Microsoft 365 Covers Business IT Needs From Desktop to the Cloud

Microsoft has a new enterprise cloud service package for large and small businesses to enhance productivity and do a better job of connecting employees, customers and partners. Called Microsoft 365 the cloud package will come in two versions: Microsoft 365 Enterprise for big companies and Microsoft 365 Business for small and midsize businesses. While they offer different features based on what specific customers want, they combine Microsoft’s cloud services to address employee concerns, the packages combines a number of standalone cloud services, including Windows 10, Office 365, Enterprise Mobility + Security and more. Read on to learn about Microsoft 365. 

Microsoft unveiled Microsoft 365 at the company’s Inspire Worldwide Partner Conference on July 10. Microsoft 365 is essentially a bundle of cloud services that companies can buy to build a comprehensive cloud and desktop productivity platform. Microsoft 365 combines Office 365, Windows 10, and Enterprise Mobile + Security in one package. 

Microsoft is offering two versions of Microsoft 365. The first is called Microsoft 365 Enterprise and is designed for large companies with thousands of employees. The other is known as Microsoft 365 Business, and is designed for small and medium-sized businesses that might not need the more advanced services available in the Enterprise option.

First up, there’s Microsoft 365 Enterprise. The service includes the company’s enterprise-grade Office 365 services, including the chat-based workspace service Microsoft Teams. Additionally, users will find full threat protection via Enterprise Mobile + Security features, as well as analytics data that can be bolstered by machine learning.

There are two Microsoft 365 Enterprise plans. The first is called E3 and is expected to be the cheaper of the two. E3 comes with Office 365 integration, Azure Active Directory P1, and Office 365 Data Loss Protection, among many other services. However, unlike the other version, E5, it doesn’t support Cloud PBX. E5 also adds Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection, Azure Active Directory P2, and support for Power BI Pro.

According to Microsoft, Secure Productive Enterprise, the company’s previous cloud-based bundle, is being replaced by Microsoft 365 Enterprise. Microsoft says that Secure Productive Enterprise has been growing rapidly and Microsoft 365 Enterprise will add new services that will appeal to its growing customer base.

Unlike Microsoft 365 Business, the software and cloud giant isn’t discussing pricing on Microsoft 365 Enterprise plans. Instead, Microsoft would only say that it’s making the solutions available to companies on Aug. 1. Pricing will ostensibly be revealed at that time.

Microsoft 365 Business is essentially a more feature-rich version of Office 365 Business Premium. The service includes full access to Office applications, but adds device management solutions for IT providers. Microsoft 365 Business also includes a host of security features not available in its predecessor, including the ability to secure documents on mobile devices.

Microsoft 365 Business is designed for small and medium-sized companies with a maximum of 300 potential users. Companies with a larger employee base will be required to move to Microsoft 365 Enterprise. To be clear, the limit is based on prospective users, not a company’s total number of employees.

Unlike Microsoft 365 Enterprise, Microsoft is making its Business version pricing readily available. Microsoft 365 Business will cost customers $20 per user per month. The service will be available as a public preview on Aug. 2, and will become generally available to companies sometime in the fall.

Microsoft 365 Business users will be able to test three preview applications, called Connections, Listings, and Invoicing. Connections is an e-mail marketing app and Listings will help companies publish their information to “top sites.” Microsoft Invoicing is designed for fast corporate invoice creation and distribution.