Cloud/SaaS Cost Creep - Monthly Tidy‑Up Checklist
A vendor-neutral routine to keep cloud/SaaS spend predictable - focused on licences, renewals, duplicates, and storage growth.
Governance Cost Control Ops
How to use this
- Run the tidy-up monthly (15 minutes).
- Assign one owner for renewals and approvals.
- Track savings and stop surprises before renewals.
Tip: You don’t need perfect. You need a repeatable baseline and evidence it’s working.
Monthly SaaS cost tidy-up (15 minutes)
- Leaver cleanup: remove licences within 24-48 hours of a departure (no exceptions).
- Paid vs used seats: compare active users to paid seats for top subscriptions.
- Duplicate tools: identify overlapping tools and consolidate where sensible.
- Renewal calendar: confirm every subscription has an owner and renewal date.
- Storage creep: review storage growth and retention rules (avoid uncontrolled growth).
Owner-friendly metrics (“what good looks like”)
| Metric | Target | Notes |
|---|
| Leaver licence removal time | < 48 hours | Biggest easy win for most SMEs. |
| Unused seats | Minimise | Track top 10 subs; right-size monthly. |
| Renewals with an owner | 100% | No silent auto-renew surprises. |
| Subscription sprawl | Controlled | Prefer fewer tools that are used well. |
Subscription register (copy/paste)
Use this as a simple register. You can keep it in a spreadsheet.
| Subscription | Owner | Monthly cost | Paid seats | Active seats | Renewal date | Action |
|---|
| Example SaaS | | | | | | Keep / reduce / cancel |
Leaver quick checklist (same day)
- Disable the account and revoke sessions (security + licensing).
- Transfer ownership of mailbox/files/accounts.
- Remove licences and paid add-ons.
- Remove access to finance/CRM/vendor portals.
Common gotchas
- Staff buy tools on a card and no one tracks it - subscriptions become invisible.
- Auto-renewals roll forward even if usage drops.
- Multiple tools overlap because “we already had it” - consolidate to reduce noise and cost.
Note: This document is general operational guidance and does not replace legal advice. It helps you establish a practical baseline and reduce common privacy risks.
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