Joiners, movers and leavers
- Joiners. Assign the plan the role needs, not the top plan by default.
- Movers. When someone changes role, check whether their licence still fits.
- Leavers. Decide what happens to mail and files, then remove the licence promptly. See unused Microsoft 365 licences.
Let groups do the work
Group-based licensing in Microsoft Entra ID assigns licences by group membership, so a person who leaves a group loses the licence automatically. It needs a licence level that includes it, so check what your plan provides.
Give it an owner
Name one person responsible for licences, and one person from the business who can confirm who still needs what. Without an owner, reviews do not happen.
A simple monthly routine
- Compare the user list with the staff list.
- Check the Active users report for long-inactive accounts.
- Note any licences bought but not assigned.
- Record changes in one place.
Fit it into the bigger cycle
A monthly routine feeds an annual Microsoft 365 licence review and, for larger changes, a full Microsoft 365 licence audit. For the underlying principles, see Microsoft 365 licence optimisation.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need special tools?
Not to start. The admin centre, a staff list and a spreadsheet are enough for a small business.
What does it cost?
Mostly a little time each month. The aim is to avoid paying for seats nobody uses.
Does this help security?
Yes. Removing accounts that are no longer needed reduces the number of ways in. Licence changes should still be checked against the protections they provide.
Innoligo is an authorised Microsoft CSP partner. This page is general information and applies whoever you buy your licences from. Microsoft changes its plans, prices and admin screens, so check the linked Microsoft pages for current detail. Microsoft, Microsoft 365, Entra and Copilot are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies; this page is independent and is not published or endorsed by Microsoft. About Innoligo.