Community Case Study: Saving $1M in Atlassian Cost

The Problem: Atlassian Jira and Confluence licenses are consumed when a user has an Active Account and Application Access. The usual method to save costs is deactivating inactive users, but this makes their past work unsearchable, degrading the user experience.

Timothy Ryner found a smarter way: keeping accounts active but removing Application Access, making users searchable without occupying a license.

If you keep the account Active but remove Application Access instead, the user remains available to be searched but doesn’t occupy the license seat. So Active can literally mean “the people who are logged in and active right now”, and you can pull Application Access (and thus the licenses) for everyone else.

This method, automated with SAML SSO User Sync plugins from resolution GmbH, resulted in:

• 70% reduction in license footprint
• Annual costs cut from $1.4M to $450K
• Potential for an additional $100K savings

The Bureaucratic Roadblock

Despite clear savings, the organization delayed reducing licenses until 2026, citing renewal timelines. This highlights a common enterprise issue: slow administrative processes blocking cost-cutting efforts.

Key Takeaways

• License consumption should reflect actual activity, not just account presence.
• Use Application Access controls to manage licenses without data loss.
• Automate user access adjustments for optimal license usage.
• Push leadership to act on cost-saving opportunities in real time.

For Atlassian admins and IT managers, this case study underscores the power of strategic automation in cutting software costs without compromising usability.