Microsoft 365 plans: Which one for your business?

Choosing the Right Microsoft 365 Plans for Your Business

by Reginald Andre

Since 1986, Microsoft programs have been an indispensable tool for businesses. Fast forward three decades later, the tech giant is still dominating the software market with it’s cloud-based platform, Office 365. The great thing about this platform is it has many different plans suited for specific requirements and budgets. Businesses, for example, can opt for Office 365 Essentials, Business, Business Premium, and Microsoft 365 Business. While they might all sound similar, each plan comes with a certain set of features.

When choosing which plan you should subscribe to, make sure it offers the features you need to do business. So which Office 365 plan should you choose? As your personal IT department, we feel it’s our duty to share a brief outline of what each one offers:

Office 365 Essentials

Priced at $5 per user per month for a yearly commitment, Microsoft Essentials offers only web-based services for small businesses. This consists of Skype for Business, OneDrive, and basic Microsoft apps such as Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Apart from these collaboration tools, Business Essentials also features SharePoint for file sharing, Microsoft Teams for project management and team syncing, and Yammer which serves as a business-wide social media network. Perfect for small businesses equipped with high-speed internet and that need quick performance using only a few desktop apps

Office 365 Business

The Office 365 Business costs $8.30 per user per month for a yearly commitment. With this plan, users get desktop versions of Access, Outlook, OneNote, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and nothing else. Even though you do have access to Outlook, you won’t have a business-class email since this is part of the web-based Microsoft program.

OneDrive is the only web-based service available in this plan, and it features fewer sharing options than SharePoint. The former can store and share files on The Cloud, but the latter can also send notifications to your team every time documents are edited. Perfect for small businesses that use only OneDrive and desktop versions of Microsoft apps

Office 365 Premium

Priced at $12.50 per user per month for a yearly commitment, Office 365 Premium combines the features of both Essentials and 365 Business. Besides the feature-rich web and desktop services, users can use apps specially created for small businesses. Such apps consist of Bookings for customers to easily schedule appointments with you, and Connections for your email marketing. Perfect for small businesses that have large teams who use Microsoft’s collaboration tools and require weighty data management

Microsoft 365 Business

The Microsoft 365 Business costs $20 per user per month for an annual commitment. Released in October 2017, Microsoft incorporated Business Premium features and added access to mobile device management and IT security features to create this plan. Through the admin dashboard, business owners can set access privileges for each employee based on his or her role and authorization level within the company.

Once users sign up, their operating systems will automatically be upgraded to Windows 10 and protected by Windows Defender. Perfect for small business that want to incorporate IT security components and mobile device management along with the given features

Selecting the most suitable plan means determining the services your business requires and the degree you expect it to expand. Fortunately, these subscription packages are flexible and can be upgraded whenever you’re ready. So instead of purchasing a costly plan at the outset, pick a plan that fits your budget and upgrade to a different plan when your requirements change.

Microsoft plans are flexible and include an array of features, but if you’re still in the dark as to which one is perfect for your business, let us help you decide. Schedule your FREE assessment today or visit our office in North Miami Beach!