optimal licensing and, quite simply, to avoid wasting a significant amount of money. It is difficult for in-house IT departments to keep this knowledge fully up to date. Companies therefore rely on their system integrator – and ideally the system integrator relies on the expertise of MRM Distribution.
€130,000 saved
What IT service providers can achieve by consulting the Microsoft specialists at MRM is illustrated by the example of a real estate holding company based in Germany. Every five years, all servers and around 100 Office packages are routinely replaced. The system integrator responsible for the company submitted two proposals: one totaled more than €260,000 – the other came in €130,000 cheaper. In both cases, the offer included Microsoft Server 2Core, Server 2022 Core, RDS User CAL, and Office Professional Plus.
Valentino Taskhiri, who is responsible for licensing consulting at MRM, explains the significant price difference:
“€260,000 would have been the cost for new volume licenses. Fortunately, the system integrator contacted us because the customer asked for a more cost-effective solution. That’s exactly what we can provide – in the form of reused Microsoft licenses.”
A simple example, but one that clearly shows how the expertise of an IT service provider directly influences the price paid by the end customer.
Cost-efficient even for complex requirements
The situation becomes more complex when a company wants a sustainable licensing strategy that will remain viable for the coming years and also include cloud applications.
“IT consultants often recommend a full Microsoft 365 migration because it seems simpler,” says Valentino Taskhiri. “But that is clearly not the most economical option.”
Over a multi-year period, on-premises solutions using reused software are significantly more cost-effective than online services. To ensure that all customer requirements are met – including remote work, collaboration, data sovereignty, and audit compliance – MRM provides consulting alongside the system integrator responsible for the customer.
This benefits everyone involved: the licensing specialists determine the optimal mix of cloud and on-premises solutions, ensure full legal compliance, and help the customer achieve the lowest possible cost. The IT service provider remains the main contact for the company, handles the implementation, and usually also manages the billing. “A win-win for everyone.”
More budget for what matters
MRM Distribution counts more than 8,000 IT consultants across the DACH region among its partners. “They see it as a service to involve our licensing experts, because it allows their customers to save between 30 and 70 percent on licensing costs – freeing up budgets for the many other projects IT departments need to implement today.”
For the real estate holding company, saving €130,000 on Microsoft licensing was particularly helpful. The company was also planning a server migration costing around half a million euros. Thanks to the savings, it could approach this investment much more comfortably.
Valentino Taskhiri’s advice to CIOs:
“Ask your IT consultant about cost-effective used Microsoft software – or contact one of our MRM partners directly.”
View all News