Cut your SaaS license costs by 30% with these simple strategies
Benefit from effective IT support
Discover our all-in-one solution
You read that right. 30% !
Reducing your recurring expenses for your tools and applications by almost a third will have a big impact on your IT budget.
Today, software subscriptions (or SaaS) represent a major part of IT spending for businesses.
By analyzing and automating the management of your subscriptions, you can make significant savings while increasing the productivity of your teams.
Curious to see how to optimize your SaaS expenses? Follow the guides!
The following content was developed by our teams and with the support of Corma, the SaaS access and license management platform.
Rzilient x Corma: a 2-in-1 package to cover all your IT needs
Rzilient, IT asset management platform, and Corma, access management platform and licenses are one and the same in order to offer you a simple and effortless experience. The collaboration between our technologies allows you to maintain control over your computer equipment and software with ease.
To find out more, contact our experts now —>
Saas software: an essential that has gone out of control?
Today, the majority of businesses use SaaS software. This adoption is critical for productivity, but it represents a significant portion of IT spending. Did you know that SaaS spending has increased by 450% since 2015 (Finances Online)? And that, on average, a company spends US$8,700 per year and per employee on SaaS software (Vertice).
The rise of SaaS subscriptions
SaaS software now occupies a central place in businesses. Close to 70% of businesses use between 10 and 99 SaaS applications on a daily basis (Blissfully) —showing the growing dependence on online tools, but also the need for an effective management strategy. Without regular monitoring, unused or duplicate licenses can represent up to 30% of SaaS spending (Spendesk).
Unmonitored subscriptions: a hidden financial chasm
According to a study, over 40% of SaaS licenses are underused or unused (Blissfully). These “ghost” licenses alone cost thousands of euros each year. By centralizing and optimizing the management of your licenses, you can reduce your expenses of 15 to 30%.
The keys to effective and economical management of your software subscriptions
The first step in saving money? Sorting ! Here are a few ways to identify superfluous subscriptions and maximize the use of each license.
1. List all SaaS software for which you have an account
A company uses (or does not use, for that matter) an average of 130 SaaS applications. 130! (To sell) So, the first step in optimizing your expenses will then be the detection of all the software and SaaS applications on which you have an account.
2. Analyze the use of each software
Once all the applications have been detected, it will be important to analyze how many active licenses within these apps are actually used by your teams.
At this stage, you may be wondering how to do analysis. How can I check if paid subscriptions are actually being used?
It's simple! The solution, Corma developed it.
Corma offers 100% transparency and visibility on the use of all software within the company. How does that work?
Simple! Corma connects different data sources such as Single Sign On or direct integrations with applications. Combined with data from a simple browser extension, Corma is able to detect any use of professional software applications.
Usage can be detected instantly and will be immediately displayed on the dashboard. The use must take place to be recognized, it usually takes a few days or weeks for the data to be accurate. In the end, not all tools are used on a daily basis, so it is normal for this process to take some time.
3. Detect and eliminate duplicates
As we have seen: an average company uses more than 130 SaaS applications, and several tools often offer similar functionalities. The key is to identify overlaps and reduce duplications.
• Step 1 : Group your applications by category (for example: collaboration tools, CRM, project management).
• Step 2 : Choose one application per category according to needs, and cancel the others to avoid unnecessary expenses.
4. Consolidate and negotiate subscriptions
Software providers are often open to negotiation, especially if you're combining your licenses. For example, consolidating subscriptions within a company can allow you to benefit from discounts ranging from 10 to 20%.
In fact, this is exactly what is made possible thanks to the partnership between Rzilient and Corma. We work hand in hand to offer you the best possible joint price.
By combining your subscriptions, you increase your bargaining power. Close to 26% of businesses having centralized their SaaS purchases have managed to obtain discounts from their suppliers (Flexera).
Automation for effortless software management
Now that we've streamlined your licenses, it's time to implement automations to manage your subscriptions efficiently and sustainably.
Automation 1: Continuous monitoring of SaaS expenses
The implementation of this automation allows you to be alerted as soon as a subscription increases in price or when an automatic renewal is near.
These alerts can help you save up to 15% of your SaaS budget by avoiding unnoticed price increases.
Automation 2: Automatic revocation of unused licenses
The phenomenon of “phantom licenses” (those of employees who have left the company) can represent up to 40% of SaaS spending useless. Thanks to well-thought-out automation, you can immediately revoke the access of outgoing employees.
Since Rzilient, this automation is set up effortlessly ! By creating rules for opening and closing accounts and licenses on your daily SaaS applications, you not only save precious time but also optimize the use of your licences—and therefore your budget.
To find out more, book a 30-minute demo —>
Automation 3: Reports and alerts
Reports and alerts allow you to monitor your spending effortlessly. For example, a monthly report shows you which software is in decline in use, allowing you to cancel or reduce the number of licenses before the end of the next billing cycle.
Concrete examples of businesses that have reduced their software costs
Let's look at two examples of businesses that have succeeded in reduce their software costs by adopting automated management.
Case study: 30% reduction in SaaS spending in one year
A company with 500 employees recently reduced its SaaS expenses by 30% thanks to the optimization of its subscriptions and the automation of their management. After identifying unused software, removing duplicates, and consolidating its subscriptions, the company saved nearly 50,000 euros in one year.
Case in point: Impact of automated license management
An SME has set up a system for automatically revoking licenses for employees leaving the company. Result: she saved 12% of its SaaS budget by avoiding paying for unused subscriptions. The centralization and automated management of its licenses allowed it to better control its expenses.
How can you reduce the costs of your SaaS licenses?
- Perform a complete audit: How many apps do you use in total? Do you have duplicates? Are all licenses in use?
- Set up management automations : Is an employee leaving your organization? Automatically deactivate their subscriptions.
- Raise awareness among your teams and their managers : Do they really need these tools?
- Negotiate your contracts : Can you group certain tools together to centralize and reduce costs? Can you negotiate a package for renewal?
- And finally, keep track of your expenses regularly.
Conclusion - Save money through optimized software management
With effective management of your software subscriptions, you can achieve significant savings and free up resources for other critical projects. An automation and centralization strategy allows you to maintain control over costs and reduce unnecessary expenses.
Ready to save? Start with an audit of your subscriptions and set up automated management tools to simplify the monitoring of your expenses. Optimized software management is the guarantee of long-term savings.
