Microsoft 365 offers a few different plans and figuring out which is best for your business can be difficult. Many business owners struggle to choose the right plan for them because of the many different features available and it can be hard to decide which features are necessary. In this blog, we cover the different Microsoft 365 plans to help guide you along selecting the right plan for your business.
Microsoft 365 plans for businesses
There are four different Microsoft 365 plans for business and they are: Business Basic, Apps for business, Business Standard, and Business Premium.
| Plan | Microsoft 365 Business Basic | Microsoft 365 Apps | Microsoft 365 Business Standard | Microsoft 365 Business Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $6.00 user/month | $8.25 user/month | $12.50 user/month | $22.00 user/month |
| Web-based and mobile versions of Microsoft apps | Yes | Yes, excluding Outlook | Yes | Yes |
| 50GB email storage | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft Teams | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| 1TB cloud storage | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Standard online security | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| 24/7 online and phone support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft Bookings | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| MileIQ | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | No | No | No | Yes |
| Information Rights Management | No | No | No | Yes |
| Manage and wipe company devices remotely with Intune | No | No | No | Yes |
How to choose the right Microsoft 365 plan for your business
As you can see from the above table, the more expensive the plan, the more features that come with it. However, some of those features associated with the more expensive plans might not be necessary for your business. So how do we determine what features your business needs? Here is what you should know:
Assess your current hardware and software
First, you will want to assess your current hardware and software to ensure that your employees’ computers are capable of running Microsoft 365 applications. You might find that some of the features do not run as smoothly as you expected and it could be a result of having limited functionality if the hardware isn’t meeting certain system requirements.
Also, it is important to assess your current software and apps to determine if they will work efficiently with Microsoft 365. Some third-party apps may not be compatible, limiting the usefulness of your subscription.
Consider your needs
When selecting a plan, consider what features would offer your company the most value and which features are a necessity. Here are some questions to help guide you along what your business’ requirements may be:
- Are you looking for ways to improve collaboration and communication?
- Will your business benefit by switching to the cloud?
- Are you looking to increase security through advanced protection from various threats?
Answering these questions will give you a general idea of what you will need in a plan.
Plan your budget
When planning a budget for the Microsoft 365 plan of your choice, there are two things to consider: the number of users and the migration cost. For the number of users, try to overshoot your budget slightly to account for new employees. If you have in-house IT staff, you can let them handle the migration process to avoid additional expenses. By taking these factors into account, you can choose a subscription plan that fits well within your budget.
If you’re still unsure about what Microsoft 365 plan you need, you can call our experts for advice by following clicking here or you can answer this questionnaire.
