Microsoft spend now runs through three doors: cloud subscriptions, on-premises server licenses and the enterprise agreement that prices them both. Rythium covers all three. We measure what your people and servers actually use, fix what is over-licensed or exposed, and walk into your renewal with a price benchmark Microsoft cannot argue with.
With Microsoft, the money is rarely lost in one dramatic audit. It leaks quietly: a seat left on a leaver, an E5 on someone who reads email, a SQL Server Enterprise core doing Standard work, a renewal signed on last cycle’s headcount. Each year Microsoft changes list prices, bundles and agreement terms, and each change lands at your next renewal.
Rythium treats Microsoft as one estate, not three separate problems. What we find in your tenant and your data center becomes evidence at the negotiating table.
10–25%of Microsoft 365 spend typically found as waste
5–20%typical reduction in server license requirement
4–6 weeksto an actionable report
$0vendor fees, ever
Independent, with no exceptionsWe do not resell Microsoft licenses, hold a partner margin or take referral fees. The only party paying us is you.
Data first, opinion secondOur telemetry tools read actual sign-ins, feature use, cores and VMs. Recommendations rest on what you run, not on a survey.
Cloud and on-premises in one viewAzure Hybrid Benefit, Software Assurance and Microsoft 365 suites all interact. We model them together so you do not pay twice for the same right.
Negotiation built inEvery assessment ends with a renewal position, not just a report.
You stay in controlWe never change your tenant or your servers. Every recommendation is yours to accept or reject.
Microsoft 365 is billed per user, per month, for every month of the term. That makes small mistakes expensive. Leavers keep their seats, frontline staff sit on knowledge-worker plans, and premium add-ons such as Copilot, Power BI Pro and Visio are bought for teams that never open them. Microsoft’s July 2026 list-price rises, and tighter enterprise agreement discounts, mean the same waste now costs more at every renewal.
14%Average license waste identified across Rythium Microsoft 365 assessments
How many of our paid seats belong to people who no longer sign in?
Which users on E5 only need E3, and which E3 users could move to F3 or a Business plan?
Are we paying for Copilot, Power BI, Visio or Project licenses nobody uses?
Which third-party security, backup or collaboration tools already duplicate what our Microsoft suite includes?
What should we commit to at renewal, and what can we drop?
For organizations with 1,000+ Microsoft 365 users, a renewal in the next 3 to 12 months, duplicate tenants after an acquisition, or a Copilot rollout that needs a business case. We analyze reporting and license telemetry only, never mailbox, file or chat content.
Windows Server and SQL Server are licensed by cores, editions and virtualization rights, and the rules change with every version. A 16-core floor here, a 4-core-per-VM minimum there, a cluster where every host must cover every VM that might land on it. Each small error multiplies across hosts. Meanwhile SQL Server 2016 is out of support, Windows Server 2012 Extended Security Updates have ended, and Windows Server 2016 follows in January 2027. Server products are also where compliance reviews tend to look first.
5–20%Typical reduction in server license requirement, based on Rythium engagements
Are we compliant today, host by host and VM by VM?
Where are we paying for SQL Server Enterprise when Standard would do the job?
Which hosts should run Windows Server Datacenter instead of stacked Standard, and the reverse?
Are we using the Software Assurance rights we already pay for: passive failover, Azure Hybrid Benefit, per-VM licensing?
If we leave VMware for Hyper-V or Azure Local, what really changes in our Microsoft bill?
What is the cheapest safe path for our end-of-support servers: upgrade, migrate or buy ESU?
For organizations that run sizeable Windows Server and SQL Server estates, face an EA true-up or a Microsoft compliance review, are planning a VMware exit or cloud move, or still run 2012 or 2016-era servers. Inventory and configuration metadata only, never database contents.
In every Microsoft renewal, one side has seen thousands of deals and the other has seen its own. Your account team knows the discount ceiling for your industry, your size and your region. You are usually shown a “special” offer with nothing to compare it against. Agreement types are shifting too, from EA towards MCA-E and CSP, and volume discounts that customers once took for granted are shrinking. Signing without a benchmark means negotiating blind on a three-year commitment.
Is the price on this proposal good, average or poor compared with similar organizations?
Which line items carry the most room to move, and which are already close to the floor?
Should we stay on an EA, move to MCA-E, or buy through CSP? What does each cost over three years?
How big should our Azure commitment be, and what happens if we under-consume?
What non-price terms should we ask for: price caps, flexibility to reduce seats, funded deployment, credits?
When is the best moment to sign, and what is our walk-away alternative?
Proposal teardownWe break Microsoft’s offer into unit prices, discounts, ramps, bundles and terms, so nothing hides inside a blended total.
Price benchmarkEach major SKU and service compared with pricing for organizations of similar size, sector and region.
Commercial model comparisonEA vs MCA-E vs CSP vs pay-as-you-go, modeled on your real consumption and growth plans.
Demand baselineAn optional link to services 01 and 02, so you commit only to what your users and servers actually need.
Terms benchmarkPrice protection, true-down rights, payment terms, Azure commitment flexibility and concessions such as deployment funding or credits.
Negotiation playbookTarget price per line, opening position, trade-offs, escalation path and a timeline aligned to Microsoft’s fiscal calendar.
Live negotiation supportRythium advisors prepare every round with you and review each revised offer. We can stay behind the scenes or join the table.
You receive a pricing scorecard (each line rated above, at or below market), a three-year cost model by agreement type, a negotiation playbook, a counter-proposal draft and an executive summary for CFO sign-off.
For organizations with an EA or MCA-E renewal in the next 3 to 12 months, a Microsoft proposal they cannot judge, a move off EA, or a large Azure or Copilot commitment ahead.
Each service stands alone. Together they form one renewal cycle: services 01 and 02 establish what you truly need, and service 03 makes sure you pay a fair price for it.
No. Rythium does not resell licenses or take fees, commissions or partner incentives from any vendor.
Yes. Most clients start with whichever deadline is closest: a renewal, a true-up or an end-of-support date.
The Microsoft 365 and server assessments typically take about six weeks. A pricing benchmark of an existing proposal can be turned around faster.
Never. We use read-only data, and every recommendation is yours to accept or reject.
Usage and license reports from Microsoft 365, server and hypervisor inventory, and your current agreement and proposal. We never access email, files, chat or database contents.
Enterprise Agreement, MCA-E, CSP and NCE, plus Azure commitments and Software Assurance.
Yes. Contact us before you share any data with Microsoft or its auditors.
Fixed fee, success-based or a hybrid, scoped to each engagement.
Tell us your user count, server estate and renewal date. We will show you where the waste is, where the risk is, and what a fair price looks like. A senior advisor replies within one business day.
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