Microsoft Office 365 is great for those businesses who want to be a part of the IT landscape and adopt tactics to adjust to the digital world. It has all the features and necessary tools that allow the business team to shift their work to the cloud. However, Microsoft Office 365 offers multiple plans according to the varying needs of corporations and businesses. The most commonly used subscriptions are Microsoft Office 365 Standard and Microsoft Office 365 Premium.

Other options include Microsoft Office 365 Apps for Businesses and Microsoft Office 365 Basics. This wide variety of packages confuses business owners, and they often end up with a mismatched subscription, limiting corporate productivity. If you’re wondering about the differences between Microsoft Office 365 Business Standard vs. Premium. Let's discuss them in detail!

What is Microsoft Office 365 for Businesses?

Office 365, which changed its name in April 2020 to Microsoft Office 365, is a blend of different essential apps and high-security tools. It's vital for every small to medium-sized business to ensure their teams are collaborating without any hassle. Microsoft keeps adding more tools to its Office 365 plan, and the newest additions are SharePoint, OneDrive, additional defender tools, etc. The subscriber can access multiple management tools and Mobile or PC version apps.

This means whether the company is working in-office or has completely shifted remotely, these tools help manage a smooth workflow. Moreover, for businesses dealing with crucial data and client information, it's essential to keep a check on all employees' devices, and it's only possible with Microsoft Office 365. Let's discuss both in detail to find the best all-in-one business solution!

Microsoft Office 365 Standard Vs. Premium Apps and Services

This section discusses in detail the critical tools and features packed in Microsoft Office 365 Business Standard and Premium. So, you can choose the desired one matching your organizational needs.

Microsoft Office 365 Business Standard Apps and Services

The Microsoft Office 365 Business Standard packs the following apps and services in itself:

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel, also known as Excel, is a powerful data visualization and analysis tool. This tool helps businesses to create and present their data in a better way and take all the analytics to a different level. It also enables organizations to make spreadsheets and arrange all the data using already present templates or creating new ones.

Outlook

The next one is Outlook, an exceptional email platform specifically designed for businesses to stay in touch with their teams. This app allows teams to exchange vital information and announcements and stay connected at the office or at home.

OneDrive

As the name suggests, OneDrive is an online storage area where people or teams worldwide share and secure photos, files, or videos. These documents are then readily available to everyone worldwide. This eases the working of remote teams and provides them with desired accessibility.

PowerPoint

Just like teachers create different slides to teach students in school, Microsoft PowerPoint is a tool that allows businesses to make catchy business presentations. Several templates are already available in this section, but an organization can make one of its own.

SharePoint

SharePoint is a web-based application that allows Microsoft Office 365 Business Standard users to make their team more functional and facilitate collaboration. Teams can share and manage office news, files, data, etc., with other workers through it within seconds.

Exchange

Microsoft Exchange pretty much functions like Outlook but offers more features. It allows teams to contact each other through emails and share calendars, making it possible for them to prioritize important messages and events first. In simple words, Microsoft Exchange doesn't let organizations miss anything.

Teams

The team is an excellent product of Office 365 and helps groups arrange video calls, chat, and share important data, apps Integration, storage, and much more. With this, businesses can organize video conferences often and make more meaningful conversations with other team members worldwide.

Access

This app is missing in all other Microsoft Office 365 business plans except Standard and Premium Plans. With Access, businesses can create their apps without needing any app developer. Multiple app templates are available that one can utilize or start the procedure from scratch.

Publisher

Microsoft Publisher working is similar to Word; however, the main focus is on text layout and design, not writing and proofreading. The users can create, design, and edit documents through Publisher.

Microsoft Office 365 Business Premium Apps and Services

The Microsoft Office 365 Business Premium has all the Standard plan apps, with several additions that make the business more functional. Let's discuss these few apps in detail:

Intune

To use this feature, businesses don't need to be tech-geeks. Instead, little knowledge of mobile device or application management is enough to use Intune to its fullest potential. This feature allows organizations to control everything that's going on in a company's devices. With it, one can check what data is being transferred and to whom.

Moreover, Intune also gives the user complete control over who can interact with the company's network. The end-user can utilize Intune to separate the company's data from the user's personal information. The most exciting part of Intune is that it's not only limited to PCs or Macbooks, but users with mobile devices can also benefit from it.

Conditional Access

As the name shows, Conditional Access is the term that enables organizations or users to manage who has access to what, when, & where. It's specifically for those companies that have crucial data stored in the space with all users' access and have the risk of data stealing or modification.

For instance, most employees don't have anything to do with how a company's financial growth is going. But giving access to that document to everyone can harm the company as employees sometimes misuse crucial information for their purposes. So, Conditional Access allows organizations to limit particular data to the appropriate audience at the right time and location.

Microsoft Office 365 Business Standard Vs. Premium Price

The prices for Standard and Premium Microsoft Office 365 Business Plans are given below:

●      Microsoft Office 365 Business Standard: €11.70/user per month

●      Microsoft Office 365 Business Premium: $20.60/user per month

The Standard plan has all the office apps but doesn't offer enhanced protection. So, organizations with short budgets may find this plan more suitable. However, if the business is vast and one has enough budget to invest, then Microsoft Office 365 Business Premium plan is the perfect option. It may cost more, but this price is justified by the features offered.

Which One to Choose and Why?

Both Standard and Premium Plans offer all the Microsoft apps that help businesses to complete all their tasks without compromising on functionality. However, a premium plan is best if the business's primary concern is security.

It offers advanced threat protection and management control with features like Azure, Intune, etc. With this plan, one can control who can get access to a particular file or data, and it isn't only limited to PCs. However, if the only purpose of subscribing to a Microsoft Office 365 Business plan is to use Office Apps, then a Standard plan is a better choice.

Our top pick is Microsoft Office 365 Business Premium plan, and here are the reasons for it:

●     Enhanced Security for Cloud Storage

SharePoint and OneDrive are both secure under the Business Premium plan compared to the Standard one. It's because the premium plan protects users' data with tools like multi-factor authentication and threat protection. It's vital for businesses as many people don't know how to deal with a cloud security breach and its consequences.

●     Smooth Mobile Device Security

Another standout feature of the Microsoft Business Premium Plan is that, unlike other plans, it's not limited to PCs. The mobile device management tool prevents users' devices from falling prey to different security risks. For instance, users working in a business are connected to both personal and official data. The mobile device management tool ensures the user keeps both data separate and doesn't end up saving personal data in the office cloud.

●     Better Data Protection

Although moving the business's official data to the cloud reduces the risk of data loss, certain factors still interfere with the company's sensitive information. To avoid such issues, the premium plan offers Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, which detects any unusual change and removes it before the threat gets into your system. Hence, the data stays safe.

Conclusion

This article provides detailed information about the differences between Microsoft Office 365 Business Standard and Premium Plan and which one you should choose!

Both Microsoft Office 365 Business Standard and Premium have their value, and businesses can decide on plans according to their needs. If Office apps are the only concern, then the Standard plan is ideal as it also costs less.

However, if security is the primary demand, Premium Plan is the ultimate choice. The user gets tools like Azure and Intune, etc., with a Premium plan.

With all the information, you can choose the most-suited option for your business, depending on your organizational needs and priorities.