Microsoft 365 is a powerful suite of productivity tools that goes far beyond just Word, Excel, and Outlook. However, many organisations pay for licences without fully understanding or leveraging the breadth of features available. Whether you’re a small business or a larger enterprise, it’s worth asking: Are you truly getting the full value from your Microsoft 365 subscription?

In this post, we’ll explore the common pitfalls, hidden features, and ways to optimise your Microsoft 365 licensing to save money, enhance productivity, and strengthen your IT security posture.

Understanding the Basics: Microsoft 365 Plans

Microsoft 365 offers a range of subscription plans tailored to various business needs. From Microsoft 365 Business Basic to Microsoft 365 E5, each tier includes different features such as cloud storage, security tools, and communication platforms.

But here’s where many businesses slip up: they subscribe to a plan based on guesswork or convenience, without assessing which tools their teams actually use or need. This often leads to overspending on unnecessary features or, worse, under-utilising powerful tools already included in the licence.

Common Mistakes in Microsoft 365 Usage

Paying for Unused Licences

It’s common for organisations to maintain licences for former employees or unused accounts, which quickly adds up. Regular audits can prevent unnecessary costs.

Choosing the Wrong Plan

Many businesses opt for higher-tier plans thinking more expensive must mean better. However, a Business Standard plan may be sufficient for users who don’t need advanced analytics or enterprise-grade security.

Overlapping Third-party Services

Some companies pay for third-party tools (like Zoom, Dropbox, or Slack) even though similar features are already included in Microsoft 365 such as Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint. Eliminating these overlaps can significantly reduce costs.

Powerful Features You Might Be Missing

Microsoft Teams

More than just a video call app, Teams integrates with hundreds of apps, supports document collaboration, task management and even workflows through Power Automate.

SharePoint Online

SharePoint can be a game changer for internal communication, document sharing, and even as an intranet platform. Yet many organisations leave it untouched.

Microsoft Defender for Office 365

If you’re on a plan that includes Defender, you have access to anti-phishing, anti-malware, and real-time threat detection. This can reduce the need for third-party email security tools.

Power BI

Included in many business plans or available as an add-on, Power BI transforms raw data into powerful visual insights—essential for data-driven decision-making.

Compliance Manager

Especially for businesses in regulated industries, Microsoft’s Compliance Manager offers tools to assess and manage GDPR or ISO 27001 requirements all included in certain licences.

Tips to Maximise Your Licensing Investment

Conduct Regular Licence Audits

Review users, roles, and licences at least quarterly. Remove unused accounts, downgrade where appropriate, and ensure the right people have the right tools.

Provide User Training

Even if you have the right tools, your team may not know how to use them. Short training sessions can dramatically boost productivity, collaboration, and security.

Enable Advanced Features

Explore the Microsoft 365 admin centre to turn on features like multi-factor authentication (MFA), data loss prevention (DLP), and conditional access. These can greatly enhance your security with little to no additional cost.

Use Microsoft 365 Usage Reports

Track how your organisation is using Microsoft 365. Are people collaborating in Teams? Are files being stored in OneDrive instead of local drives? These insights help you make informed decisions about licence renewals and user adoption strategies.

When to Bring in Expert Help

Microsoft 365 can be complex, understanding which licences match your needs, configuring services securely, and driving user adoption often requires specialist knowledge. Partnering with a trusted IT provider ensures you’re not only compliant and secure but also getting full value from your investment.

Conclusion

Microsoft 365 is more than just email and Word documents it’s a powerful ecosystem that can transform how your business works. But to reap the full rewards, you need to actively manage your licensing, encourage adoption, and align tools with your business goals.

Ready to Optimise Your Microsoft 365 Investment?

If you’re unsure whether you’re making the most of your Microsoft 365 licensing or just want peace of mind contact us today. Our expert team can review your current setup, identify cost-saving opportunities, and help you unlock the full potential of your Microsoft 365 subscription.