Microsoft 365 Business Standard vs. Premium: What Is Better?

Microsoft 365 Business standard and the Microsoft 365 Business Premium service levels are both distinct service tiers that provide a range of capabilities based on the various aspects that define your particular business.

As the IT world evolves, your company should adapt. Heading toward digital transformation or any system transition in a large organization takes much decision-making. But no business partner is required to find it out on their own. 

The decision becomes simple with the proper tools and expertise, and your future business expenditures will speak for themselves.

In this essay, we’ll discuss the distinctions between Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Business Premium. Check out the costs and includes of these two Microsoft 365 Business plans. 

 

What Is Microsoft 365 for Business?

Microsoft advertises its Microsoft 365 solution as “your personal and professional productivity cloud.” It is a unique combination of the Office applications you know and loves with sophisticated cloud and security features. Microsoft 365 may provide device management and other enterprise-wide IT and access controls, depending on the level or package you choose.

Microsoft 365 is the successor of Microsoft Office 365, which provides much more than the well-known Microsoft Office suite. Over time, it proceeded to add more features to its Office 365 platform. Productivity and collaboration tools like Teams joined cloud applications, like OneDrive and SharePoint, to complete the platform.

Microsoft expanded security and deployment tools. Office 365 became too big to call an office suite. 

The product has grown outside the office suite, thus the name change. Microsoft 365 is a comprehensive IT solution for businesses.

 

Best Microsoft 365 Apps

Microsoft 365 Apps is Microsoft’s alternative pricing tier. A yearly subscription to this plan costs $8.25 per user and grants access to the following premium desktop applications:

• Outlook
• Word
• Excel
• PowerPoint
• Publisher (PC only)
• Access (PC only)

The cloud storage service OneDrive and online and mobile apps for the Office productivity suite are part of this package.

But a lot needs to be added to this. You miss many high-end extras, like Teams, corporate email, Exchange support, and more.

This package is ideal for organizations yet to fully embrace digital transformation. Microsoft 365 Apps can be the best deal if you require access to the Office suite and nothing else.

 

What is the Business Standard?

The Business Standard package is quite similar to the Business Premium one in many respects. The most significant difference between the two comprehensive business plans, and the one that will have the most impact on your company, is that the Business Standard plan excludes numerous advanced features in exchange for a significantly lower price than the other plan.

Customers of Business Standard get access to the whole spectrum of cloud services, including Microsoft Office on the web, mobile devices, and desktop computers (Teams, Exchange, OneDrive, and SharePoint) and three additional apps such as Microsoft Forms, Lists, and Bookings. Central to Business Standard are collaboration technologies, including cross-device synchronization and the most recent Microsoft security and compliance solutions.

The Standard plan is attractive for many companies because of its features and low pricing. Nonetheless, the plan’s inclusion of several key elements might significantly impact.

 

What is Business Premium?

Aside from the features and services included in the Business Standard plan, the Microsoft 365 Business Premium Plan also includes Premium-level security options. If your business is ready to switch from a strictly on-premises setup to a distributed one, there are solid technologies for managing desktop computers and mobile devices.

As your business expands, it becomes essential to control staff devices for employee satisfaction and security. Cloud services are a requirement for Business Premium. User satisfaction with Intune and Azure Information Protection (AIP). If a misplaced laptop is not a security nightmare, you may establish organization-wide IT rules and enforce them on company-owned devices.

All Microsoft 365 versions enable guest URLs to files and OneDrive permissions-managed sharing. Only Business Premium provides extra AIP and information access control. If conditional access control is important, you need Business Premium.

 

Microsoft 365 Business Standard vs. Premium

Microsoft 365 Business Premium covers everything included in Microsoft 365 Business Standard, with several exclusive capabilities. Check out the in-depth breakdown of the differences between the Premium and Standard plans for Microsoft 365 Business.

Apps and Services Included:

• The Business Standard edition of Microsoft 365 includes Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint, OneDrive, SharePoint, Exchange, Access, and Publisher.
• Microsoft Office (PC only), Excel (PC only), PowerPoint (PC only), Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint, Exchange, Access (PC only), Publisher (PC only), Intune, and Azure, are all included in this plan.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium versus Standard, as you can see, both provide desktop versions of Microsoft Office programs with premium capabilities. The distinction is that Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes Intune and Azure.

Features:

In addition to sophisticated threat prevention, PC and mobile device management, and data control, the Business Premium plan adds to Microsoft 365 Business Standard.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium comes with Intune, a cloud-based solution specializing in mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM).

With Azure’s Information Protection service, you and your employees may share files, emails, and other data while maintaining privacy and security. As a bonus, the Business Premium subscription includes Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) to shield your applications, emails, and other data from being compromised by malicious software.

Price:

• Microsoft 365 Business Standard price: $12.5 per user/month.
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium price: $22 per user/month.

Keep in mind that the Business Premium plan is an extension of the Business Standard plan, which costs around $15.00 per month per user. A membership to Business Premium comes at a higher price and runs around $24.00 per month/user on average.

 

Which one should I choose?

All of the most popular Microsoft Office applications are included in both the Standard and Premium versions of Microsoft 365 for business, which may assist you in completing various tasks related to your business.

The primary difference between them is that the Premium version contains extra capabilities in addition to the standard ones, such as improved security, protection from cyber threats, and control over access to data on your mobile devices and PC. 

Alternatively, the Business Basic edition provides the same level of standard protection as the other business plans offered by Microsoft.

The Microsoft 365 Business Premium plan is the most cutting-edge plan and is the one to choose if you’re concerned about data protection. If safety isn’t a top priority, Standard is all you need.

 

Final Thoughts

Microsoft 365 is a superior long-term investment for most businesses. However, this depends on factors including the size of your company, its expected growth, and budget.

Business Standard may accomplish a lot for you and your company, but “standard” pretty well says it all. It is fantastic if you want the most features without sacrificing quality for the least amount of money. However, Business Premium is the finest option available. In particular, zero in on the most significant value-adds and how they might enhance your IT operations.

The Microsoft 365 Business Premium features are so robust that they may completely alter how you conduct business.