Services · License Advisory & CSP
License costs in the Microsoft space are often 10–30% too high. We review your license structure as a fixed-price audit, procure directly via our CSP contract in euros with monthly billing, and stay at your side for ongoing license advice. Instead of maximizing margin, we reinvest in ongoing advisory.
Quick audit as a fixed price (price on request). Expected savings: 10–30% on Microsoft 365 + Dynamics 365 licenses. The audit cost typically pays back 5- to 10-fold in the first year. You get a market comparison, a recommendation in euros, and an optional CSP switch without margin maximization.
Discovery spike as a clean first engagement (price on request) with a documented outcome report for CFO and procurement. Includes EA renewal calendar, CSP migration risk matrix, NIS2 audit-defense preparation, and target-vs-actual comparison per cost center.
NCE commitment structures (Monthly vs. Annual vs. Triennial), add-on SKU math (E5 vs. E3 + Defender XDR + Purview), Dynamics 365 user-type optimization (Sales / Customer Service / Field Service / Project Operations), Power Platform capacity planning. You talk directly to the license specialist who builds the SKU model.
Managing Directors · Owners
We review your EA or CSP base as a fixed-price audit (prices on request). Expected result: 10%–30% license cost reduction. The audit cost typically pays back 5- to 10-fold in the first year. You get a comparison with market prices, a recommendation in euros, and an optional CSP procurement without margin maximization.
Department Head · Business Unit
We deliver the business-case skeleton: target-vs-actual comparison of license bundles per cost center, EA renewal calendar, CSP migration risk matrix, Microsoft audit-defense preparation. Discovery spike (price on request) is the typical first engagement with a clearly documented outcome report for management and procurement.
IT Lead · CIO · Solution Architect
NCE commitment structures, add-on SKU math (E5 vs. E3 + add-ons), Microsoft 365 vs. Office 365 vs. Business Premium, Dynamics 365 user-type optimization (Sales / Customer Service / Field Service / Operations), Power Platform capacity planning. You speak directly to the license specialist who builds the SKU model.
For Managing Directors · Fixed-price quick audit
Clearly bounded effort, no contract commitment. You get a structured PDF report with market comparison, concrete actions, and a recommendation in euros. If the audit doesn't pay off, we say so openly — and you've invested a clearly bounded fixed price for the clarity that your license setup is already clean. Price on request.
For Department Heads · Discovery-spike path
Structured first engagement, defensible internally. Deliverables: target-vs-actual comparison of license bundles per cost center, EA renewal calendar, CSP migration risk matrix, NIS2 audit-defense preparation. Plus business-case skeleton for the next decision paper.
For IT leads · 45-min architecture conversation
Direct with the license specialist — no account-manager layer. Topics: Monthly vs. Annual vs. Triennial strategy, E5 vs. E3 + add-ons break-even, Dynamics 365 user-type math, Power Platform capacity planning with Copilot credits, cross-tenant license sharing, sovereign cloud edge cases.
License Cost Calculator · Self-service · free
Calculate Microsoft prices transparently before you sign. Audience groups, NCE terms, add-ons, list price and arades price side by side. No account, no lead trap, no hidden costs.
The License Cost Calculator at licenses.arades.de is the central workbench of our license advisory — and you can use it for free. You model your license landscape, compare audience-group variants, see the NCE math, and at the end you get a calculated recommendation with list price and arades price.
Direct link to the License Cost Calculator — opens in a new tab:
licenses.arades.de ↗Daily updated prices · audience-group logic · NCE math · add-on calculation · PDF & CSV export
More on Microsoft ERP? Find the full overview of the ERP family (Business Central, the F&O successors, and Modular ERP) in our Insights area — knowledge content, not a sales pitch. To the ERP knowledge area →
License audit as a fixed-price package
Our offer: license audit at a fixed price, with a timeframe and a written delivery promise. You choose the audit package, get a near-term appointment, and the written audit report at the end. Lump-sum billing, no hour counter — the audit cost typically pays back 5- to 10-fold within 12 months.
Price on request (net)
Structured intake of your current Microsoft license landscape in one day. Inventory, audience-group check, obvious optimization potential.
Suitable for: mid-market companies with a clear setup, initial baselining, renewal preparation.
Deliverables: audit report with license inventory, optimization recommendations per audience group, prioritized action list · calculation in the License Cost Calculator.
Price on request (net)
Deeper audit with vendor-switch analysis, three-year forecast, NCE strategy, and CSP-vs-EA evaluation. Results workshop with management.
Suitable for: 100–500 licenses, upcoming renewal, considering a switch, cost-optimization pressure.
Deliverables: audit report with license inventory, vendor-switch analysis, three-year forecast, NCE strategy, CSP-vs-EA evaluation · workshop protocol with management · cost forecast.
Price on request (net)
For complex setups: multi-tenant, enterprise licenses, Azure consumption analysis, reserved instance optimization, international locations with an audience-group mix.
Suitable for: 500+ licenses, corporate structures, Azure-heavy environments, license compliance audit preparation.
Deliverables: audit report for multi-tenant setups · Azure consumption analysis with reserved-instance optimization · stakeholder workshops with IT, procurement, finance · compliance preparation.
If you procure through us as your CSP: the audit fixed price is fully credited against the first procurement engagement — the audit effectively costs you nothing if we subsequently supply your licenses. The audit tiers stand alone — you are not obligated to procure through us afterward.
Standardized packages · Tier 2
Three packages for the bigger license decisions. Clearly defined, with fixed-price logic and transparent methodology. We position ourselves as an independent advisor at your side — not as a Microsoft sales extension.
Price on request · start 6–18 months before renewal
Preparation and support for renewing the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement — from needs analysis through negotiation strategy to attendance at the actual negotiation with Microsoft.
Deliverables:
Important: arades positions itself as an independent advisor of the customer toward Microsoft — not as a sales extension.
Fixed price by complexity · 4–12 weeks
Transition from Enterprise Agreement to CSP, or strategic splitting of coupled contracts. Including migration plan, transition phase, new license structure.
Deliverables:
Fixed price per audit phase · success-fee negotiable
Acute support during Microsoft license audits. Support through all audit phases — from the initial inquiry through data delivery to negotiating the result.
Deliverables:
Confidentiality: audit defense runs fully discreetly. Microsoft does not learn that we are advising you — formally, we act as your internal advisor.
Three ways to work together
Which entry point fits depends on whether you're looking for clarity first, then procurement, or direct ongoing support. The three paths stand alone — and combine.
One day, structured intake of your current Microsoft license landscape. We analyze inventory, identify over- and under-licensing, review audience-group options, and deliver a concrete optimization recommendation — including quantification in the License Cost Calculator.
Microsoft subscriptions through arades GmbH as a Cloud Solution Provider. Prices transparent via the License Cost Calculator, monthly consolidated invoicing in euros, dedicated contact, NCE strategy included. License advisory comes with it — not billed separately.
We take over the entire ongoing license management as a monthly flat rate: adding and removing licenses, NCE date monitoring, audience-group maintenance, add-on administration — and once a year a full cost review with optimization proposals.
Why arades GmbH
There's no shortage of Microsoft license advisors. What sets us apart: we've cast the math into software, buy directly from Microsoft, and have been doing this daily for over 20 years.
Our License Cost Calculator is the European standard for Microsoft license calculation. Daily prices, audience-group logic, NCE dates, add-on math — free to use, no account, no lead trap. Anyone calculating Microsoft licenses seriously starts here.
We buy Microsoft subscriptions directly from Microsoft as a Cloud Solution Provider and resell them to our customers — with monthly consolidated invoicing in euros, a dedicated contact, and license advisory included. No distributor in between, no anonymous online ordering.
No theory from a whitepaper. We license daily, support existing customers through NCE switches, audience switches, and add-on renewals, and know the tripwires from 20+ years of Microsoft practice — from Office 365 before 2014 to Agent 365 today.
NCE reality
Since the introduction of the New Commerce Experience, the license math has changed: less flexibility, more discount incentive, harder renewal consequences. Whoever doesn't understand NCE either leaves discount on the table or pays for non-cancelable over-licensing.
The Microsoft New Commerce Experience (NCE) has been the binding procurement model for CSP subscriptions since 2022. Plans are booked with a clearly defined term — Monthly (highest flexibility, no discount), Annual (typically 12% cheaper than Monthly), Triennial (typically 15% cheaper than Monthly, three years binding).
After ordering, you have 7 calendar days to fully cancel a license or reduce the quantity. After that the subscription is binding for the full term — even if employees leave, needs change, or a cheaper plan is introduced. Reductions are only possible at the next renewal date.
The consequence: license math moves from monthly optimization to strategic annual planning. We recommend a deliberate split — stable core on Annual or Triennial, volatile share (interns, seasonal staff, pilot licenses) on Monthly. This mix is part of every license audit and the annual cost review.
Field observation: in nine out of ten first audits we see either too little Annual discount (all licenses on Monthly out of pure caution) or too much Triennial commitment (three years not reducible even as the team shrinks). Both extremes cost money — the mix is the answer.
Frequently asked questions
The Microsoft 365 pricing tiers include Business Basic, Business Standard, and Business Premium, plus E3 and E5 with different feature sets. Which license actually fits depends on audience group, frontline share, security level, and add-ons. In the License Cost Calculator you see arades price and list price transparently — before you order.
Simply signing the Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) or Microsoft Customer Agreement for Partners (MCA-P) does not incur cost — it is a one-time framework agreement that legally governs the procurement of digital Microsoft subscriptions. Costs only arise from specific license orders, which under the arades GmbH CSP model are transparently calculated via the License Cost Calculator and billed monthly.
Microsoft Azure under the CSP model is billed as a consumption-based subscription (pay-as-you-go) or a reserved instance pool (Reserved Instances, Savings Plans) — unlike seat-based Microsoft 365 licenses. arades GmbH as a Microsoft licensing partner handles provisioning, cost-management setup, budget alerts, and monthly consolidated invoicing in euros. We additionally recommend Azure Reserved Instances and Savings Plans where workload stability allows it — typical savings of 25 to 65 percent compared to pay-as-you-go.
Microsoft distinguishes between Direct CSP (direct contract with Microsoft, high requirements for volume, support infrastructure, and compliance) and Reseller (partnership with a Microsoft licensing partner like arades GmbH or a distributor). The reseller path is significantly more accessible: you sign a partner contract, get access to procurement and billing through us, and focus on sales and customer relationships. Contact us for a reseller model.
Under the Microsoft New Commerce Experience (NCE), you have 7 calendar days after contract conclusion to cancel a license or reduce the quantity. After that the subscription runs for the chosen term (Monthly, Annual, or Triennial) on a binding basis — even if employees leave or license needs decline. This makes renewal strategy the central decision: too many Annual or Triennial licenses are expensive to correct, too many Monthly licenses leave discount on the table. We calculate the mix before every renewal.
The CSP switch runs technically through a reseller relationship in Microsoft Partner Center — administratively through a new Microsoft Customer Agreement and the transfer of existing subscriptions. Existing NCE contracts run until renewal at your current CSP; new or renewed subscriptions can then transition to arades GmbH. We coordinate the switch without service interruption — typically a 4–12 week transition period along existing contract terms.
Take-away · two materials
Two depths for different reading needs. The factsheet is a quick reference (3–5 min) and instantly downloadable. The whitepaper is market education with methodology and comparison data (15–30 min) — you get it by email after a short request.
3–5 min read · Direct download · no form
Compact overview: scope, key metrics, pricing model, process — ideal to forward to CFO, procurement, or the business unit.
15–30 min read · by email after request
Methodology, comparison data, recommendation framework — material for internal argumentation toward stakeholders.
Related topics
EA-to-CSP migration often means: bring on-premises remnants into the cloud too. We coordinate both topics from one source.
License audits and compliance audits overlap. We handle both in the ongoing engagement — no duplicate intake needed.
Some license optimizations require technical adjustment — tenant consolidation, app migration, new Power Platform structure. We also build.
License audit or CSP switch
30-min initial conversation — we clarify whether a license audit, a CSP switch, or the ongoing management flat rate is the right entry point. You get a concrete recommendation, usually within days.
Quick audit · Fixed price · Price on request
The quick audit ends with a structured PDF report and a recommendation in euros. No contract commitment. If your license setup is already clean, we say so openly — and you have clarity for the next EA renewal date.
Discovery spike · Outcome report for the CFO
The discovery spike (price on request) delivers: target-vs-actual comparison per cost center, EA renewal calendar, CSP migration risk matrix, NIS2 audit-defense preparation. Plus business-case skeleton for your next decision paper.
45-min architecture conversation · Whiteboard
Monthly vs. Annual vs. Triennial strategy, E5 vs. E3 + add-ons break-even, Dynamics 365 user-type math, Power Platform capacity planning with Copilot credits, cross-tenant license sharing. No account-manager layer — the license specialist is at the whiteboard.
Take-away
Two-page quick reference with package structure, delivery areas, and three reasons for arades — instantly downloadable, no form. Ideal to forward to CFO, procurement, or the IT lead.
3–5 min read · Direct download · no form
