Most small offices in Sackville, Bedford, Halifax and Dartmouth pay for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace every month without anyone looking closely at the bill. It started with a few accounts, grew one hire at a time, and now it's a charge on the credit card that just goes through.
These are good products, and most of our IT support clients use one every day. But having the right product isn't the same as paying the right amount for it, or having it set up properly. Here's what we check first.
1. Who actually owns the account?
Whose name is on it? Often the account was set up by a past employee, a relative, a web designer or an IT company, and sometimes the only full administrator login belongs to someone who doesn't work there anymore.
Check that:
- At least two people in the business can sign in as a full administrator, using accounts the business controls.
- The billing account is in the business's name, with a business email address and a business payment method.
- You know who controls your domain name. Your email depends on it.
If your licences are bought through an IT provider and show up on their invoice, find out exactly what would happen to them if you changed providers.
2. Is each person on the right plan?
Microsoft 365 has Business Basic, Standard and Premium. Google Workspace has Business Starter, Standard and Plus, among others. Upgrading takes a couple of clicks, and hardly anyone checks later whether it was worth it.
- Does everyone need the same tier? Depending on the platform and edition, you may be able to put different people on different plans.
- Does everyone need the desktop Office apps, or do some people only use email and a browser?
- If you pay for a higher tier, are the features that justified it actually switched on? Paying for device management or advanced security that was never set up is a pattern we see regularly.
3. Seats for people (and inboxes) that don't need them
The obvious waste is a licence still assigned to someone who left. Our software spend audit guide covers how to find those. Two others are less obvious:
- Shared addresses. In Microsoft 365, a shared mailbox for info@ or bookings@ normally doesn't need its own licence, within Microsoft's size limits. In Google Workspace, a Google Group set up as a collaborative inbox can often do the same job.
- Add-ons. Extra storage, AI assistants, archiving, phone or meeting add-ons, often bought for a trial or one person and never revisited.
4. Monthly or annual commitment?
An annual commitment usually costs less per month but can be hard to reduce partway through the term. Month-to-month is flexible and usually costs more. Neither is wrong. Just know which you're on and when it renews, so you can review seats before the renewal, not after.
5. What "managed properly" should include
A licence gets you the software. It doesn't get you anyone looking after the settings. At a minimum, someone should be:
- Enforcing multi-factor sign-in for everyone. (We covered why in 5 IT Risks Halifax Small Businesses Ignore.)
- Turning off older sign-in methods that skip modern security checks.
- Setting up SPF, DKIM and DMARC email records, so nobody can easily send mail pretending to be your domain and your own messages don't end up in spam.
- Reviewing the outside apps staff have connected with "Sign in with Microsoft" or "Sign in with Google."
- Backing up your mail and files separately. Microsoft and Google keep the service running, but their recycle bins and retention settings aren't the same as an independent backup you can restore whenever you need to.
- Setting up new hires and locking out departing staff from a checklist, the same way every time.
Where resellers come in
Many IT companies resell Microsoft licences at a margin. That's normal, and we do it too: when we supply your licences, we earn a margin from the distributor. What matters is that you know about it.
So we tell you up front, and you can always buy direct instead. Before you approve, you see the price, the term and the cancellation window, and nothing is ordered without your written approval. Your licences stay in your name. For support, you pay us a flat, published price per person. IT Essentials starts at $89/user/month and includes Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace user admin, so our income doesn't change with your seat count. If a cheaper plan, fewer seats or a different tool would suit you better, we'll tell you, even when it means we earn less.
A 20-minute check you can do this week
- Sign in to your admin centre and export the list of users and their licences.
- Compare it with your current staff list.
- Write down the plan each person is on, any add-ons, whether you're on a monthly or annual commitment, and the renewal date.
- List everyone with full admin rights.
- Confirm the billing account and payment method are in the business's name.
Want a second set of eyes?
That's what our 30-minute Free IT and Security Checkup is for. We'll look at your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace setup along with your backups, security, passwords and devices, and you'll get a short written list of your biggest risks and quickest savings, whether or not you hire us. No sales pitch, no obligation. On-site in Sackville, Bedford, Halifax and Dartmouth, or remote.
Call 902-706-8753 or email info@openstackforge.ca.
Calvin Gould, Open Stack Forge, Lower Sackville