Microsoft 365 license usage, cost, and optimization features in ControlUp for Apps are currently in Beta. To join the Beta program, contact your ControlUp representative.
ControlUp for Apps helps you review Microsoft 365 seat usage, license costs, employee activity, and potential savings.
Microsoft 365 seats are often assigned across multiple plans, and assigned plans do not always match how employees use Microsoft 365. By reviewing license usage and service activity, you can identify employees who may be able to move to lower-cost plans and seats that may no longer be needed.
If Microsoft 365 license data has not been added yet, see Set Up Microsoft 365 License Data.
License Changes Are Made in Microsoft 365
ControlUp for Apps provides suggestions but does not make license changes. Review the suggestions, then make any license changes in Microsoft 365.
View Microsoft 365 License Data
Go to Applications > Details, select the Default Microsoft 365 app group, and then select the Licenses tab.
The information available depends on how license data was added:
- API Connection (recommended): Gets license data directly from Microsoft 365. This provides the most complete view, including plans, paid and assigned seats, service activity, costs, and suggestions based on available usage data.
- Manual: License data is entered manually. This provides a basic view of license costs, but does not include Microsoft 365 plan, employee, or service activity data.
Use the Licenses tab to:
- Review the license summary: See estimated monthly cost, potential monthly savings, total paid seats, unassigned seats, and active employees.
- Review plans: Review assigned and active seats, license costs, and potential savings for each plan.
- Update plan costs: Enter the price your organization pays when it differs from the price received from Microsoft.
- Review employee costs: See assigned plans, account state, monthly costs, and potential savings for each employee.
- Review optimization suggestions: Evaluate plan downgrade and seat unassignment suggestions before making changes in Microsoft 365.
- Export data: Download plan or employee data for review outside ControlUp for Apps.
License Summary Cards
The summary cards give you a quick view of Microsoft 365 license costs, seat use, and employee activity.
| Card | Details |
|---|---|
| Estimated monthly cost | Estimated cost of all paid Microsoft 365 seats for one month, based on the cost per seat used for each plan. |
| Potential monthly savings | Estimated monthly savings from unassigned seats and suggestions to move employees to lower-cost plans. |
| Total paid seats | Total number of seats across paid Microsoft 365 plans. Plans without a seat price are not included. |
| Unassigned seats | Paid seats that are not assigned to employees. |
| Active employees | Employees with Microsoft 365 activity detected in the last 30 days. |
All cost and savings calculations use the cost per seat shown for each plan. If this price does not match what your organization pays, you can update the cost per seat.
License Details by Plan
The Plans tab shows seat use, license costs, and potential savings for each Microsoft 365 plan. Use the filters to narrow the plans shown in the table.
| Column | Details |
|---|---|
| Plan | Microsoft 365 plan name. |
| Assigned/Total seats | Number of seats assigned to employees out of the total paid seats. |
| Seats actively in use | Of all paid seats, the percentage assigned to employees with detected Microsoft 365 activity. |
| Cost per seat | Monthly price used to calculate costs for the plan. |
| Estimated monthly cost | Estimated monthly cost for the plan, based on the total paid seats and cost per seat. |
| Potential monthly savings | Estimated monthly savings from removing unassigned seats and moving employees to lower-cost plans. |
| Manage | Opens the plan details, where you can review seat activity and savings suggestions. Users with permission to configure ControlUp for Apps can also update the cost per seat. |
Review Plan Details
Click Manage in the Plans tab to review more information about a plan.
The plan details show:
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Estimated monthly cost: Estimated cost of all paid seats in the plan for one month.
-
Total seats: Total number of paid seats in the plan.
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Seats actively in use: Percentage of total paid seats assigned to employees with detected Microsoft 365 activity.
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Cost per seat: Monthly price used to calculate costs and potential savings for the plan.
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Potential monthly savings: Estimated savings from paid seats that are not assigned and employees who may be able to move to lower-cost plans.
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Savings suggestions: Details about seats that may no longer be needed and possible plan downgrades. Savings suggestions are grouped into:
- Unassign seats: Shows employees whose assigned seats may no longer be needed. Expand Employee activity to review the employees, their last detected activity, and the potential savings.
- Downgrade seats: Shows employees who may be able to move to a lower-cost plan. Expand Employee activity to review the affected employees, or expand Compare plans by service to compare the services included in the current and suggested plans.
Update the Cost per Seat
Update the Cost per Seat
The cost received from Microsoft might not reflect discounts, bundles, or negotiated pricing. Users with permission to configure ControlUp for Apps can enter the price their organization pays.
To update the cost per seat for a plan:
- In the Plans tab, click Manage for the plan.
- Click the edit icon next to the cost per seat.
- Enter the monthly cost per seat.
- Click Save.
The price is marked Custom price, and ControlUp for Apps recalculates all costs and potential savings related to the plan.
To restore the price received from Microsoft, click Reset to default.
Changing the cost per seat affects calculations in ControlUp for Apps only. It does not change the license price or plan configuration in Microsoft 365.
License Details by Employee
The Employees tab shows the plans, license costs, and savings suggestions for each employee.
| Column | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Employee name. |
| Account state | Shows whether the employee’s Microsoft 365 account is enabled or disabled. The state is reported by Microsoft. A disabled account may indicate that the employee is no longer active. |
| Plan(s) | Microsoft 365 plans assigned to the employee. If the employee has more than one plan, click +N to view the remaining plans. |
| Total monthly cost | Estimated monthly cost of all paid plans assigned to the employee. |
| Potential monthly savings | Estimated monthly savings from all cost optimization suggestions for the employee. |
| Cost optimization | Number of suggestions available for the employee. Click the suggestion count to review the details. |
Cost Optimization Suggestions
Cost optimization suggestions help you check whether an employee’s assigned Microsoft 365 plans still fit how they use Microsoft 365. A suggestion can recommend moving the employee to a lower-cost plan or unassigning a seat that may no longer be needed.
In the Employees tab, click the suggestion count in the Cost optimization column to open the suggestions panel. If no suggestions are available, the column shows No suggestions.
Suggestions are based on detected Microsoft 365 activity and the cost per seat used for each plan.
Service Activity Data May Be Limited
Suggestions are based on the Microsoft 365 activity data available to ControlUp for Apps. Some service activity might not be available through the API. A service marked Not tracked does not necessarily mean that it is unused. Review the available activity details before changing licenses in Microsoft 365.
The suggestions panel can show the following outcomes for an assigned plan:
| Outcome | Details |
|---|---|
| Downgrade | The employee may be able to move to a lower-cost plan that includes all services with detected activity. |
| Unassign seat | No Microsoft 365 app activity was detected for the employee in the last 30 or more days. |
| No recommendation | There is not enough usage data to recommend unassigning the seat or moving the employee to another plan. |
In the suggestions panel, you can review:
- Potential savings: Estimated monthly savings if the suggested changes are made in Microsoft 365.
- Current and suggested plans: The employee’s current plan and the suggested lower-cost plan, when a downgrade is available.
- Reason: Explanation of why the change is suggested or why no recommendation is available.
- Service activity: Available activity data for the Microsoft 365 services included in the plan.
Review Service Activity
Service activity shows how the available Microsoft 365 usage data supports a downgrade, unassign-seat, or no-recommendation outcome. Review this information before making license changes in Microsoft 365.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Service | Microsoft 365 service included in the current or suggested plan. Not tracked means that activity data is not available for the service. |
| Status | Shows whether activity was detected for the service. A dash is shown when the activity status is not available. |
| Current plan | Shows whether the service is included in the employee’s current plan. |
| Suggested plan | Shows whether the service is included in the suggested plan. This field is shown only when a downgrade is suggested. |
Export License Data
You can export Microsoft 365 license data for review outside ControlUp for Apps.
In the Plans or Employees tab, click Download CSV to download the data for that tab:
- Plans: Plan-level seat use, costs, and potential savings.
- Employees: Employee-level plan assignments, costs, and potential savings.