Formerly known as Office, Microsoft 365 is a family of software that helps businesses to improve productivity and collaboration featuring solid applications, cloud services and security.
There are three main options available to your business – Basic, Standard and Premium.
But with such a choice, which is best for your business?
To help you decide, we have information about the three packages and compare what the differences are. But first, let’s look at the pricing models.
All three packages are available either by monthly subscription, which you can cancel at any time, or via an annual plan that auto renews and offers a discount compared to the former. You can even sign-up for a one-year subscription and choose to pay monthly, so there is plenty of flexibility.
You can choose to have a one month free trial after which you can convert to a paid subscription if you wish, and all settings and files are retained. This is a good option should you wish to see what is on offer without having to commit financially.
Microsoft 365 Business Basic
The entry level business package is priced at £5.88 (excluding VAT) per user/month.
Here is a list of the key features:
- Includes web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
- Identity, access and user management for up to 300 employees
- Custom business email ([email protected])
- Chat, call and video conference via Microsoft Teams
- You get 1 TB of cloud storage per employee
- You get access to 10+ additional apps including Planner and Forms
- There’s automatic spam and malware filtering
- You can access support via phone and web
- You also get access to secure cloud services including OneDrive, SharePoint, and Exchange
- Copilot for Microsoft 365 is not available as an add-on
Microsoft 365 Business Standard
This mid-tier package is priced at £12.36 (excluding VAT) per user/month.
The increase in price does get you access to a host of additional features over and above the Business Basic package.
- Includes desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
- You can host webinars with attendee registration and reporting
- You can co-create collaborative workspaces using Microsoft Loop, an online collaboration platform
- Access video editing and design tools using Microsoft Clipchamp, an online video editing tool
- Copilot for Microsoft 365 is available as an add-on.
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
This top-level package is priced at £21.72 (excluding VAT) per user/month.
For the extra money, you get access to everything in Standard, but the main advantages are the host of enhanced security management features.
- Enhanced security for identity and access management
- Device management via Microsoft Intune
- Cyberthreat protection for guarding against viruses and phishing attacks from Microsoft Defender
- Enterprise-grade device and endpoint protection
- The ability to discover, classify, and protect sensitive information
- Again, like for the Standard package, Copilot for Microsoft 365 is available as an add-on.
In summary:
Business Basic
For commercial use with benefits including 1 TB of cloud storage per user, business-class email ([email protected]), customer management tools, and call, chat, and meeting functionality for up to 300 people with Microsoft Teams.
Business Standard
Business Standard builds on the Basic package by offering desktop versions of its apps (the Basic plan does not provide desktop client apps, meaning Word, Excel, and Outlook cannot be installed on your computer) and support for webinars.
Business Premium
The core advantage of this package is that it adds a cloud-based security solution that enables you to defend your business against advanced cyberthreats with sophisticated phishing and ransomware protection. It helps you safeguard your data, devices and information and you could look at replacing your existing security measures in favour of an all-in-one solution.
There is further information in our blog about Business Premium and the benefits it can bring to your business.
BLOG: Discovering Microsoft 365 Premium
If you are still unsure what is suitable for your business, there are many benefits in us advising you and managing your Microsoft 365 licence for you.
DATASHEET: Advantages of using iTG Technologies to manage your licences
