The Real Cost of Going Full Cloud

In 2026, the push to the cloud is stronger than ever: But so are the bills.

For many mid-size companies in the Netherlands and beyond, the promise of “seamless digital transformation” often comes with a hefty price tag and hidden headaches.

If you’re running legacy systems and feeling the pressure to modernize, you’re not alone. But before you sign that contract, let’s break down the numbers and explore a more practical path.

For a typical Dutch company with 50-100 employees (say, in manufacturing or logistics), migrating to a full Microsoft cloud stack (Azure for infrastructure, Microsoft 365 for productivity, and Dynamics 365 for ERP/CRM) isn’t cheap.

Based on current pricing and industry reports, here’s a ballpark breakdown :

Cost Category	Upfront Migration (One-Time)	Annual Ongoing (SaaS/Subs)
Consulting & Planning	€20,000–€50,000	N/A
Data Migration & Tools	€10,000–€30,000	N/A
Custom Integrations/Security	€20,000–€60,000	N/A
Training & Change Management	€10,000–€30,000	N/A
Microsoft 365 (Productivity)	N/A	€12,000–€30,000
Dynamics 365 (ERP/CRM)	N/A	€25,000–€50,000
Azure (Hosting/Infra)	N/A	€15,000–€40,000
Total	€60,000–€170,000	€52,000–€120,000+

Timeline & Risks: 6-12 months typical, with potential downtime adding €10k-50k in lost productivity.
Why so high? RAM shortages from AI demand have pushed instance prices up 10-25% , and many firms end up paying for unused features (the “90/10 trap”: 90% on licenses, 10% on making it work).

These figures come from real mid-size migrations in Europe, where costs often hit €100k-300k upfront for similar setups .

And that’s before ongoing subs kick in, which can quickly exceed €100k/year for a 75-person team.The kicker? Many companies report only using 20-30% of the new cloud features, while dealing with retraining, integration bugs, and vendor lock-in.

A Smarter Alternative: Stay Grounded on prem with Dashcoon

What if you could achieve 80-90% of those cloud benefits: real-time data, unified dashboards, secure access. Without the migration mess or sky-high costs?

At Dashcoon, we specialize in remediation and bespoke tools that build on what you already have.

No rip-and-replace. No forced SaaS subscriptions. Just clever updates that make your legacy MS systems run leaner and smarter. Here’s how we stack up:

Aspect	Full Cloud Migration	Dashcoon Alternative
Upfront Cost	€60,000–€170,000	€15,000–€50,000
Annual Cost	€52,000–€120,000+	€18,000–€60,000
Timeline	6–12 months	4–12 weeks
Disruption	High (retraining, downtime)	Low (works with existing systems)
Key Benefits	Real-time data, security, scalability	Same — plus keep familiar workflows

We start with an audit of your legacy setup, remediate pain points (e.g., slow reports, security gaps), and layer on custom dashboards that unify data across departments. It’s efficient, green (less e-waste from new hardware), and keeps monthly costs low through smarter programming.

For example: A 75-person logistics firm stuck on legacy MS could spend €150k+ on cloud… or €30k with us for a unified ops dashboard + remediation, saving €100k+ year 1 while getting immediate value.

Why This Matters in 2026

With RAM prices up 20-40% more this year , cloud bills are only going higher. If your team is arguing over “sources of truth” or drowning in spreadsheets, a full migration might feel inevitable: but it’s not. Dashcoon is for companies who want progress without the hype tax.

Reuse what works, fix what doesn’t, and stay grounded. Curious if this fits your setup? Book a free 20-min assessment with our co-founder Niels; no strings attached.