GLASGOW, 3 October 2026 — Glasgow IT firm Riverbank IT Systems is warning small and medium-sized businesses that Microsoft 365 licence waste has become one of the most common — and most avoidable — drains on their technology budgets.
Through its continuous IT audit — a rolling review of licences, subscriptions, support contracts and cloud spend — the firm says it keeps finding the same pattern: M365 seats still billed for staff who left months ago, licence tiers bought for features nobody uses, and renewals that roll over without anyone checking whether the headcount still matches.
“The zombie licence is real,” says founder Timothy A. “Software billing quietly for people who no longer work there. Nobody checks because nobody owns the bill — until somebody actually reads it.”
Riverbank is careful not to put a headline percentage on the problem — the waste varies business to business — but says the pattern is consistent enough that a short audit almost always turns something up.
“We're not claiming every business is wasting a fortune,” Timothy says. “We're saying most businesses have never had the bill read properly. Sometimes the audit finds real money. Sometimes it finds nothing and we say that too.”
Alongside the audit, the firm provides Microsoft 365 management — licence reviews, tenant security, Intune, Teams and SharePoint administration — plus managed IT support, cyber security, cloud and backup. A free thirty-minute IT cost audit is available to businesses and charities across Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland, with findings delivered in a plain-English written report and no obligation.
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About Riverbank IT Systems: Riverbank IT Systems (Riverbank Solar Ltd, SC557063) is a Glasgow-headquartered managed IT provider with an Edinburgh base, founded by Timothy A. The firm provides 24/7 managed IT support, cyber security, Microsoft 365 management, cloud services, backup and disaster recovery, telecoms and IT consultancy to businesses and charities across Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland.
Contact: Timothy A., Riverbank IT Systems — tel 07967 928551 — https://www.riverbank-systems.com/ — Free IT cost audit: https://www.riverbank-systems.com/free-audit/