AI is at the forefront of today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape and top of mind for IT leaders worldwide. AI tools demand a robust foundation that improves security and privacy to keep organizations protected. Combining this secure foundation with productivity tools will empower employees to take full advantage of the potential of AI. As organizations embrace AI and productivity tools to transform their businesses, their IT infrastructures must continue to evolve to keep pace. Microsoft 365 E3, Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft 365 Copilot play pivotal roles in this transformation, fostering a culture of innovation and accelerating business outcomes—essential for modern IT infrastructure.
A new 2025 Total Economic Impact™ study conducted by Forrester Consulting, commissioned by Microsoft, found that adopting Microsoft 365 E3 provides the composite organization, which is a representative of the interviewees’ and survey respondents’ organizations, a three-year return on investment of 197 percent and a payback period of less than six months. It also allows the composite organization to realize benefits of USD153.21 million over three years versus a cost of USD51.65 million, adding up to a net present value (NPV) of USD101.56 million. The study also highlights how organizations can boost productivity for end-users and IT teams; elevate security to reduce the likelihood of breaches; and reduce IT costs while also reducing complexity by adopting Microsoft 365 E3, Teams, and Microsoft 365 Copilot:
- Boost productivity and enhance business outcomes. In the quest to maximize efficiency and increase performance, many organizations are exploring the benefits of more comprehensive productivity and AI solutions. By transitioning to Microsoft 365 E3 and Teams, the composite organization can achieve end-user productivity savings of more than 70 hours per year. They were able to gain productivity savings of an additional 108 hours per year for each Microsoft 365 Copilot user in the organization. An energy customer noted, “The collaboration benefits we get on Microsoft 365 [E3] and Microsoft Teams are second to none.” Productivity enhancements also extended to IT operations with the composite organization saving more than 25,000 hours on endpoint deployment and management. This reduction in IT burden gave the composite organization the opportunity to shift some of its IT resources’ focus to projects that more directly impact business outcomes, like building line of business applications. These productivity gains, coupled with cost savings, highlight the strategic value of Microsoft 365 E3 alongside Teams and Microsoft 365 Copilot.
- Elevate security and reduce the likelihood of breaches. In this era of digital transformation and AI, elevating security is paramount for organizations making the move to the cloud and deploying AI solutions. More specifically, moving to Microsoft 365 E3 and deploying included features such as Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P1, Microsoft Entra ID P1, and Microsoft Purview capabilities, the composite organization is able to reduce the likelihood of breaches on addressable threats by 50%. Interviewees also stated that Microsoft’s security reputation influenced their investment decisions, while Microsoft’s solutions provided their organization with the tools they needed to enable secure remote work, manage Shadow IT, protect business information, safeguard their endpoints, and much more. A pharmaceuticals customer shared, “As a pharmaceutical company, security is a very important pillar of our IT strategy… [functionality] like multifactor authentication and self-service password reset [through Microsoft 365 E3] are very valuable features.” Embracing robust security measures not only fortifies an organization’s defenses but also instills confidence in rolling out AI solutions like Microsoft 365 Copilot.
- Reduce costs and optimize IT enablement. In addition to boosting productivity and elevating security, Microsoft 365 E3 is instrumental in improving IT infrastructure and management capabilities. Optimizing IT infrastructure using the IT management tools in Microsoft 365 E3 helped the composite organization reduce support tickets by 45% and improve their resolution time by 21%. The composite organization was also able to consolidate multiple vendor solutions into a comprehensive suite with Microsoft 365 E3 and Teams, allowing them to eliminate redundant licenses and reduce infrastructure support costs. This gave the composite organization a vendor consolidation savings of USD60 per user per month. An automotive customer noted, “[With Microsoft 365 E3] we need fewer IT administrators, fewer developers—fewer people doing regular IT operations and patching because all of that is taken care of by Microsoft. These people now [focus on] ensuring we’re working according to the requirements of the business. The nature of our work has changed.” By adopting Microsoft 365 E3, organizations can start to streamline their IT operations, save costs, and reduce complexities. These cost savings and operational optimizations are essential for organizations to maximize their investments while fostering a more resilient and agile IT environment.
In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, Microsoft 365 E3 emerges as a transformative solution, empowering organizations to enhance productivity, bolster security, and optimize IT operations while seamlessly integrating AI capabilities. This comprehensive suite not only reduces costs and complexity but also lays a robust foundation for future innovation and growth.
Transform your organization with Microsoft 365 E3
Forrester Consulting’s Total Economic Impact™ study indicates that Microsoft 365 E3 offers significant advantages for organizations transitioning to the cloud and integrating artificial intelligence. The combination of cost savings, enhanced productivity, improved security, and support for hybrid work positions Microsoft 365 E3, along with Teams and Microsoft 365 Copilot, as optimal choices for enterprises aiming to enhance their long-term efficiency and innovation within a digital and AI-focused environment.
Don’t wait to transform your organization and unlock the full potential of AI with Microsoft 365 E3 and Copilot. Read the full Total Economic Impact of Microsoft 365 E3 study to learn more.
