Being the most successful software company in the world, all new products from Microsoft naturally receive a lot of attention.
One of its latest products, Microsoft 365, is no exception, largely because its name can be easily confused with Microsoft Office 365. The situation is made even worse by the fact that there’s a substantial overlap between the two products.
In this article, we explain what Microsoft 365 is and how it differs from Office 365 to help you decide if it’s the right solution for you and your business.
What is Microsoft 365?
First introduced in July 2017, Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based service aimed at businesses. It bundles three different products into a single package to address many business needs with a single license:
- Office 365: A cloud-based subscription service that provides seamless access to the Microsoft Office product line, which consists of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, and other productivity applications.
- Windows 10: The latest version of Microsoft’s desktop operating system.
- Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS): an intelligent mobility management and security platform whose purpose is to secure connections between people, devices, apps, and data by detecting and investigating advanced threats across on-premises and cloud environments.
The combination of Office 365, Windows 10, and EMS makes Microsoft 365 ideal for businesses who are looking for the most straightforward solution that would allow them to achieve their objectives and grow without any headaches.
Microsoft is keenly aware that no two businesses are exactly the same, which is why it offers several different versions of Microsoft 365 to choose from, with Microsoft 365 Business and Microsoft 365 Enterprise being the two main versions.
Microsoft 365 Business
Aimed at small and medium-sized organizations with up to 300 employees, Microsoft 365 Business includes the same productivity tools you get with Office 365 Business Premium plus Advanced Threat Protection, Data loss prevention policies (DLP), Exchange Online archiving, Azure Information Protection, and Intune.
Microsoft 365 Enterprise
Aimed at larger organizations with more complex business needs, Microsoft 365 Enterprise includes both Office 365 ProPlus and a full suite of online services for email, file storage and collaboration, meetings, and more.
This version of Microsoft 365 is available in three plans:
- E3: Includes core products and features.
- E5: Adds advanced security, voice, and data analysis tools.
- F1: Geared toward first-line workers, this plan comes with Office 365 and limited threat protection tools.
Other Versions of Microsoft 365
In addition to Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise, there is also a version for schools and other places of learning (Microsoft 365 Education), a version for non-profit organizations (Microsoft 365 Nonprofit), and a version for government agencies and contractors holding controlled but unclassified information (Microsoft 365 Government).
Microsoft 365 vs Office 365
Microsoft 365 and Office 365 are overlapping subscription-based products that both include a cloud-based version of the Microsoft Office suite of productivity applications.
Microsoft 365 is a more cost-effective solution for businesses that rely both on Office 365 and Windows 10 and would also like to take advantage of Enterprise Mobility + Security to strengthen their cybersecurity posture with additional security, data loss prevention, and compliance tools.
Office 365 alone makes sense for businesses that are not heavily invested in Microsoft’s ecosystem but would still like to enjoy access to its office applications.
Benefits of Microsoft 365
All versions of Microsoft 365 offer several important benefits:
- Guaranteed security: In this day and age, businesses can never pay too much attention to cybersecurity. Microsoft 365 bundles multiple useful tools to help businesses be more productive while keeping all sensitive data protected. The integrated nature of Microsoft 365 helps achieve compliance with regulatory standards.
- Streamlined administrative processes: Many businesses are losing their ability to compete because they rely on a tangled mess of legacy tools that are difficult to administer and impossible to keep updated and secure. With its all-in-one approach, Microsoft 365 elegantly solves this problem, offering an affordable and easy-to-implement alternative that’s always up to date.
- Enhanced collaboration: Microsoft 365 enhances employee collaboration by providing a full suite of online services for email, file storage, meetings, and more as a single, cohesive subscription-based service.
These and other benefits make Microsoft 365 a fantastic choice for all businesses that would like to better face modern digital challenges while reducing the complexity of their IT infrastructure.
Implementing Microsoft 365 For Your Business
Microsoft 365 is an attractive subscription-based offering that provides an integrated approach for dealing with modern cybersecurity threats. While it doesn’t replace a true multi-layered approach to cybersecurity, it provides an extremely solid foundation for businesses to build upon.
Work With a Microsoft Silver Cloud Platform Partner
If you think your business could benefit from Microsoft 365, contact a representative at OSIbeyond today to discuss how we can help you implement a solution.