Rising technology costs are becoming one of the biggest challenges for IT departments in 2025. Organisations – regardless of industry – are facing efficiency pressures while maintaining service availability and quality. More and more managers are coming to the conclusion that optimisation is not just about cuts, but about managing resources wisely. In the area of software, this means taking a closer look at what employees actually use and what is an unnecessary burden on the budget.
Trends in IT cost optimisation
Three approaches to controlling technology spending come to the fore in 2025.
Firstly, companies are focusing on consolidating IT tools and services. In practice, this means moving away from redundant applications and choosing solutions that combine multiple functions. Well-planned consolidation reduces the number of licence agreements, simplifies management and reduces training or integration costs.
Secondly, renegotiating contracts with suppliers is becoming increasingly popular. Organisations are reviewing their real needs vis-à-vis services and products that have often been bought in excess or for stock. This is particularly important with long-term contracts, where ‘hidden’ costs can build up over years.
The third trend is the automation of processes – from user support to infrastructure management. Artificial intelligence-supported tools help IT departments diagnose problems faster, reduce time-consuming administrative tasks and allow better forecasting of resource requirements.
Against this backdrop, the importance of software lifecycle and licence management is also becoming increasingly clear. This is an area where companies can find hidden financial reserves without sacrificing quality or functionality.
The most common organisational mistakes
Although many companies claim to have control procedures in place, in practice licence management is sometimes fragmented. The most common errors are:
- unused licences that remain in the budget even though employees do not use them,
- overlapping subscriptions when different departments buy similar solutions in several variants,
- lack of audits to uncover excess costs and verify the legitimacy of products held.
As a result, there is a growing scale of so-called software waste, which analysts estimate can reach from a dozen to even tens of per cent of the IT budget in medium and large organisations.
Experts emphasise that a responsible approach to licensing allows a significant proportion of expenditure to be recovered. Jakub Sulak, CEO of Forscope – the largest software broker in Central and Eastern Europe – points out that the problem of unused resources is widespread.
“Many companies still fail to recognise how much of a burden unused or mismanaged licences are on their budgets. Meanwhile, all it takes is an audit, proper allocation of existing resources, and consolidation of subscriptions to unlock hidden savings and allocate resources for growth. With the support of an experienced partner, costs can be reduced by up to 70%, without losing functionality or quality of service.” – says Jakub Sulak, CEO of Forscope
This approach allows companies not only to reduce current expenditure, but also to prepare for the years ahead, when technology will generate increasing financial needs.
Compliance as a foundation
A second, equally important aspect is legal compliance. Many organisations – especially under cost pressures – can be tempted by quick but risky solutions. As Jakub Sulak notes:
“Seemingly quick fixes, such as using illegal software, often lead to costly problems and downtime. Only verified licences, backed up by complete documentation, provide a guarantee of security and reliability, and the savings achieved are real and sustainable in the long term thanks to them.”
The risk of using illegal or poorly documented software can translate not only into financial sanctions, but also loss of reputation and customer trust. In the age of the digital economy, where data and security are a key value, compliance is becoming one of the pillars of a long-term IT strategy.
Market perspective
The phenomenon of IT cost rationalisation is not exclusive to Poland. Across Europe, there is a trend towards finding savings through better licence and software lifecycle management. Industry data shows that companies that have introduced regular audits and licence optimisation strategies reduce their expenditure by an average of several tens of per cent.
Furthermore, in an increasing number of organisations, consultancy partners and software brokers are playing a key role in helping to verify legality, carry out cost analyses and propose alternative software acquisition models.
Optimising IT budgets in 2025 is not so much about reducing costs as it is about regaining control of resources. In the software area, the greatest reserves lie in responsible licence management, systematic audits and subscription consolidation.
As practice shows, companies can cut expenses by up to 70 per cent in this way – without sacrificing service quality or security. Two pillars remain key: economic efficiency and legal compliance, which combine to provide sustainable and predictable savings.
