How Climate Asset Management Reduced Microsoft Licensing Costs by 10 – 15%

Climate Asset Management reduced Microsoft licensing costs by around 10–15% with HappyWired. More importantly, the organisation gained clearer control of its licensing estate, better visibility of renewals and subscriptions, and a more flexible model that could adapt as the business changed.

Context

Climate Asset Management is a specialist asset manager focused on natural capital and carbon markets. Founded as a joint venture between Pollination and HSBC Asset Management, the business was created to support a developing asset class focused on sustainability, carbon credits and socio-economic impact.

The organisation operates across two main strategies. Its natural capital strategy focuses on acquiring and managing assets in line with investment, sustainability and impact objectives. Its carbon strategy works with landowners and project owners to generate carbon credits through nature-based interventions such as reforestation, mangrove planting and other land management approaches.

As a growing organisation in a developing market, Climate Asset Management has built its technology strategy around simplicity, supportability and interoperability. Microsoft sits at the centre of that approach.

“Our technology strategy is really simplicity, supportability and interoperability. You get all of those things with Microsoft off the shelf.” — Dominic Diggins, Director of IT, Climate Asset Management

HappyWired was originally introduced to Climate Asset Management to support the development of digital tools and workflows across the Microsoft platform. That work included introducing Dynamics 365 to support investor relationship management, pipeline visibility and investment process tracking.

The wider aim was to help Climate Asset Management become more data-led, with information flowing through the organisation rather than sitting across disconnected spreadsheets, documents and systems.

Building on a Microsoft-first strategy

Climate Asset Management’s technology function is deliberately lean. That made the choice of partner important.

The business did not just need a supplier that could configure Microsoft tools. It needed a partner that could understand evolving processes, discuss scope openly, challenge where needed and help the organisation make practical decisions as its systems matured.

Dominic describes HappyWired as a supplier, advisor and delivery partner.

“With the technology team here effectively being limited to just myself, it was very important that we had somebody who was all of those things: supplier, advisor and delivery partner.”
— Dominic Diggins

That balance mattered because Climate Asset Management was not replacing a long-established system with a like-for-like alternative. It was building new processes for a new type of asset management business.

“This wasn’t about looking at an existing system with a view to pulling it out and replacing it. This was a brand new system that had to align with evolving processes we were developing in-house.”
— Dominic Diggins

The right partner needed to be small enough to work flexibly, but experienced enough to guide important decisions. That same principle later became important in licensing.

The licensing challenge

HappyWired initially supplied licensing for the Dynamics 365 layer required to support the business applications being delivered. Over time, the licensing conversation expanded.

Climate Asset Management already had Microsoft licensing in place through its managed service provider. Like many organisations, the licensing estate had grown naturally as the business grew. New users were added, products were assigned and subscriptions renewed.

The issue was not that anything was obviously broken. The issue was visibility.

Dominic had access to invoices and could see what the business was paying, but that did not necessarily answer the more important question: was the organisation getting value for money?

Microsoft licensing can be difficult to assess without specialist knowledge. Products overlap. Bundles change. New plans become available. Add-ons may duplicate functionality already available elsewhere. Annual commitments may reduce unit cost, but reduce flexibility. Monthly licensing gives more control, but usually costs more.

For Climate Asset Management, the challenge was understanding the right mix.

“Licensing is often an area that just gets overlooked. We didn’t really have much visibility on whether it was value for money.”
— Dominic Diggins

As a smaller organisation operating in a specialist market, cost control mattered. Dominic wanted to take a more active role in managing licensing, both from a financial perspective and from an operational one.

Why licensing needed more than procurement

The licensing review was not treated as a procurement exercise.

For Climate Asset Management, the important shift was treating licensing as something to be actively managed, not simply renewed. The business did not just need a cheaper route to Microsoft licences. It needed to understand what it owned, what people were using, where there was waste, and how future licensing decisions would affect cost, flexibility and capability.

A procurement-led approach would have focused mainly on price and renewal. HappyWired’s approach started with how Climate Asset Management actually used Microsoft technology, what different users needed, and how licensing choices affected functionality, flexibility and long-term value.

Because HappyWired already understood the organisation’s Microsoft environment, Dynamics 365 implementation and wider technology strategy, the licensing conversation could be more practical.

The review looked at the existing licensing footprint, billing arrangements, subscription dates, product mix and user requirements. It also considered how Climate Asset Management wanted to operate as a Microsoft-first organisation, including its adoption of Copilot across the business.

Dominic explains that the value came from turning an overwhelming set of licensing choices into a clear decision-making process.

“It is an overwhelming entry point. You look at the different providers, billing accounts, users and licence structures and think, ‘I need to fix this, but where do I start?’ HappyWired providing that transparency made the decision much easier.”
— Dominic Diggins

The review helped Climate Asset Management define a standard user profile, understand where exceptions were needed, and decide which licences should sit on annual commitment versus monthly flexibility.

That last point was particularly important. The cheapest theoretical licensing model is not always the best commercial model. If too much is locked into annual commitment, the organisation may create waste when headcount changes.

“It was about finding the right balance of risk and savings.”
— Dominic Diggins

HappyWired’s approach

HappyWired began with a licensing scan and audit. This gave Climate Asset Management an initial view of what was in place, how licences were structured and where savings could be achieved.

That early visibility was important because it created a practical starting point.

Rather than asking CAM to manually work through billing accounts, product names, user assignments and Microsoft licensing options, HappyWired presented a clear picture of the current position and the potential improvement.

“Seeing that end goal really focuses you. You come back and think, this is important, we can actually do this and it is quite easy.”
— Dominic Diggins

From there, HappyWired worked with Dominic to refine the licensing model. The objective was not simply to reduce cost. It was to create a licensing structure that made sense for the business.

That included:

• reviewing existing Microsoft subscriptions and billing accounts
• identifying where licensing could be simplified
• considering better-fit Microsoft bundles
• balancing annual commitment with monthly flexibility
• supporting Copilot adoption through appropriate licensing
• creating a clearer standard user profile
• allowing for exceptions based on business role
• improving visibility of renewal dates and contract terms

The process also considered the practical risk of moving licensing from one provider to another. For a Microsoft-first organisation, a poorly managed transition could have created disruption. Users could have lost access to core systems if licences were cancelled or reassigned incorrectly.

HappyWired planned the transition carefully, advising on renewal dates, cancellation points and the correct sequencing of changes.

Dominic had not previously managed a whole-company licensing cancellation and reprovisioning exercise. The process needed to be clear enough for him to trust.

“I had never gone through a licensing cancellation and reprovisioning for an entire company. That carried risk for me, because if we got it wrong, very senior people could suddenly be locked out of their Microsoft account.”
— Dominic Diggins

The transition was completed smoothly.

“For me personally, it was probably less than half an hour’s work and a few emails. It transitioned across exactly as you said it would, with no issues at all.”
— Dominic Diggins

The outcome

The licensing review and transition gave Climate Asset Management a more controlled, visible and flexible way to manage Microsoft licensing.

The financial outcome was clear. The review identified a more appropriate licensing structure and delivered an annual saving of around 10–15%.

But the more important long-term change was control. Climate Asset Management now has a clearer view of its licensing estate, including subscriptions, renewal dates, available licences and where there is spare capacity.

That visibility has changed how licensing is managed day to day. Dominic can now make more informed decisions as part of joiners and leavers processes, rather than treating each licence change as a separate request or relying on a less visible model managed elsewhere.

“Because I now have control over the licences, I know exactly where the slack is and where the fat is in the licensing.”
— Dominic Diggins

When someone leaves, CAM can see what has been unassigned and decide whether to retain the licence for an upcoming joiner or reduce the subscription. That creates a more deliberate approach to licence management.

The licensing portal also gives Climate Asset Management a clearer operational view. Both CAM and HappyWired can see the same licensing position, which makes future conversations easier.

“It is not just the advice and guidance through the process. It is the awareness I now have, and the knowledge that the advice and guidance is always a phone call away.”
— Dominic Diggins

Why the relationship mattered

The project worked because the licensing advice was grounded in how Climate Asset Management actually uses Microsoft technology.

HappyWired was already involved in the design and configuration of business systems across Dynamics 365 and the wider Microsoft ecosystem. That meant licensing could be considered in context, rather than treated as a separate purchasing task.

For CAM, the question was not simply, “Which licences are cheapest?”

The better question was: “Which licensing model gives the business the right capability, the right flexibility and the right commercial outcome?”

That is where Microsoft licensing becomes more than procurement. It affects security, collaboration, data access, Copilot adoption, user experience and the way business applications are built.

Dominic summarises the value clearly:

“Most people running technology teams are not experts in licensing and will have no idea if they are getting value for money. This process took that task out of my hands and came back very quickly with where we could save money.”
— Dominic Diggins

The relationship has also expanded. What began as support for Microsoft platform configuration and business process development now includes ongoing licensing advice and licence supply.

For Climate Asset Management, that gives continuity. HappyWired understands the organisation’s systems, licensing footprint and wider technology direction, which makes future licensing decisions easier to assess.

Advice for other organisations

When asked what he would say to another organisation that has not reviewed its Microsoft licensing for a while, Dominic’s answer was simple:

“Don’t be scared. Do it.”
— Dominic Diggins

For many small and mid-sized organisations, licensing can feel too complex to tackle properly. IT teams are usually focused on keeping systems running, managing cyber risk, supporting users and delivering change. They rarely have dedicated licensing specialists or procurement teams with deep Microsoft licensing knowledge.

That is exactly where an advisory-led review can help.

“Small to medium sized businesses would absolutely benefit from your advisory service and being able to transition across to cost-effective licence management.”
— Dominic Diggins

Summary

Climate Asset Management’s licensing review was not just about reducing spend, although the commercial outcome was significant.

The bigger change was control.

The organisation now has clearer visibility of its Microsoft licensing estate, a more appropriate licence mix, better flexibility around headcount changes and direct access to ongoing advice from a partner that understands its Microsoft environment.

For a Microsoft-first business building its operations around data, automation and AI, that matters.

Licensing is not just an invoice line. It is part of how the platform works.