Enterprises counted on volume-based discounts to help balance out their SaaS costs. With those discounts gone, the focus for your organization should be how quickly your organization can adapt to rising licensing costs.
How SaaS Tracking Helps You with Microsoft’s Incentive Changes
Starting November 1, 2025, Microsoft is making an enormous shift to its SaaS subscription model. Automatic price-level discounts for Online Services (Levels B to D) under EA, OSPA, and MPSA agreements will disappear. That means every eligible customer—no matter the company’s size or prior spend—will pay the price posted on Microsoft’s website upon next agreement renewal or if they purchase a new Online Service.
For years, enterprises counted on volume-based discounts to help balance out their SaaS costs. With those discounts gone, the financial impact will be significant. The focus for your organization should be how quickly your organization can adapt to rising licensing costs.
This is exactly where a SaaS Management Platform (SMP) comes in.
Why Microsoft’s Change Matters
The challenge for companies isn’t just paying higher list prices. Without proper SaaS tracking and management in place, organizations may find themselves:
- Covering the cost of licenses that aren’t being used.
- Buying additional subscriptions when reallocations could have solved the problem.
- Struggling in a software license audit if usage doesn’t match contract terms.
In short, inefficiency is about to become far more expensive.
How a SaaS Management Platform Levels the Field
An SMP is designed to give you control in environments where pricing models take it away. It provides clear visibility and SaaS monitoring across your estate and helps you make decisions with confidence.
Key advantages of managing SaaS subscriptions with SMPs include:
Full SaaS Visibility
- Get a complete view of every application in use, including Microsoft and beyond. That means fewer blind spots, less shadow IT, and easier identification of redundancy.
Smarter SaaS License Management
- Be able to track real usage, identify idle licenses, and eliminate waste. With a SMP, your organization can make the licenses you already own work harder.
Invoice Validation
- Cross-check invoices against contract terms to ensure that you bill correctly and avoid surprises and overspending.
Streamlined SaaS User Management
- Manage provisioning, deprovisioning, and permissions at scale. This not only cuts cost but also strengthens security.
Beyond Cost Savings
Yes, an SMP reduces waste and lowers spend. But the benefits extend much further.
- Better financial planning with accurate usage and spend data.
- Audit-readiness through automated reporting and clean license records.
- More agility to adapt as Microsoft and other providers evolve their licensing models.
Most importantly, it frees your team from tedious, manual reconciliations so they can focus on work that drives the business forward.
Don’t Wait for November
The elimination of automatic discounts will affect everyone, but those who act early will have the advantage. Now is the time to:
- Audit your Microsoft subscriptions.
- Find and remove unused or redundant licenses.
- Put governance workflows in place to keep SaaS costs in check.
With a SaaS Management Platform, you build stronger SaaS governance, better security, and financial predictability across your entire software estate. Give your organization the tools to track, manage, and optimize subscriptions across the board. Turn rising costs into an opportunity for smarter SaaS management.
With visibility comes leverage. And with leverage, you can turn Microsoft’s new rules into a win for your business.
Ready to take control of your Technology Estate?
Book a demo today and see how you can optimize your global technology management.
Calero | Technology Business Management Solutions Optimize costs, inventory, and operations for SaaS, mobility, telecom, and beyond with a single unified technology business management platform.
