Microsoft 365 licences: pay per person, not per habit.
Three variants for SMEs. Most organisations need two of them, not the dearest for everyone.
Short answer
For SMEs Microsoft 365 has three licences: Business Basic with mail and the online programs, Business Standard with the programs on the computer as well, and Business Premium with device management and fuller security on top. You pay per user per month and may mix variants. Jevana works out with you who needs which and clears licences nobody uses.
The three Business licences side by side
| Item | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mail on your own domain, calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OneDrive and SharePoint | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Word, Excel, PowerPoint in the browser | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| The same programs on the computer | No | Yes | Yes |
| Managing laptops and phones (Intune) | No | No | Yes |
| Conditional access | No | No | Yes |
| Defender for Business | No | No | Yes |
The make-up is Microsoft's and can change. Whether Teams is included depends in Europe on the variant chosen. Current prices are on Microsoft's website.
Who needs which
Someone who mostly emails and now and then opens a document gets by with Basic. Someone who sits in Excel all day wants the programs on their computer and needs Standard.
Premium is the choice once you want to manage laptops centrally or enforce that only known devices can reach company data. That then applies to everyone with such a laptop. A warehouse employee with only a mailbox does not have to be part of it.
What Intune does with PremiumWhat the monthly bill is made of
At Microsoft
- An amount per user per month, per type of licence
- Cancellable monthly at a higher rate, or fixed annually
- Separate extras, such as more storage or a larger mailbox
Often overlooked
- A shared mailbox needs no licence up to a certain size
- A departed employee costs money until someone removes the licence
- A backup outside Microsoft is a separate service
Questions
What is the difference between Business Basic, Standard and Premium?
The difference is in the programs and the security. Basic gives mail, storage and the Office programs in the browser. Standard adds the programs on the computer. Premium adds device management with Intune, conditional access and Defender for Business. All three have the same mailbox and the same storage per user.
What does Microsoft 365 cost for a company?
Microsoft 365 costs an amount per user per month, which differs per licence and per term. Microsoft sets the prices and they are on microsoft.com; we do not list them here because they change regularly. On top there may be a backup and the management. For the total you get one overview from us up front.
Can we scale up and down monthly?
Yes, if you choose monthly licences. They cost a little more than an annual contract, but you can add or cancel licences each month. With an annual contract the number is fixed and you can only buy more. For organisations with seasonal staff or high turnover a mix is usual: the fixed core annually, the rest monthly.
Do we need Premium for Intune?
Intune comes with Business Premium, and for SMEs that is the most-used route. It can also be bought separately on top of a Basic or Standard licence. If you also want conditional access and Defender, Premium is almost always cheaper than the separate parts together. We work that out for each situation.
Can we mix different licences?
Yes. Within one environment each user may have a different licence. That is also how you keep costs in hand: Premium for those with a company laptop, Basic for those who only email. The one point to watch is that security rules from Premium apply only to the users who have Premium.
Goes well with
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Microsoft 365 management
Accounts, licences, security and Microsoft's changes kept up, for a fixed fee.
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Microsoft 365 security
Two-step verification, conditional access and Defender: what is in your licence, switched on and checked.
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Advice
Someone to think through your IT with you, from where you stand today to a switch or growth.
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Microsoft 365 backup
A daily copy of mail, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams, outside Microsoft, with a retention period you choose.
From the knowledge base
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Shared mailbox or distribution list: what is the difference?
Setting up info@ and invoices@ properly in Microsoft 365: when to choose a shared mailbox, a distribution list or a group.
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Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard or Premium: which do you need?
The three business licences side by side: what is in them, who needs which, and why you can mix them without trouble.
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How much does IT management cost for a business?
What the monthly fee for IT management is made of, what is usually left out, and how to compare two quotes fairly.
Tell us what you run.
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or email info@jevana.systems