Up to 30% of software spend is wasted: how to audit the licenses and subscriptions of your Mexico operation before October

On September 17, the Latin American IT outlet ITSitio reported that up to 30% of what companies spend on software goes to licenses nobody uses, duplicate subscriptions and auto-renewals nobody reviewed. In our experience with foreign companies running a plant, warehouse or office in Mexico, the local site is where that waste hides best.

There is also a useful deadline. On October 13, 2026 Office 2021 and Windows Server 2022 reach the end of their support, so many companies will be buying anyway. Better to sit down at that table knowing exactly what your Mexico operation has.

Where the 30% hides in a Mexico subsidiary

Picture the site in Monterrey. The accountant who left in March still has an active Microsoft 365 mailbox, and a license billed every month. The local manager bought Adobe with the company card two years ago and HQ never saw it. Sales uses Zoom because the Mexican team prefers it, while everyone also pays for Teams.

None of these leaks is big on its own. Together, across a 40 person site, they show up.

What we find most often:

• Accounts of former employees never removed, often because offboarding happens at HQ and nobody tells the local admin.
• Everyone on the same premium plan, though half only need email.
• Antivirus seats (per device licenses) bought for the headcount you had when the site opened.
• Local tools that duplicate what the global tenant already includes.
• Annual auto-renewals charged to a Mexican card or paid through a local reseller.

How to build the real inventory

You do not need special tooling. You need a sheet with four columns: tool, licenses paid, active users and renewal date.

Then go portal by portal. Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace show the last sign-in for every user; accounts idle for 90 days are your ghosts. The antivirus console lists connected devices. Adobe and most SaaS tools (software paid by monthly or yearly subscription) have a users tab.

Cross that with the local card statements and the invoices from the Mexican reseller for the last twelve months. That is where the subscriptions nobody remembered appear, often in pesos and outside the global procurement process.

What to compare	Where to look	Sign of waste
Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace licenses	Admin center, active users	Accounts with no sign-in for 90 days
Antivirus seats	Vendor console	More seats than devices
Adobe and other SaaS tools	Users tab in each portal	People who left or never logged in
Auto-renewals	Local card statements and reseller invoices	Charges nobody recognizes

Mix plans instead of giving everyone the same one

The most expensive habit we see is one plan for everyone. The receptionist, the warehouse clerk and the finance director do not need the same thing.

Microsoft and Google let you mix plans inside one tenant. People who only use email and Teams can sit on a basic plan. People who live in Excel need the desktop apps. Shared mailboxes such as the sales or invoicing inbox need no license in Microsoft 365 when configured as shared.

One Mexico-specific point: decide whether the site buys through the global agreement or locally. Local resellers invoice in MXN with CFDI (the Mexican electronic invoice), which your local accountant needs. Global agreements often have better unit prices. Mixing both without a rule is how duplicates are born.

October: renegotiate instead of just renewing

On October 13, 2026 Office 2021 reaches end of support and Windows Server 2022 leaves mainstream support. If your Mexico site still runs either, someone will be buying licenses this fall.

Our opinion: do not renew blind. Arrive with the inventory and ask for the complete package with the licenses you actually use. If the site moves to Microsoft 365, you may no longer need a separate antivirus or a second video tool. That is the moment to consolidate.

Let's talk

And at your Mexico site?

If nobody has ever crossed active users against paid licenses at the Mexican site, you are very likely paying for something nobody uses. Even if it is not 30%, the afternoon it takes pays for itself.

At ProcessBi the licensing audit and the subscription consolidation are part of the support plan. We tell you what the site has, what is redundant and what to buy, without overselling: if a basic plan is enough, that is what we recommend. Invoicing in MXN or USD, reporting in English to HQ.

Ask for your licensing assessment — we reply the same business day.