How Lighthouse Autism Center escaped Microsoft's support maze with expert guidance and savings.

Lighthouse Autism Center provides intensive applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy for children with autism across Indiana. The organization runs on a small IT team supporting therapists, administrators, and families, all working inside Microsoft 365 daily.

Paying too much for the wrong licensing model.

Lighthouse Autism Center was operating on an à la carte Microsoft licensing arrangement that ate into the budget without delivering value. Aaron Stickel, the systems administrator, knew the organization was overspending. Worse, when something broke, direct Microsoft support was a "miserable experience," with slow escalations and generic troubleshooting that wasted hours.

The IT team needed a partner who could right-size the licensing bill and provide actual expertise when issues hit. Scrolling through Tier 1 queues wasn't an option during therapy sessions.

Optimized licensing, expert support, and time back in the day.

TrustedTech audited Lighthouse's Microsoft environment and redesigned the licensing model to match actual needs. The organization moved off the expensive à la carte arrangement into a streamlined contract with better economics. TrustedTech also brought Microsoft Premier Support into the picture, so when issues came up, Aaron could call experts instead of sitting through tech support theater.

• Licensing audit that cut the bill by 40–45% annually
• Premier Support access for quick, expert responses to technical issues
• TrustedTech managed the renewal process and "did the numbers," freeing the team to focus on therapy operations
• Faster resolution of recurring bugs like OneDrive and Teams integration issues
• Built-in room for the organization to scale during rapid growth

Massive savings, expert support, and operational breathing room.

1. 40–45% cost savings

   Transitioning to a streamlined contract resulted in an estimated 40–45% reduction in overall licensing costs, putting money back in the budget for therapy and operations.

2. Premier Support access

   Lighthouse gained direct access to Microsoft Premier Support, bypassing frustrating initial support tiers and getting expert engineers on the line when it matters.

3. Faster resolutions

   The team received prompt answers and quick fixes for recurring technical bugs, such as OneDrive and Teams integration issues that used to stall workflows.

4. Operational efficiency

   TrustedTech managed the license renewal process and handled the analysis work, allowing Lighthouse to scale efficiently during rapid growth without IT overhead.

From broken glass to a partner you actually trust.

Lighthouse Autism Center replaced a fragmented, expensive licensing approach with a high-value, expert-led strategy. The real win wasn't just the 40–45% savings on the annual bill, though that matters. The win was getting Aaron and his team out of the support maze and into a relationship with engineers who actually know the systems and care about keeping the organization running.

Aaron's confidence is so high that he plans to bring TrustedTech in when he works with other organizations. That's the kind of trust you build by delivering real expertise and real savings, day after day.