Microsoft sells three Business plans for organisations of up to 300 users. The names say little about what you get. The differences come down to desktop apps and security.
Business Basic
Basic gives each person a mailbox, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint and the web and mobile versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. There are no desktop apps. It suits staff who work mostly in a browser or on a phone.
Business Standard
Standard adds the desktop versions of the Office apps. For most office staff, this is the minimum that lets them work the way they expect to.
Business Premium
Premium includes everything in Standard and adds the security and management tools: Intune for managing laptops and phones, Defender for Business for endpoint protection, Conditional Access for controlling sign-ins, and tools for protecting sensitive documents.
Why Premium is often the better buy
Bought separately, the security tools in Premium cost more than the difference in price. If you are paying for a separate antivirus, a separate device management tool or a separate email security product, Premium may replace them.
Mixing plans
You can mix plans in one organisation. Frontline or part-time staff can sit on a lighter plan while office staff have Premium. The security features only protect the people who are licensed for them, so decide the mix on risk as well as cost.
Check what you already pay for
Before buying, review the licences you hold. Unassigned licences, licences on accounts of people who have left, and overlapping products are common, and removing them often pays for the upgrade.
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