Unlocking large software savings for an NHS Trust

project results

• Provided visibility and control over software investments
• £79,000 in savings delivered from software assets
• Identified £54,000 worth of “missing” licensing
• Reduction of £15,000 per annum in Windows Server and SQL Server costs.

the challenge

As a Microsoft client, consolidating software licenses is one way to find cost reductions. Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust approached Synyega for support with license consolidation and cost optimisation to lessen some of their financial strain.

how we engaged

With budgets continuing to shrink against the rate of inflation, each Trust must save wherever possible. And any savings a Trust identifies can be used to provide vital care to patients, improving their health outcomes.

Shortly before they signed a new agreement with Microsoft, Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust approached Synyega to establish their financial position and liabilities, and see where they could save money.

our solution

The Trust had a number of products under agreement, but weren’t sure how they were being used across the licences they held, or of the implications for future deployments. To fully assess the situation, Synyega recommended using some of their Discover & Optimise services as this would give the Trust a comprehensive mapping of their current licences.

The key to successful license assessment and deployment across the Trust was the inclusion and buy-in of the client at every key stage, which our team of experts prioritised. The thorough review requires close collaboration and input from the client regarding user profiles and the future needs of the estate.

working with the client

This service requires a tailored approach for each company to get the most from the review. In this instance, the Trust underwent two assessments. The first focused on staff and user-based licences (M365 specifically). The second looked at the server estate in forensic detail to ensure all licences were being used effectively and in the correct way.

client benefits

The two assessments delivered over £79K in assets back to Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust. The first assessment showed the Trust how to eliminate £10K of costs for M365 licences (per annum). The second highlighted where the Trust had paid for licences but they were not appearing across the estate, resulting in licences to the value of £54K being correctly allocated back to the Trust. The analysis also identified more efficient ways to licence the Windows and SQL Servers, leading to savings of £15K per annum.

Once completed, the Discover & Optimise Service was used to identify areas that the Trust needed further help with and where they needed to purchase more licences.

More importantly, it was used to identify the licences that weren’t being used—a key area for the Trust to save money. Moving forward, the solution and savings put the Trust on a firm foundation for managing the licences in the future as they have a clear picture of their current assets and liabilities.