Success Story
Microsoft 365 License Optimization. Five-Figure Annual Savings. Without Restricting Users.
Industry:
Software
Blueprints:
M365 License Optimization
Result:
Five-figure annual savings.
"We suspected not everyone needed E5. But nobody had the time to break it apart. With DAMALO, we analyzed and recalculated it on solid ground in a few hours."
Martin Kolb
Head of IT, Craftview
Overview
Craftview, a European software group built to serve the industries powered by skilled trades, ran Microsoft 365 with E5 for every user — the pragmatic outcome of a license landscape that had grown organically across multiple CSP providers. The suspicion that not everyone needed E5 persisted. The evidence was missing. With DAMALO, the IT team analyzed license inventory, Office versions, and feature usage, modeled SKU scenarios, and migrated to E3 plus targeted add-ons. Result: five-figure annual savings with no loss of capability for users, Group-Based Licensing in Entra ID, and a documented data basis for every recommendation. Customer time: 8 hours, fully digital.
Starting Point
The Microsoft license catalog covers more than a hundred SKUs plus add-ons. Modeling the right SKU per user by hand is operationally infeasible. Craftview's IT had grown organically, with licenses spread across multiple CSP providers in different combinations. Pragmatic consequence: E5 for everyone. The suspicion of overpaying persisted. The evidence was missing.
Challenge
Optimization hinges on two questions. Which features does each user actually need? Which license is cheapest for which profile? Manually clarifying both takes weeks. On top of that, an outdated belief: full security only comes with E5. Microsoft has changed that. E3 or Business Premium plus targeted security add-ons deliver the same protection.
The Path
The AI agents guided the IT team step by step through the license optimization:
License inventory and add-on distribution captured in the tenant
Office versions inventoried across all devices
Feature usage analyzed, user personas built
SKU scenarios modeled, risks assessed per recommendation
Migration to E3 + add-ons operationalized
The AI agents analyzed, explained, modeled, and documented. The IT team decided. Result: a concrete cost savings report and guided implementation.
Results
Five-figure annual savings with no loss of capability for users.
License on demand: E3 as the baseline, premium features targeted at the users who need them.
Time spent: only 8 hours, fully digital, flexible across multiple sessions on the platform.
Group-Based Licensing: licenses assigned via rules in Entra ID instead of per user directly.
Documentation: solid data basis for every recommendation.
Outlook
The savings finance the next stage of the Microsoft roadmap. Adoption of further Microsoft 365 services and custom AI agents on Microsoft Foundry.
The AI does the heavy lifting of data analysis: analyzing usage, comparing SKUs, modeling scenarios, assessing risks. Trained on our experience, steered by the customer."
David Malovecky
Founder, DAMALO
About Craftview
Craftview Software is a European software group for ERP solutions in skilled trades and construction. Headquartered in Frankfurt, 11 locations, around 330 employees, more than 20,000 customers.
