What you need to know
Microsoft 365 business plans differ in desktop applications, cloud services, mailbox and storage features, device management and security. Plan names alone are not enough: build a user-by-user requirement list and confirm the current official feature table.
Key facts
- ✓Microsoft states that its Microsoft 365 business plans are designed for up to 300 users.
- ✓Some plans provide web and mobile applications while others also include desktop applications.
- ✓Identity protection, device management and advanced threat protection differ between plans.
- ✓Shared mailboxes, former staff, contractors and service accounts need deliberate licensing and access decisions.
- ✓Licence choice should be made per user role: people who only need web access, people who need installed desktop applications and people who require stronger identity, device or threat controls may need different plans.
- ✓A licence comparison must also account for shared mailboxes, meeting rooms, frontline users, contractors and former staff; these identities have different access and retention requirements.
- ✓Feature names and entitlements can change, so purchasing decisions should be checked against Microsoft’s current United Kingdom plan comparison and licensing terms.
Recommended actions
- ✓Group users by the applications, devices, security controls and compliance features they require.
- ✓Use the current Microsoft comparison page and licence terms rather than an old reseller table.
- ✓Enable multi-factor authentication and maintain separate administrator accounts with the minimum necessary privilege.
- ✓Review licence assignments regularly and remove access promptly when a person leaves or changes role.
- ✓Create a simple matrix of users, devices, desktop application needs, mailbox requirements, security controls and management needs before choosing plans.
- ✓Pilot the proposed mix with representative users and confirm that required applications, mobile devices and security policies behave as expected.
- ✓Record renewal ownership and review licences alongside the starter, mover and leaver process instead of waiting for an annual invoice.
Expected benefits
✓Appropriate features for each user
✓Reduced licence waste
✓Stronger account administration