MSP Guide: How to Build Recurring SaaS Review Cycles to Optimize Spending, Curb Shadow IT, & Ensure Compliance

SaaS adoption is exploding across organizations of all sizes. While this empowers individual teams, it often leads to unmanaged sprawl: shadow IT, redundant subscriptions, compliance blind spots, and significant budget waste.

In this guide, you will learn a streamlined framework for implementing a recurring SaaS review process that tackles these exact issues for your clients, without adding overhead to your team.

Steps to build a reliable SaaS review plan

A formal SaaS review cycle turns app chaos into controlled governance, providing visibility, cutting waste, strengthening compliance, and adding value.

📌 Use case: Conduct reviews 60–90 days before renewals, after mergers or layoffs, during quarterly business reviews (QBRs), or right after onboarding a new client. This ensures timely decisions on renewals, optimizations, and compliance checks.

📌 Prerequisites: Gather SaaS usage data from identity providers like Microsoft Entra ID or Okta. Integrate user and department details from Active Directory, HR systems, or your PSA tool. Use Excel, Power BI, or QBR slides to report findings, which is essential for clear SaaS management.

You can also use SaaS management platforms like Torii, BetterCloud, or Auvik to reduce manual effort. These tools automate discovery, track logins and spending, and flag renewals.

Follow the steps below to start building your SaaS review cycle.

Define your SaaS review cadence

A regular review rhythm is essential for streamlined SaaS management. Here’s how to set a cadence that fits your client’s needs—without adding overhead.

Quarterly reviews for high-velocity clients

Ideal for dynamic organizations with frequent SaaS changes, a quarterly cadence balances speed and depth. It aligns perfectly with QBRs, letting you seamlessly integrate SaaS insights into broader business discussions.

Semi-annual reviews for stable environments

For smaller clients or those with minimal SaaS turnover, a twice-yearly review is often sufficient. This approach maintains oversight and identifies redundant apps or unused licenses while conserving resources.

Annual baseline and trigger-based audits

Establish an annual foundation review, then automate additional check-ins around key events. Trigger reviews before a major SaaS renewal, after compliance audits, or following organizational changes like mergers or layoffs. This hybrid model ensures continuous control.

💡 Tip: Use integrations with tools like Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) to automate data collection.

Deploy SaaS discovery and reporting

Gaining full visibility into your client’s SaaS ecosystem is the essential first step toward effective SaaS management.

Step-by-step procedure:

1. Automate discovery with integrated tools.
   • Begin by pulling comprehensive usage data directly from integrated sources.
   • Connect your SaaS management platform to the client’s identity provider (IdP), such as Microsoft Entra ID or Okta, to automatically inventory all applications accessed with corporate credentials.
   • Deploy lightweight discovery agents that work seamlessly across Windows and other endpoints.
2. Analyze key metrics for actionable insights.
   • Transform raw data into decision-ready reports by focusing on four critical areas:
     • Application inventory: Build a categorized list of all apps, noting departments and usage purposes.
     • User activity: Identify active vs. dormant users to pinpoint unused licenses and security risks.
     • License utilization: Track how many licenses are actively used to eliminate waste and right-size subscriptions.
     • Security posture: Check MFA adoption, access policies, and compliance settings for each app.
3. Integrate findings into review cycles.
   • Feed these insights directly into your SaaS review process, especially before QBRs.
   • Present clear data on costs, risks, and usage trends to collaboratively set goals, plan renewals, and strengthen governance.

Key focus areas to prioritize when structuring SaaS review topics

Keep your client reviews efficient and impactful by consistently evaluating these four critical areas.

Usage and adoption: Who’s actually using the app?

Identify active vs. dormant users to reclaim licenses and reduce security risks. Check if key features are being used and watch for trends that might indicate employees are using unsanctioned “shadow IT” apps instead.

Cost and licensing: Are you wasting money?

Hunt for unused or underutilized subscriptions to harvest licenses and cut costs. Find and eliminate duplicate apps that do the same job. This audit is essential before any SaaS renewal to optimize spending.

Security and compliance: Is everything secure?

Verify that approved apps have critical security controls like MFA and SSO turned on. Discover and address any unsanctioned apps that could create compliance gaps or security vulnerabilities.

Business value: Does the app still make sense?

Decide if the application still supports your client’s current business goals. Measure its return on investment (ROI) to justify its cost and determine if it should be renewed, replaced, or retired as part of a smart SaaS lifecycle management strategy.

By systematically checking these four boxes, you turn a simple review into a powerful SaaS management tool that demonstrates clear value and keeps your clients’ ecosystems efficient and secure.

Automate your SaaS data collection (optional)

Automating data collection turns a manual chore into a scalable process, providing the consistent, accurate data needed for valuable client reviews.

📌 Use case: Use this quick script for ad-hoc checks between formal reviews or for clients where a full SaaS management platform isn’t yet justified. It standardizes reporting and drastically reduces manual prep time.

Step-by-step procedure:

1. Export login data from your IdP (e.g., Microsoft Entra ID) to sso_logs.csv or whichever CSV file you save this data.
2. Run this script in PowerShell (Admin):

This outputs a clean table of each app and its active user count, perfect for standardizing reports.

Scalable Method: SaaS Management Platform

For full automation, use a SaaS management platform (e.g., Torii, NinjaOne). These tools automatically:

• Discover all applications in use.
• Track logins, license usage, and security settings (MFA/SSO).
• Integrate with Windows 11 and your IdP for centralized data.

You’ll have reliable data on demand, reducing prep time and enabling focused discussions on optimization and SaaS renewal strategy during reviews.

Conduct structured SaaS review sessions

Turn data into action through focused, collaborative client meetings.

Present the data

Start with a clear dashboard showing app usage, license costs, and trends. This factual foundation highlights waste and risk immediately.

Prioritize findings together

Guide the client to rank issues: unused licenses (cost), duplicate apps (inefficiency), and shadow IT (security). Focus on what impacts their goals most.

Decide on action

For each app, jointly choose to keep, combine, remove, or plan for renewal. This shared decision-making ensures alignment and ownership.

Assign clear next steps

End with specific actions, owners, and deadlines. This turns talk into results, ensuring your SaaS management delivers continuous value.

Document SaaS review decisions with logs

Maintain accountability and clarity by formally recording every decision made during your review.

Create a simple decision log

Use a straightforward table to track outcomes for each application. This log becomes your single source of truth for what was decided and why, which is crucial for SaaS lifecycle management.

Use a clear format for accountability

A standardized format ensures everyone understands the actions and reasoning. For example:

Store logs for easy access and auditing

Keep this log in a centralized, accessible location like a shared SharePoint site or cloud drive. This practice provides a clear audit trail for future SaaS renewal negotiations, security audits, and reinforces strong governance long after the meeting ends.

Automate alerts and reminders

Automate notifications to keep your SaaS review cycle on track without manual effort.

Step-by-step procedure:

1. Configure automated alerts.
   • Set up reminders in your PSA tool or calendar for SaaS renewal dates and upcoming reviews.
2. Use PowerShell (Admin) for simpler reminders.
   • Create a scheduled task in Task Scheduler or an RMM tool, like NinjaOne, with this PowerShell script:

3. Integrate with PSA tools.
   • For full automation, configure your PSA system to:
     • Trigger renewal alerts 30 days in advance
     • Auto-create tickets for review prep
     • Schedule client meetings

Automated alerts ensure timely reviews and reduce administrative overhead, making SaaS management more efficient.

Common SaaS review mistakes MSPs should avoid

Keep your SaaS review cycles clear and effective by avoiding these mistakes.

Relying on a single data source

Using only IdP or SSO logs for discovery misses unauthorized “shadow IT” apps. Always cross-verify with a secondary method like a network scan or browser extension to ensure complete visibility.

Using untested automation scripts

Running PowerShell or other scripts without validation can lead to missed alerts or data exposure. Test all commands in a sandbox first, and prefer integrated PSA workflows where possible.

Excluding client decision-makers

Reviewing apps without involving client stakeholders leads to poor adoption and pushback. Always include both technical and business representatives in sessions.

Neglecting centralized documentation

Storing decisions in scattered emails or notes causes accountability loss. Maintain a single decision log in a shared platform like SharePoint for easy access and auditing.

Manual renewal tracking

Relying on calendars or spreadsheets for renewals risks missing deadlines and auto-renewals. Use automated PSA or SaaS management tools to track and alert on key dates.

Leverage RMM for SaaS reviews

Your RMM tool, like NinjaOne, can simplify and automate the entire SaaS review process.

• Automate discovery: NinjaOne automatically scans all endpoints to inventory installed software, uncovering shadow IT and providing a complete view of what’s in use.
• Export data for reviews: Easily export software inventory and usage reports to enrich your SaaS management discussions with concrete data on actual application adoption.
• Document decisions in one place: Use NinjaOne’s notes and custom fields to log decisions directly on client records, creating a clear audit trail for SaaS lifecycle management.
• Automate reporting: Schedule and generate client-ready reports aligned with QBR cycles, providing the data needed for productive SaaS renewal conversations.

Streamline client SaaS governance with proactive reviews

Implementing a recurring SaaS review cycle transforms reactive firefighting into proactive governance, systematically eliminating waste and risk.

By establishing predictable cadences, automating discovery, and focusing sessions on usage, cost, security, and value, you deliver continuous compliance and optimization. This disciplined approach finally tames SaaS sprawl, turning your MSP into a strategic partner that drives measurable business outcomes.

Related topics

• SaaS Backup: Complete Guide & Best Practices
• The Top Five Benefits of SaaS IT Management Solutions
• How to Use RMM Monitoring to Track Client SaaS License Usage Over Time