Recession-Proof Your Business: Maximize Savings with Microsoft 365

by TechNet UC

When it comes to turbulence in the economy, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are often hit the hardest, and recent economic indicators suggest a bumpy ride may be coming. While never definitive, some experts are predicting a recession may follow the tumultuous behavior in the stock market, emphasizing the need for organizations of all sizes to optimize their expenditures and eliminate waste. One effective strategy is to fully leverage existing investments, particularly in technology.

Many SMBs may be unaware the Microsoft suite they already have includes robust features for identity and access management (known as IAM), email filtering, security, and data analysis and visualization, potentially rendering many costly third-party services redundant. By unlocking the full potential of Microsoft 365, your team can practice financial resiliency to achieve significant cost savings and enhance operational efficiency.

Leading Microsoft solutions partner, TechNet UC, is about to show you how. Let’s look at the full picture.

The Economic Outlook

As of April 2025, uncertainty looming around trade tariffs and other key economic indicators hint at a potential downturn. The US economy shrank at a .3% annual pace in Q1 2025.  Consumer confidence has taken a hit, with The Conference Board's index falling to its lowest since 2021—and the S&P 500 entered a correction on March 13, 12025, dropping 10% from its peak in February.

Given these developments, it's prudent for SMBs to reassess their financial strategies and seek areas to reduce unnecessary expenses.​

Exploring the Financial Benefits

Transitioning to Microsoft 365's native IAM, email security features and productivity tools can lead to significant cost savings. Let’s explore some examples.

Reduced Subscription Costs

Many organizations unknowingly double-pay for services that Microsoft 365 already includes. By leveraging the platform's full capabilities, businesses can save money by eliminating redundant third-party subscriptions and simplifying their tech stack. For instance:

Antivirus & Endpoint Security: If you're paying for services like McAfee, you may be duplicating functionality already covered by Microsoft Defender, which is included with Microsoft 365.

Reporting & Dashboards: Organizations that subscribe to standalone tools for data visualization can utilize Power BI, which offers advanced analytics and seamless integration with Microsoft applications. Charts and reports are quick and easy.

Scheduling Tools: Many companies pay for scheduling assistants, unaware that Copilot in Microsoft 365 includes built-in scheduling support integrated directly with Outlook and Teams.

Video Conferencing & AI Notetakers: Subscriptions to tools like Zoom or dedicated meeting transcription services are unnecessary when Microsoft Teams with Copilot handle detailed notetaking, recaps and task assignments. Never take written meeting notes again.

Maximizing Microsoft 365 Investments

The key is optimizing all of M365’s features. Let’s go deeper on a few examples we referenced above.

Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Microsoft 365 offers comprehensive IAM capabilities through Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory), which include a few key features to note. If you subscribe to other SaaS solutions for any of these functions, you may not need to, because they’re built into M365.

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Enhances security by requiring multiple forms of verification, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.​

Conditional Access Policies: Allows businesses to control access based on specific conditions such as user location, device compliance, and risk level.​

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Enables precise control over user permissions, ensuring employees have access only to the resources necessary for their roles.​

By configuring these features, teams can effectively manage user identities and access without relying on external IAM solutions. ​

Email Filtering and Protection

Microsoft Defender for Office 365 provides robust email security features. Here are a few you want to take advantage of:

Anti-Phishing Protection: Identifies and blocks phishing attempts, safeguarding sensitive information.​

Anti-Malware Protection: Scans email attachments and links to detect and neutralize malicious content.​

Spam Filtering: Reduces inbox clutter by filtering out unwanted bulk emails.​

These built-in tools eliminate the need for separate email security services, leading to significant cost savings in the long-term.

Steps to Optimize Microsoft 365 Features

To fully utilize Microsoft 365's IAM and email security capabilities, consider the following steps as outlined by our experts:

1. Conduct a Needs Assessment: Evaluate your organization's security requirements and identify any overlapping functionalities between Microsoft 365 and third-party services.​
2. Review Current Configurations: Examine existing Microsoft 365 settings to ensure that security features are properly configured and active.​
3. Implement Best Practices:

• Enable MFA for All Users–This is a fundamental step in securing user accounts.​
• Define Conditional Access Policies–Set rules that align with your organization's security posture.​
• Regularly Review Access Permissions–Ensure that employees have appropriate access levels based on their current roles.​

1. Train Employees: Educate staff on security protocols and the importance of adhering to best practices.​ A trusted third party Microsoft solutions provider can help facilitate these trainings as well as provide one-on-one assistance with a 24/7 helpline.
2. Monitor and Audit: Regularly monitor system activity and conduct audits to detect and respond to potential security incidents promptly.​

By systematically assessing and configuring Microsoft 365's built-in features, small-to-medium-sized businesses can enhance their security posture while reducing reliance on external services.​

These overlapping services can lead to bloated IT budgets and increased vendor management complexity. Work smarter, not harder, by consolidating under Microsoft 365 to reduce financial risk, simplify procurement, and free up resources for other strategic investments.

Our specialized Microsoft solutions team can help you uncover savings with a customized audit to identify overlapping subscriptions, showing how your organization can maximize ROI by fully utilizing what you already have in the arsenal.

Simplified IT Management

Managing a unified system reduces administrative overhead and associated costs by bringing monitoring, maintenance, and support under one “roof”. Plus, with reduced troubleshooting and compatibility issues between systems, IT staff can redirect their efforts toward innovation and other strategic projects, rather than spending valuable time resolving conflicts between mismatched technologies.

Enhanced Productivity

Integrated tools within Microsoft 365 streamline workflows and minimize the time employees spend switching between applications. Additionally, automated security and identity management processes enhance system reliability, reducing downtime and maintaining high productivity levels. We can all agree that utilizing the built-in features rather than piecing together multiple tools saves everyone time and money.

Seeking Assistance From a U.S. Based Team of Software Experts

While the benefits are clear, navigating the complexities of Microsoft 365's full features can be challenging. Engaging with certified professionals that add immense value without the outrageous price tag, like the ones at TechNet UC will ensure a smooth transition and optimal configuration.​

As a premier Microsoft Solutions Partner, our experts specialize in assisting SMBs across the industries of life sciences, finance, education, government and many more to unlock the full potential of their Microsoft investments and identify hidden opportunities for cost savings.

As economic uncertainties continue to loom, don’t let your team get caught in the storm without a life raft. Proactively seek strategies to recession-proof your operations by fully utilizing the IAM, email security and productivity features within Microsoft 365. In doing so, you can rest assured that your business will eliminate unnecessary expenditures, streamline operations, and keep growing even when it feels like the outside factors in the marketplace are unpredictable. Fill out form today to get started!