Get smarter with Smarter SaaS

Get smarter with Smarter SaaS: The public sector business case for cutting costs

  Unused SaaS spend: The untapped potential Industries across the globe have been deeply impacted by the events of recent years, and the UK public sector has been no exception. Rising costs, inflation surges, and subsequent austerity measures are putting pressure on every institution, and increasingly affecting the communities they serve. As such, all eyes are on how the public sector handles the current situation. Under even more scrutiny is government spending, as purse strings are continually tightened. At the same time many organisations face widespread action from staff enduring a decade-long pay squeeze, along with a weak demand outlook and major supply chain issues. Never has there been a greater need to focus on cost savings. But equally as important, is avoiding decisions that could impact an organisation’s ability to execute digital transformation plans, deliver, and improve essential citizen services. With Gartner predicting that over 30% of SaaS spending goes unused[1], SaaS cost optimisation could uncover huge opportunities for the public sector to save money, without harming its ability to operate effectively. Whether it’s hospitals improving patient care, education institutions enriching learning experiences, or social care developing better care pathways, the ways in which money can be reinvested to drive efficiencies and better outcomes are unlimited. The question is, how can you tell whether your organisation is effectively using the software it’s paid for? Do you have multiple applications with the same functionality, that are being used by different teams, in different situations? If so, how do you identify which subscriptions should be reallocated or cancelled to better control costs? It’s time to get smarter with SaaS Ensuring taxpayer value for money is undoubtedly a key focus of software cost optimisation. With organisations facing ongoing budgetary pressures and soaring demand for digital services, getting it right has never been more important. But what if you have multiple contracts for the same software because it was bought by different departments at different times? At SCC we understand the complexity of software asset management (SAM) within the public sector, and this is just one scenario we can help with. In recent years we have noticed an increased market trend when it comes to underutilisation of Microsoft SaaS products – and therefore Microsoft licensing. In fact, as many as 89% of organisations we audited weren’t fully using their Microsoft 365 applications. In response, we have partnered with The Business Software Centre, who created a cloud-based SAM solution that optimises M365 subscriptions. The G-Cloud approved tool automatically recommends how to reduce IT costs whilst finding the best Microsoft 365 (M365) subscriptions for every user. M365 Optimisation – how it works In less than an hour we can set up our Smarter SaaS tool. Using anonymised data, the Microsoft Approved ISV Solution collects 120 days’ worth of M365 use in just two days to perform the health check. This generates automatic calculations and suggestions on ways to save, using a simple efficiency score; red for poor optimisation, or green to show you’re effectively using what you’ve paid for. Easy-to-use dashboards, powerful insights We’ll present findings of the overall savings opportunity, including unused subscriptions where staff may have left the organisation. We can further assist in unlocking this powerful data through our assessment service, which suggests optimisation potential where users aren’t using the full range of applications available to them. Our M365 Optimisation Managed Service takes things even further, offering quarterly recycling and cost optimisation identification of users, smart reviews, shadow IT identification, and training courses. Smarter SaaS in action: Luton Borough Council saves 20% on Microsoft spend by identifying underutilised licenses Luton Borough Council is one such SCC customer who needed to optimise the use of its M365 Apps. After the period of lockdowns, the Council wanted to identify how its active user base of over 2,500 employees was working – something which became difficult after the shift to remote working. Their aim was to understand where users not requiring the full extent of licenses purchased could utilise a different version of M365, and thus save money. Another key objective was to increase control over the reallocation of licenses for users who had left the business. Using our Smarter SaaS for M365 tool, our Software and Cloud Lifecycle Management team was able to quickly identify how to recycle subscriptions for users who no longer needed them, and re-scale users to the correct subscriptions based on their actual usage. Using automatic identification of usage levels, we discovered that all users were covered by the same M365 E3 license regardless of requirements. A high percentage of these users were not using the full range of the M365 components available to them, with nearly a third of all users not using Microsoft Teams. In addition, we discovered many licenses assigned to non-user accounts with no registered users. With these insights, Luton Borough Council was able to easily identify leaver accounts to enable the reassignment of licenses. This resulted in savings of over £32,000 a year through the removal of unused licenses, and over £49,000 per year by identifying underutilised licenses (which equates to £243,000 over a 3-year term). In addition, we were able to identify training for users to gain full license benefits and continue driving SaaS ROI into the future. Reduce software spend and audit risk with a trusted pair of hands Eradicating waste and driving more efficient operations will help ensure organisations are resilient enough to continue delivering services, whatever the future holds. Cost optimisation isn’t easy, and often requires specialist skills and knowledge. But investing in optimisation now can provide immediate – and much needed – financial returns. SCC can help with this and offer an entire portfolio of best-of-breed services that encompasses everything from creation to implementation to support. From a security perspective, our automation processes enable your teams to instantly reduce potential threats with the click of a button, removing the risk of human error and audit penalties. Beyond M365 we can take a wider approach to SAM to provide the visibility you need – whether that’s auditing desktops, laptops servers, or your public cloud consumption. Our expert delivery team is one of the most mature in the market and works holistically to remediate challenges as they unfold.

[1] Tech Republic – https://www.techrepublic.com/article/do-you-need-a-saas-platform-to-manage-your-saas-sprawl/