Overview
Also referred to as MOLR Automation, this multi-phase project will design, develop, test and deploy automated processes for Microsoft 365 license provisioning, deprovisioning and reprovisioning.
This project builds on work completed by the original Microsoft Office License Remediation project (MOLR; 2021–25). In addition to manually remediating Microsoft 365 licenses, MOLR helped develop Grouper license entitlement groups and identify uses cases for license provisioning and deprovisioning.
Microsoft license naming conventions
To describe the official Microsoft 365 license plans, OIT often uses abbreviated license names internally and uses role-based language in end-user documentation and communications. To see which affiliations fall into which roles, visit the Accounts & Eligibility page.
| OIT's Abbreviated Name | User-Facing Name | Official License Name |
|---|---|---|
| Faculty A5 (FacA5) | Employee | Microsoft 365 Education A5 |
| Student A5 (StuA5) | Student | Microsoft 365 Education A5 Student Use Benefit |
| Faculty A1 (FacA1) | Limited employee | Microsoft 365 Education A1 |
| Alumni/Retiree P1* | Alum, Retiree | Exchange Online Plan 1 |
*This license may also be referred to as "email only" or "Plan 1."
Why this project was needed
When this project was chartered, only a few Microsoft 365 licensing processes were automated; most were manual. The manual processes were labor intensive and error prone, which resulted in Microsoft 365 licenses not being assigned, adjusted or removed on a consistent schedule or in full alignment with users' eligibility as established by campus source systems.
The MOLR Automation project's goal is to ensure that CU Boulder faculty, students, staff and other affiliates have the Microsoft 365 license they need when they need it. This will also:
- Ensure compliance with CU's Microsoft 365 licensing contract
- Manage the cost of Microsoft 365 licenses
- Improve transparency with the campus community
- Help set user expectations
- Improve security with automated deprovisioning
Project Phases
Upcoming project phases are tentative and subject to change. We'll update this page as the scope for each phase is finalized.
Phase 1 (Complete)
During this phase, the project team formalized OIT's Microsoft 365 licensing policies, expanded user-facing documentation (oit.colorado.edu/accounts) and automated:
- new license provisioning (no email notification)
- license upgrades (no email notification)
- downgrades from faculty and student A5 licenses to faculty A1 licenses (30-day email notification)
- downgrades from faculty A5 licenses to temporary faculty A1 licenses for retirees (30-day email notification)
- downgrades from faculty A5 licenses to temporary faculty A1 licenses for ineligible users, who will be addressed in Phase 3 (30-day email notification)
Phase 2 (In Progress)
During this phase, the project team plans to clean up Grouper and Entra groups, address license change requests and add-ons, and automate:
- notifications when new licenses are provisioned and existing licenses are upgraded (same-day email notification)
- downgrades from temporary faculty A1 licenses to retiree P1 licenses (60-day email notification)
- downgrades from other licenses to alumni P1 licenses (90-day email notification)
- new license provisioning and license upgrades for secondary accounts (same-day email notification)
- downgrades and deprovisioning for secondary accounts (30-day email notification)
- OneDrive file deletion for ineligible users
Phase 3
During this phase, the project team plans to:
- automate deprovisioning for users who are no longer eligible for a Microsoft 365 license (30-day email notification)
- clean up automated processes
Contact Us
If you have project-related questions, send an email to oithelp@colorado.edu with MOLR Automation Project in the subject line.
Last updated 7/29/2025
