Choosing the right Microsoft 365 plan for your business

Posted on Monday May 02, 2022

Choosing the right Microsoft 365 plan for your business can be daunting due to the various benefits and limitations of each subscription. In this article, we'll help you compare the prices and features of these plans to help you decide which one works best for you.

Microsoft 365 plans for businesses

Microsoft 365 for businesses comes in four different plans: 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

Now that you have an idea of how much each Microsoft 365 plan costs and what features are included with each plan, it’s time to determine which one is right for your business. Here's what you should do:

Assess your current hardware and software It's important to make sure your employees' computers are capable of running Microsoft 365 applications before subscribing to a plan. Some features might not work as expected or have limited functionality if their hardware does not meet specific system requirements.

Likewise, assessing your current software and apps is crucial to determining whether they will work effectively with Microsoft 365. Some third-party apps may not be compatible, limiting the usefulness of your subscription.

Consider your needs When choosing a Microsoft 365 plan, consider your company's needs and determine which features will offer you the most value. Try answering these questions to get an idea of your requirements:

• Are you looking for ways to improve collaboration and communication?
• Will your business benefit by shifting to the cloud?
• Are you looking for advanced protection from various threats?

Asking questions like these can help you narrow down your options and find a plan that's tailored to your business.

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 or you can answer this questionnaire.