The verdict in three sentences
For a Toronto IT department managing 700 endpoints, an IT asset and licence management app costs 30,000 to 70,000 CAD as a custom build, or roughly 12,000 to 30,000 CAD for a customised GLPI (2026 market estimates), with an 8 to 12 week project. The financial lever is automatic matching of licences to users: audits routinely find 10 to 20 % of Microsoft 365 and Adobe licences paid for with no real usage. On a licence budget of 650,000 CAD a year, that is 65,000 to 130,000 CAD recoverable, often more than the tool costs in year one.
What dormant licences really cost you
A 700-seat company usually carries three big licence lines: office productivity, design tools and business software. Unreported leavers, intern accounts left active and premium licences assigned "just in case" create savings the IT team rarely sees without a reliable inventory.
| Licence line (2026 order of magnitude) | Volume | Unit cost | Annual cost | Unused licences found | Potential annual saving |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 E3 | 650 users | about 50 CAD per month | 390,000 CAD | 8 to 12 % | 31,200 to 46,800 CAD |
| Microsoft 365 E5 (over-assigned) | 50 users | about 80 CAD per month | 48,000 CAD | 20 to 40 % downgradable to E3 | 3,600 to 7,200 CAD |
| Adobe Creative Cloud Pro for teams | 45 seats | about 125 CAD per month | 67,500 CAD | 15 to 25 % | 10,100 to 16,900 CAD |
| Adobe Acrobat Pro | 120 seats | about 30 CAD per month | 43,200 CAD | 20 to 30 % | 8,600 to 13,000 CAD |
| Business software (CAD, BI) | 60 seats | 70 to 200 CAD per month | 50,400 to 144,000 CAD | 10 to 15 % | 5,000 to 21,600 CAD |
| Indicative total | 700 seats | 599,100 to 692,700 CAD | 58,500 to 105,500 CAD |
List prices vary by agreement (CSP, EA) and negotiated discounts. These amounts are estimates to refine against your own invoices.
Customised GLPI, custom app or off-the-shelf tool
Three families of solutions compete. The right choice depends on how many vendors you track and how fine the matching needs to be.
| Solution | Upfront cost | Annual cost | Timeline | Strengths | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GLPI + inventory agent, customised | 12,000 to 30,000 CAD | 3,000 to 7,500 CAD support | 4 to 8 weeks | Open source, solid inventory | SaaS licence matching must be built |
| Custom ITAM app (Toronto agency) | 30,000 to 70,000 CAD | 6,000 to 12,000 CAD maintenance | 8 to 12 weeks | Microsoft Graph and Adobe Admin connectors, your own rules | Higher budget |
| Kolonell application (medium complexity) | 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR) | maintenance 75,000 FCFA per month (110 EUR), 1,320 EUR a year | 8 to 12 weeks | Same scope, remote team | Video workshops, no on-site work |
| Off-the-shelf ITAM SaaS | 0 to 7,000 CAD setup | 7 to 17 CAD per seat per year, so 4,900 to 11,900 CAD | 2 to 6 weeks | Fast to launch | Little flexibility, data hosted outside your control |
Toronto agency and ITAM vendor prices are 2026 market estimates.
The features that actually produce savings
Inventory alone does not save a single dollar. Savings come from four specific features. First, automatic matching between the Entra ID directory, the latest Microsoft 365 sign-ins and inventoried devices: any licence with no sign-in for 60 days raises an alert. Second, the leaver workflow: a departure entered by HR triggers licence recovery within 24 hours. Third, tier control: an E5 user who uses neither Teams Phone nor advanced compliance tools is flagged for E3. Finally, renewal tracking, with an alert 90 days before each renewal date to renegotiate volumes.
Mini case study
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Daniel, CIO of a 700-seat food manufacturing group in the Greater Toronto Area, pays about 650,000 CAD a year in licences. He commissions an asset management app at 50,000 CAD, delivered in 10 weeks. The first matching run finds 62 Microsoft 365 E3 accounts with no sign-in for 90 days (37,200 CAD a year), 14 E5 licences that can drop to E3 (5,000 CAD) and 9 unused Adobe Creative Cloud seats (13,500 CAD). Total: 55,700 CAD of annual savings, a payback of about 13 months including maintenance.
FAQ
How much does an IT asset management app cost in 2026?
Expect 30,000 to 70,000 CAD for a custom build in Toronto, or 12,000 to 30,000 CAD for a customised GLPI (2026 estimates). Timelines range from 4 to 12 weeks depending on the number of connectors.
What licence savings can we expect?
Audits routinely find 10 to 20 % of licences unused or oversized. On 700 seats and 650,000 CAD of licences, that is 65,000 to 130,000 CAD a year.
Is GLPI enough to track Microsoft 365 licences?
GLPI inventories hardware and installed software very well, but tracking account-based SaaS licences needs extra development through Microsoft Graph. Budget 4,500 to 12,000 CAD for that module.
Can the tool talk to our HRIS?
Yes, an HRIS connector can trigger licence recovery as soon as a departure is entered. That module usually takes 2 to 3 weeks of work.
Does the data stay hosted in Canada?
With a custom app, you choose the hosting, for example a Canadian cloud region. That matters for organisations bound by PIPEDA or Ontario public sector requirements.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your seat count, main software vendors and current tools: we scope an asset management app within our medium-complexity tier, 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR), delivered in 8 to 12 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
