There are lots of Cloud Service Providers out there who can provide licences for the same software at the same (or similar) price. And we all need licences to access the software we want to use in our business. So, it’s easy to look at licensing purely as a transaction that’s a means to an end. You pay for the licences, you use the software, you expect nothing else.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Given the fact that you’re going to have pay for your licences no matter what, why not try and squeeze every bit of value out of them? Why not look to get the very best ROI for the money you inevitably have to spend?
You might not think that’s possible. Whoever you buy through or from, a licence is a licence and the cost is the cost, right?
Wrong.
Choosing the right CSP for your Microsoft licensing presents lots of opportunities to get maximum value. That’s exactly what Core aim to with our Customer Success Programme.
Our Customer Success Programme lets you buy licences for the Microsoft suite, and gives you a host of other benefits which means you get better ROI for every licence.
Here are four key reasons to choose Core as your CSP.
Reason 1: Predictable cost
IT budget holders can benefit massively from knowing exactly how much will be spent each month on software licences. Core’s price-lock promise makes that possible, because we lock in the cost of your user licences when you sign up, for the next 12 months. We also charge you on a per user per month basis which means you can accurately predict your licensing spend for the year, without any unforeseen charges. Another advantage of a per user per month spend is that it makes it easy to identify wasted licences and take action. Which leads nicely on to the next benefit of licensing with Core…
Reason 2: Flexible agreements
Core lets you change the number and type of Microsoft licences you have at any time during your agreement; not all CSPs do this. If you notice a few members of staff have a licence for software that they rarely use, simply offload those licences. Or, if you have a recruitment drive and have five new users, simply add more licences to your agreement. This means there’s never any waste; every licence you pay for is for an active user.
Reason 3: User training and adoption
Of course, having licences for active users doesn’t mean anything if the users aren’t using the software to its full potential. Core can help with user adoption strategies and provide free user training which can be given on-site in your office, or remotely via Skype for Business/Microsoft Teams. Training users in how to use the software they’re licensed to use is key to getting better ROI for the licences you’ve bought.
Reason 4: No-hassle transition
One of the major barriers for businesses moving to a new Cloud Service Provider is the perceived risk of downtime and impact on BAU (business as usual) activity during the transition. In reality, Core can move you across from your current CSP during office hours and with no downtime. Licensing can represent a significant investment for many companies; fear of disruption should not stop them from moving to a CSP that can offer better return on that investment.
Licensing’s not a big deal – why should I care?
Your software licences and the way you use them has more of an impact on business productivity than you think.
An under-utilised Microsoft suite which you are paying for each month is money wasted. To remedy this, businesses can reduce the number of licences they have (which may or may not be an option, depending on how critical a licence is to someone doing their job). Alternatively, they can make sure users are using the software to its maximum potential, in a way that benefits the business and is worth the investment.
The ‘remind me later’ culture of licensing can lead to unnecessary user downtime, which is totally avoidable and disappears when a CSP sets you up with your licences.
Any users in your organisation that have expired licences or have licences they are unaware of, often find ways around the systems they are actually licensed to use. This makes tasks harder than they need to be, more time consuming and puts a strain on other resources in the business who are roped in to help with jobs the user is actually licensed to perform.
Using a CSP resolves all these issues. Buying licences through Core guarantees that all your users are:
Active – licences that are no longer needed or are not being used can be removed from your agreement at any time, so you never over-pay for licensing.
Actively using the licences you do have – our user adoption help and training makes sure staff know what they are licenced to use and the benefits of using it for widespread adoption.
Using the Microsoft suite to its full potential – the training we provide means users aren’t just logging into the platform and leaving it; they’re using it to its full potential.
One customer already benefitting from using Core as their CSP is the East of England NHS Collaborative Procurement Hub. EOECPH is an award-winning, not-for-profit NHS organisation which provides strategic purchasing support to member Trusts and publicly-funded bodies.
"As a dynamic NHS procurement organisation, we must react and adapt rapidly to the changing needs and requirements of our own NHS customers", says Darren McVee, eEnablement Manager at EOECPH.
"Using Core to manage our licensing requirements ensures we maintain best value from our software and that staff always have the right tools at their disposal."
"Learning new software can sometimes be a barrier, but Core’s help with our end-user adoption gives me the confidence that our workforce benefits from these tools easily and effectively."
Do you want to benefit from Core’s Customer Success Programme? Take the hassle out of Microsoft licensing and talk to Kat, our Customer Success Manager, today.
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