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Category: Microsoft Audit

Microsoft License Audits: Top 5 FAQs and Answers

Like most others in the software development business, Microsoft does not sell its products. Rather, it licenses them. Ensuring that customers maintain compliance with licensing agreements is the motivation behind conducting regular audits. Rest assured that a Microsoft license audit is not something to take lightly. Microsoft audits are par for the course at Miro Consulting. Given that Microsoft is the most common software brand utilized by organizations worldwide, we make it our business to stay abreast with auditing policies, […]

Is Licensing Copilot for Microsoft 365 Worth the Cost?

Microsoft has done an abrupt about face by making Copilot, its generative AI tool, available to just about everyone who uses Microsoft 365. However, Copilot is not free. Anyone wishing to access it in Microsoft 365 – whether for professional or personal use – must pay for a license. Here is the question: is licensing Copilot worth the cost? As with all Microsoft products, Copilot is subject to compliance verification. A typical Microsoft license audit will account for every use […]

Microsoft Products Reaching End-of-Life in or by September 2024

As an ongoing effort, Miro will deliver the Microsoft products reaching end-of-life (EOL) in or by September 2024 in a clear, concise way. There are two (2) things that are very important – and potentially critical – to your organization: We wanted to call your attention to the classic Azure Cloud Services and to Year 2 of the Extended Security Updates for SQL Server 2012.   Azure Cloud Services Microsoft gives its customers two (2) choices for its classic Azure […]

Microsoft Products Reaching End-of-Life in or by March 2024

As an ongoing effort, Miro will deliver the Microsoft products reaching end-of-life (EOL) in or by March 2024 in a clear, concise way. Three (3) things are very important – and potentially critical – to your organization: Many of the listed products pertain to Windows Server. But we wanted to call your attention to Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2. Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 These versions of Windows Server begin their Extended Security Updates (ESU) for servers under […]

Microsoft Products Reaching End-of-Life in or by October 2023

As an ongoing effort, Miro will deliver the Microsoft products reaching end-of-life (EOL) in or by October 2023 in a clear, concise way. Two (2) things are very important – and potentially critical – to your organization: Microsoft Office 2019 Including Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac and all the applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, the EOL is October 2023. That is this October! And this is for Mainstream Support. The Extended Support end is currently two (2) […]

8 Microsoft Audit Triggers

Microsoft Audits – Learn what 8 things are likely to trigger a Microsoft Audit in 2023 Don’t be fooled by Microsoft’s announcements on reducing their audits.  They have continued to audit their customers throughout the pandemic and beyond. While the recent COVID pandemic may have altered things a little, audits continue as usual. Despite Microsoft’s return on investment falling off in their 2022 fiscal year, their revenue, gross margin, and operating income all increased in the 17%+ area. So why […]

10 Signs of a Fake Microsoft Audit

Warning: When you wisely refuse to participate in a Fake Microsoft Audit, the unscrupulous Microsoft Reseller will often contact Microsoft and tell them to audit you for real.  If you received a solicitation like the one below, now is the time to make sure your fully compliant with Microsoft’s Licensing policies before you are hit with the real thing.  Learn more here. Do you know how to spot a fake Microsoft Audit?  Learn the 10 Signs of a Fake Microsoft […]

10 Microsoft Licensing Mistakes That Might Cost You Your Job

Virtualization Policy Errors Mistake – Virtualization polices can affect licensing for Microsoft products such as SQL Server, when moving instances in a cluster (“License Mobility”), or if hardware features such as hyperthreading are turned on. Example – A large multi-market media company was using hyperthreading without realizing it doubled their licensing needs. Miro showed them how to fix the problem and the solution saved them $10 million over three years. Lacking a Software Compliance Policy Mistake – Not having a […]

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