Tenant Configuration Backup: What Microsoft Covers, and For How Long
Microsoft backs up tenant configuration and keeps up to seven days of history. Here is what that covers, what it does not, and how to close the gap.
Blog category
Microsoft 365
Licensing, usage alignment, reclaim opportunities, and operational clarity.
Blog category
Most Microsoft 365 estates carry licences nobody uses, duplicated plans, and leavers who still hold a seat. These articles look at licence alignment, reclaim opportunities, and the operational work that keeps a tenant tidy: joiner and leaver handling, usage reporting, security posture, and Copilot readiness. They are written for the people who have to justify renewal numbers and answer an audit, not only for the admins who run the console.
Guide index by topic
Why Your Intune Device Count Is Wrong
Intune device cleanup rules hide stale devices instead of deleting them. Reconcile Intune, Entra and your asset list before somebody asks for evidence.
How Long Your Microsoft 365 Security Evidence Actually Lasts
Entra logs keep 30 days and Purview Audit Standard keeps 180. Your Cyber Essentials cycle is 365. Here is how to prove a setting held all year.
Automate Microsoft 365 Offboarding with Entra Lifecycle Workflows
Automate Microsoft 365 offboarding with Entra ID Lifecycle Workflows: leaver templates, tasks, scheduling and the licence you actually need.
How to Find Inactive Microsoft 365 Users and the Licences They Hold
Find inactive Microsoft 365 users with Entra sign-in activity and a Get-MgUser PowerShell script, then decide which licences to reclaim, downgrade or keep.
Start a Free EtherInsights Trial, You Could Win a £50 Amazon Voucher
Start a free 14-day EtherInsights trial before 15 October 2026 and you could win one of four £50 Amazon vouchers. UK entrants only, no purchase necessary.
Cyber Essentials v3.3: The Microsoft 365 Auto-Fail Checklist
The Danzell question set introduced auto-fail MFA questions and a cloud services definition. Here is what to check in Microsoft 365 before you submit.
What Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 Actually Gained in July 2026
Microsoft repriced Microsoft 365 on 1 July 2026 and moved what sits inside E3 and E5. Check whether you are still paying for an add-on you now already own.
What MSPs Should Report Every Month to Prove Microsoft 365 Value
A monthly Microsoft 365 report pack MSPs can send every customer: licence reclaim, security posture, device health, ticket trends, spend, and next actions.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Readiness for MSPs: A White-Label Assessment and Remediation Playbook
A Copilot readiness playbook for MSPs: assess licensing and data access across customer tenants and scope billable remediation work.
How to Find and Fix Oversharing Before Enabling Copilot: SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams
Find and fix oversharing across SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams before enabling Copilot, using the reports and controls that make cleanup stick.
How to Track and Prove Cloud Cost Savings
Track cloud cost savings with confidence: set a defensible baseline, record every action, measure like for like, and report a savings ledger that holds up.
Microsoft 365 Business Premium vs E3 vs E5: Getting the Plan Mix Right
How to choose between Microsoft 365 Business Premium, E3 and E5, segment users into cohorts, and mix plans in one tenant to match cost to real need.
Microsoft 365 Offboarding Checklist: Stop Paying for Leavers
A step-by-step Microsoft 365 offboarding checklist: block sign-in, revoke sessions, convert the mailbox to shared, hand over OneDrive, and remove the licence.
How to Find Unused Microsoft 365 Licences (and Reclaim Them)
Find unused Microsoft 365 licences with the admin centre and Get-MgSubscribedSku, tell unassigned from dormant seats, and run a monthly reclaim loop.
How to Reduce Microsoft 365 and Azure Costs: 9 Practical Steps
Nine practical steps to reduce Microsoft 365 and Azure costs: reclaim unused licences, right-size VMs, clear idle resources, and fix your plan mix.
EfficientEther Expands EtherInsights with Security, Copilot Readiness, and Endpoint Assessments
EfficientEther expands EtherInsights with Microsoft 365 security posture, Copilot readiness, and endpoint assessments that return scored findings in minutes.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Readiness Assessment: A Practical Checklist
A four-pillar Copilot readiness assessment covering licensing prerequisites, security and oversharing, data governance, and adoption, with a checklist for each.
Mapping Microsoft 365 Settings to Cyber Essentials and ISO 27001
A practical mapping of Microsoft 365, Entra, and Intune settings to the Cyber Essentials controls and ISO 27001:2022 Annex A controls your auditors ask about.
Why Monthly Cloud Reporting Leaves Spend Unchallenged
Monthly cloud reporting shows what was billed, but spend control needs proof of unused licences, idle Azure capacity, and named next actions.
Northamber Signs Distribution Agreement with EfficientEther
Northamber signs a UK distribution agreement with EfficientEther, making EtherInsights and EtherAssist available to its reseller network.
EfficientEther Launches EtherInsights Globally
EtherInsights launches globally with Microsoft 365 and Azure cost optimisation, savings insight, device visibility, and ESG reporting.
EfficientEther Announces EtherInsights: Early Adoption Now Open
EfficientEther unveils EtherInsights, an AI-powered platform for understanding and optimising Microsoft 365 and Azure cloud spend. Early adoption is now open.
Product mapping
EtherInsights
Manage Windows 365 day to day, from deployment to configuration, drift, and migration evidence, and find Microsoft 365 and Azure waste and prove savings, all from the same operating view.