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Why M365 Business Premium?
For the majority of small businesses we recommend Microsoft 365 Business Premium as it provides the best mix of productivity, security and management features for SME's. In this article we explain the differences between M365 Business Premium and M365 Business Standard.
M365 Business Premium includes important security and compliance features that are unavailable in the Standard edition. Thus Business Premium is the most cost effective way to deliver the best security features along with an Exchange mailbox and the needed office apps.
Let’s start with a feature list of Business Standard vs Premium. Note that all of the M365 plans are in a constant change with features being added, removed or modified - thus the features below are subject to change
| Microsoft Business Standard |
Microsoft Business Premium |
| Busines class emails |
Everything in Business Standard, plus: |
| Cloud File Storage |
Advanced security |
| Web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook only |
Access and data control |
| Chat, call, meet up to 300 attendees. |
Cyberthreat protection |
| Manage customer appointments. |
Device management |
| Standard security |
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| Anytime phone and web support |
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In terms of security, the following table lists the main differences between a M365 Standard and a M365 Business Premium account.
| M365 Business Standard Security |
M365 Business Premium Security |
| Helps protect your business against spam and malware with cloud-based email filtering. |
Everything in Business Standard, plus: |
| Manage security threats by creating password policies. (Password complexity) |
Enterprise-grade endpoint security to protect against ransomware and cyber threats through Microsoft 365 Defender for Endpoint.
Microsoft 365 Defender is the only XDR (extended detection and response) platform that protects against ransomware attacks at the organisational and device levels.
XDR collects and automatically correlates data across multiple security layers. This allows for faster detection of threats and improved investigation and response times through security analysis. |
| Secure access with multifactor authentication. |
Protect against email threats such as phishing hidden in email attachments and links with Defender for Office 365.
Microsoft Defender for Office 365 is a seamless integration into your Office 365 subscription that protects against threats in email, links (URLS), attachments, or collaboration tools.
Defender for Office 365 safeguards organisations against malicious threats by providing admins and SecOps teams with a wide range of capabilities. |
| Control access to business information with security groups and custom permissions. |
Restrict access to sensitive business information with Information Rights Management.
Information Rights Management (IRM) is a form of IT security technology used to protect documents containing sensitive information from unauthorized access. |
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Help employees securely access business apps wherever they work with conditional access while helping prevent unauthorized access.
The modern security perimeter extends beyond an organisation's network perimeter to include user and device identity. Organisations now use identity-driven signals as part of their access control decisions.
Conditional Access policies, at their simplest, are if-then statements; if a user wants to access a resource, then they must complete an action. For example, if a user wants to access an application or service like Microsoft 365, they must perform multifactor authentication to gain access.
Use Conditional Access policies to apply the proper access controls when needed to keep your organisation secure. |
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Apply security policies to help protect work data on company-owned and employee devices.
Security Policies are a set of configurations that can be applied on desktops to enhance security. They determine the various security restrictions that can be imposed on the users in a network. |
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Keep company data within approved apps across iOS, Android, and Windows PCs.
This refers to BYOD, which stands for bring your own device. This is when employees use their personal devices to connect to the organisation's network and access what they need to do their jobs. This includes data and information that could be potentially sensitive or confidential. However, BYOD can pose security risks if proper safeguards are not in place and is generally best avoided. Providing company-owned devices purely for work purposes is considered best practice. |
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Remove business data from lost or stolen devices.
Business Premium includes Microsoft Intune, which helps organisations maintain security and compliance by providing a range of security features, such as device encryption, password policies, remote wiping, and device management. This helps to ensure that sensitive data is protected and that devices comply with industry standards and infosec best practices. |
In simple terms, M365 Business Premium has everthing a small to medium business would need:
- Identity, access and user management (Entra ID / Azure AD).
- Hosted mailbox (Exchange Online).
- MS Office software (Microsoft 365 Apps for Business).
- Hosted file sharing (SharePoint Online).
- Desktop security / antivirus software (Defender for Endpoint).
- Email security (Defender for Office 365).
- Restrict access (Conditional Access).
- Device management (Intune).
... plus much much more!
If you are located in Australia and would like a free no obligation audit to see if M365 Business Premium is suitable for your business needs, please contact us on 08 8326 4364 / 02 7902 5169 or via email at [email protected].
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