As of April 21, 2020, the official branding of Microsoft’s business plans has changed. Instead, Office 365 business plans for small and medium-sized businesses are now known as Microsoft 365. The new branding is to reflect Microsoft’s strategy of providing a single complete productivity platform for its customers.
Fortunately, from the viewpoint of current subscribers, the change from Office 365 to Microsoft 365 is not going to have much of an immediate practical impact. In general, the subscription you had on April 20 is the same as the subscription you had on April 21, only with a different name.
So, to be clear, here is a recap of the Microsoft 365 business packages available, along with their new titles.
A breakdown of Microsoft 365 for business
As was the case when the productivity suite was called Office 365, each subscription package of Microsoft 365 includes various familiar applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Each subscription package will also include various levels of services like Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams. You will have to decide which package is right for your business needs.
The least expensive subscription available is called simply Microsoft 365 Business Basic, formerly referred to as Office 365 Business Essentials. With this subscription package, you get access to the online cloud-based versions of the office apps only—no desktop versions. But the package does allow mobile apps. Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams services are included.
The next level package is called Microsoft 365 Business Standard, formerly called Office 365 Business Premium. It includes the basic office applications online, mobile, and on desktops. Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams services are included.
The next level package is called Microsoft 365 Business Premium, formerly listed as Microsoft 365 Premium. This subscription includes office applications online, mobile, and on desktops. Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams services are included. However, this package also offers Intune and Azure Information Protection services.
There is a fourth subscription package available called Microsoft 365 Apps for Business (formerly Office 365 Business). This subscription includes the office apps, but the only supported service is OneDrive.
If you’re interested in using Microsoft 365 for your business and would like help to find the right package, contact The PC Support Group now on 03300 886 116 or email us on info@pcsupportgroup.com or leave us a message here and one of our team will be in touch.