Microsoft 365 for Business is a collection of numerous Microsoft productivity applications put together into a single subscription to efficiently manage your system. Two different plans namely – Microsoft 365 Business standard and Microsoft 365 Business Premium is the best suited solution for the small and medium sized businesses. Microsoft 365 plans are not ‘pay more get more’ kind of services. Instead you pick plans based on your usage, your communication requirements and of course your budget.  

Microsoft changed the name from Office 365 to Microsoft 365 at the same great value, same price, including best-in-class Office apps, intelligent cloud services, and advanced security. As the result, the earlier plans have been changed as below:

• Office 365 Business Essentials as Microsoft 365 Business Basic
• Office 365 Business Premium as Microsoft 365 Business Standard
• Microsoft 365 Business as Microsoft 365 Business Premium
• Office 365 Business as Microsoft 365 Apps for business

 

Here is the key elements of Microsoft 365 Business Standard vs Premium:

Microsoft 365 is an all-inclusive suite of cloud-based productivity and engagement tools. All Microsoft 365 plans include cloud-hosted Exchange (email server), OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams which is the basic requirement of the small and medium businesses. So, both Microsoft 365 Business Premium and Standard are the good choices for SMEs based on your requirements. But continue reading here to dig deep the features of Microsoft 365 Business Standard vs Premium.

What is Microsoft 365 Business Standard?

When it comes to pricing Microsoft 365 Business standard is in the standard of the pack. It is priced at $8.25 per user/month and allows a maximum of 300 users, and in this plan you get access to all of the essential Office desktop apps, such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel Outlook, and OneNote (Publisher, and Access for PCs) . Along with this, you also get to host email with a 50 GB mailbox and custom email domain and access to OneDrive Storage amounting to 1TB and access to web versions of all the essential Office apps.

The most attractive aspect of this plan is its access to Microsoft’s powerful desktop apps. Not only do these apps have powerful features but Microsoft has done a great job developing their capabilities and the added advantage as they have been a standard for many workflows for several years. 

Features of Microsoft 365 Business Standard

Office Apps:

You get to work with the most updated versions of Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Publisher. The new Office Apps in Business Standard for PC and Mac allow you to also use a regular keyboard, stylus pen, or touchscreen.

Premium Email Capability:

Get access to a 50 GB mailbox and attachments up to 150 MB via Outlook on desktop or Outlook Web App through a browser. Communicate and stay connected across mobile devices with Outlook app for iOS and Android or Outlook on the web.

Online Conferencing:

When you cannot be physically present, utilize the multi-party HD video meetings so that you do not have to miss out on a single meeting. The features involve single-click screen sharing as well as note-taking in real-time, with as many as 250 participants.

Advanced Search and Discovery:

You can apply your personalized insights to explore and find content across Microsoft 365. It is driven by insights based on user’s behavior and interrelation to content, topics, and contacts across applications.

Create Team Sites:

With 1 TB of storage, a team site is perfect for members to access, store, and share documents. Every user is eligible for an additional 500 MB of storage. And with automatic policies and rights protection, you can ensure the safety of assets on SharePoint. 

Create Marketing Collateral:

Contents from PDF files can be directly consolidated into Word documents to add rich data. Now you can get innovative in customizing your marketing endorsements and brand communication documents that promote your business.

Microsoft 365 on PCs, Tablets, and Phones:

Get a complete installed Office application on your Laptops, PCs, Macs, Windows tablets, Android tablets and iPad, and Smartphones. As a result, each user gets 5 installs per device type – tablets, PCs/Macs, and phones – so a total of 15 installs.

Share Your Calendar:

Make scheduling quicker and easier by sharing your calendar, and the calendar to share the contact information with all team members. You can keep your emails, calendars, and contacts synced in real-time.

Instant Messaging with Teams:

MS Teams allows one-on-one meetings with audio or audio-video calls, you can also use Instant Messaging when you need to receive or send information quickly. MS Teams also enables you to share your screens for viewing reports, presentations, and more.

Enjoy Office Online:

Office online enables you to manage and work on files in real-time and with users from remote locations. With the help of a browser, you can collaborate online by editing, developing, and sharing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint with other team members. 

1 TB Online File Storing and Sharing:

OneDrive for Business gives 1 TB of cloud storage per user. Files stored on OneDrive can be easily accessed from any remote location and also synced with desktops and laptops for offline application.

Workflow Automation:

Develop automated workflows between services and apps  to get notifications, collect data, synchronize files, and more with Microsoft Power Automate. And all these services without coding knowledge.

What is Microsoft 365 Business Premium?

Microsoft 365 Business Premium is the fully stocked version of Microsoft 365. With it, you get Microsoft’s desktop apps, the web versions of Office, Microsoft Teams, business email support, 1 TB of OneDrive storage, SharePoint support, Exchange, and more. It’s a complete productivity suite that covers everything from instant communication to file creation to file sharing. Business Premium is an integrated service that brings together the productivity of Microsoft 365 with both advanced security and device management

However the decision to go with Business Standard or Business Premium is largely dependent on your budget, and if you require Teams, business email support, and if you are a regular user of SharePoint.

Features of Microsoft 365 Business Premium:

Office Apps:

Get access to the most updated versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, and Publisher. The Office Apps in Business Premium for Mac and PC allow you to adapt for a regular keyboard, stylus pen, or touchscreen.

Get Business-class Email:

Enjoy access to 50 GB mailbox and attachments up to 150 MB through Outlook on desktop or Outlook Web Application via a browser. Connect and stay in sync across mobile devices with Outlook app for Android and iOS or Outlook on the web.

Online Conferencing:

Use the multi-party HD video meeting to attend important meetings for times when you are not physically available. The features are single-click screen sharing as well as note-taking in real-time, with as many as 250 participants.

Advanced Search and Discovery:

Search and find contacts with the help of your personalized insights that are driven based on user’s behavior and co-relation to the topics, content, and contacts across the application. 

Create Team Sites:

A team site is a practical solution for members to access, store, share and manage data documents. Although you get a baseline of 1 TB storage, every user is also eligible for a further 500 MB storage. Rights protection and automatic policies ensure the safety of assets on SharePoint. 

Create Marketing Collateral:

Get innovative in developing marketing collateral and brand messages for your business. Contents from your PDF documents can now be consolidated directly onto your word files to add rich data. 

Microsoft 365 on PCs, Tablets, and Phones:

Get installed Office apps on your PCs, Macs, Laptops, Windows tablets, iPad, and Android tablets, as well as Smartphones. Every user gets 5 installs per device PCs/Macs, tablets, and phones – as a result, get a total of 15 installs.

Share Your Calendar:

Utilize the calendar to share your contact details with your team members and make scheduling efficient and quicker. You can also sync your emails, calendars, and contacts in real-time.

Instant Messaging and Skype:

You can have a comprehensive one-on-one audio meeting, video calls or send messages quickly through instant messaging. You can also share screens or reports etc while using Skype. 

Enjoy Office Online:

Get access to work on files in real-time with remote users using Office online. You can create, share, collaborate online and edit Word, PowerPoint, and Excel with other users from any location because you only need a web browser to do so. 

1 TB Online File Storing and Sharing:

Microsoft 365 Business Premium features OneDrive for Business that gives 1 TB of cloud storage per user. Files stored on OneDrive can be accessed from any location and also synced with desktops and laptops for offline use.

Increased Protection:

Get protection against advanced cyber-threats such as malware, viruses, phishing attempts, malicious links, and other threats.

Simplified, multi user Windows with Windows Virtual Desktop:

Windows Virtual Desktop support, gives access to multi session Windows 10 and Office and support for Remote Desktop Services environments with simplified licensing and lower costs.

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