Is Microsoft 365 Business Premium a Worthwhile Investment?

Understanding the Differences: Business Basic, Standard and Premium

Microsoft 365 Business offers three tiers—Basic, Standard, and Premium, designed specifically for small to medium-sized organisations (limited to 300 users).

• Basic is the entry-level tier with core functionalities, providing access to Teams, Exchange email, OneDrive, SharePoint, and web-based versions of Office applications like Word and Excel.
• Standard includes all Basic features whilst adding desktop Office applications (installable on 5 devices), Clipchamp for video content creation, and Microsoft Loop for enhanced team collaboration.
• Premium extends beyond Standard’s features by integrating sophisticated security capabilities and device management tools. These include Microsoft Entra ID, Intune, Microsoft Defender, and Microsoft Purview. These solutions deliver identity management, device control, advanced threat protection, and data security.

Each subscription level provides email security through anti-phishing, anti-spam, and anti-malware protection. Microsoft 365 Business Premium offers enhanced cyber-security features to protect:

• Endpoints, including computers, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices.
• Content such as emails and files.
• Data (through encryption, sensitivity labels, and Data Loss Prevention).

Whilst Basic and Standard plans offer essential security features, they do not provide adequate protection against the latest cyber threats.

Advantages of Moving to Business Premium

Microsoft 365 Business Premium offers a comprehensive solution that integrates productivity tools with advanced security features. With Microsoft 365 Business Premium, you can:

• Secure resource access: using advanced Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), single sign-on, and conditional access policies to prevent unauthorised or risky access.
• Protect information: sensitive data sometimes leaves the office through email, USB devices, or mobile phones. Using advanced information protection features, businesses can control documents outside their office environment. Functions like “Do Not Forward” or “Do Not Print” ensure confidential information remains protected.
• Advanced Threat Protection: this comprehensive feature safeguards your organisation from sophisticated cyber threats, including phishing attempts, ransomware attacks, malware infiltration, and zero-day vulnerabilities. It employs robust defence mechanisms such as URL detonation, anti-spoofing technology, and real-time ‘time of click’ protection to effectively mitigate potential risks.
• Enhanced email security: this sophisticated system analyses your emails, attachments, embedded links, and associated files for potentially malicious content. Anything suspicious is automatically blocked or quarantined before they can reach your inbox or device, ensuring maximum protection.
• Identity and Access Management: this crucial feature enables precise control and verification of data and application access, allowing you to manage both who can access your resources and define the specific parameters of that access.
• Manage and secure devices: apply comprehensive control over applications and data across Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android platforms. Intune offers app and data management across all devices, implements organisation-wide compliance policies, and ensures business information remains protected, even on personal devices. The system enables remote management capabilities, including wiping, locking, or resetting compromised devices, whilst controlling device access to your data and applications. Additionally, you can efficiently deploy and update applications, configure settings, implement policies, and monitor device health and performance metrics.
• Minimise the costs and time associated with computer setups: leverage Windows Autopilot to streamline the deployment and pre-configuration process for new devices.

A Premium upgrade strengthens your organisation’s defence against malicious threats, security breaches, and incidents that could potentially damage both your finance and reputation.

The Price of Microsoft 365 Business Premium

Current annual subscription costs for Microsoft 365 Business plans are as follows:

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic is priced at £58.80 ex VAT user/year
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard is priced at £123.60 ex VAT user/year
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium is priced at £217.20 ex VAT user/year

Many organisations are finding the upgrade from Standard to Premium, at an additional £93.60 ex VAT per user annually, to be a strategic investment, given all the comprehensive security features included.

Why Microsoft 365 Business Premium is a Worthwhile Investment

For organisations with fewer than 300 users, Business Premium is a worthwhile investment that offers unparalleled protection against modern cyber-security threats.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium helps you reduce costs by providing a single, affordable solution that covers all your business needs. This eliminates the need for multiple licenses, subscriptions, or third-party tools that may lack compatibility or integration.

To fully leverage Business Premium’s security capabilities requires proper configuration by qualified IT professionals, and the value you get from it depends on the setup and configuration.

At Fentons IT, we specialise in Microsoft 365 through our expert guidance and dedicated support. For Business Premium upgrades or enquiries, contact Fentons to increase your organisation’s security and productivity.