Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is the productivity cloud designed to help each of us achieve what matters, in our work and life, with best-in-class Office apps, intelligent cloud services, and advanced security. In April 2020, Microsoft decided to rename their Cloud Office products, at this time all Microsoft developed applications follow the cloud model or offers applications as a service. The cloud based applications ensure that you as a customer does not have to install any software on your machines, simply login to your portal and access applications and your data. Microsoft uses the best-in-class integrated security practices to protect your data and your customers’ data.

Office 365

After the renaming exercise in early 2020. Microsoft still offers the Office 365 license through the cloud. Office 365 remains the traditional cloud productivity suite that comprises of common Microsoft Office applications like Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. A majority of these plans offer hosted Microsoft Exchange mailboxes along with various “add-ons” that add increased security and compliance for stand-alone office applications such as Project. The Office 365 suite is divided into two main categories as described here

Office 365 Business

Business plans include Essential, Business, and Business Premium. These plans offer a low-cost approach to provide key Office 365 services to clients with minimal needs. However, there are a few limitations to these plans which are important to note. For example, Office 365 Business does not include Shared Computer Activation (SCA) for Office products. This means that you cannot use Business plans with a Remote Desktop Environment (RDS) in Azure.

Office 365 Enterprise

Office 365 Enterprise plans include ProPlus, E1, E3, and E5. These plans offer key features that are geared towards Enterprise productivity which include options that are not available under Business plans. All these plans, except E1, include Office ProPlus with SCA and are suitable for use in an RDS environment. The Office 365 E3 plan is the most commonly used level within Enterprise plans as it includes Office ProPlus, Exchange, and important security and compliance features like e-discovery and archiving.

Other plans

Office 365 also offers various versions of Enterprise plans for various verticals. These include Education, Government, and Non-Profit licensing. Each licensing model caters to specific requirements and has varying costs.

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 was introduced in late 2017 as a new product bundle that combines the traditional Office 365 features with Enterprise Mobility, Security, and Windows 10. These plans are expensive as compared to Office 365 plans, they provide a complete cloud productivity solution. The most important differentiation is that these plans include a Windows 10 Enterprise license that can be used to license Virtual Desktops in Microsoft Azure through traditional VDI or Windows Virtual Desktop WVD. Microsoft 365 is split into three categories: Business, Enterprise, and Education.

Microsoft 365 Business

This plan is focused on SMB deployments. It includes Office 365 Business (not ProPlus), some basic EMS functionality, and Intune for device management. These plans are an “upgrade” from the Office 365 Business Premium plans. A keynote here is that Office 365 Business plan has fewer features as compared to its Office 365 ProPlus version concerning the limit on the number of users it can be deployed for (currently 300) and zero group policy support. As of April 2019, Office 365 Business through Microsoft 365 Business plans will include SCA for use on an RDS host.

Microsoft 365 Enterprise

Microsoft 365 Enterprise plans not only to mirror the traditional Office 365 E3/E5 plans but also to add in a Windows 10 Enterprise license along with EMS features. These plans would be an “upgrade” from the Office 365 E3/E5 plans and include critical security features like Azure Information Protection, Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection, and Microsoft Intune. There is also a new F1 plan within M365 Enterprise which is designed for users who need limited access to M365 services. These plans allow users to fully manage their desktop infrastructure either on-premise or in the cloud.

Microsoft 365 Education

Microsoft 365 Education consists of a new level of plans geared specifically for classrooms. These plans are focused on providing productivity tools required for the classroom at a reasonable price point. They are split into A1, A3, and A5 license levels with A1 being a one-time per device license while the A3/A5 licenses are traditional monthly recurring costs. Besides, with most levels, pricing is based on teacher licenses, with students being able to be added to the plan at no cost.

Various Packages Content

Prices listed are subject to change without notice from Microsoft

Microsoft 365 Business Basic $5.00 user/month – Best for businesses that need easy remote solutions, with Microsoft Teams, secure cloud storage, and Office Online (desktop versions not included).

Microsoft 365 Business Standard, $12.50 user/month – Best for businesses that need full remote work and collaboration tools including Microsoft Teams, secure cloud storage, business email, and premium Office applications across devices.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium, $20.00 user/month – Best for businesses that require secure, remote work solutions with everything included in Business Standard, plus advanced cyberthreat protection and device management.

Microsoft 365 Apps for business, $8.25 user/month – Best for businesses that need Office apps across devices and cloud file storage. Business email and Microsoft Teams not included.

Microsoft GOLD Partner

Network Elites is a Microsoft Gold Partner and we have earned this honor by working closely with Microsoft. In order to earn Microsoft Gold competencies, Microsoft awards partnerships to organizations that must demonstrate proven expertise in delivering quality solutions in one or more specialized areas of business. Our staff is certified in deploying the services offered by the Azure Cloud and Microsoft 365 services including migrating exchange based email solutions into a M365 outlook based solution. The cloud solutions have integrated security to keep your data safe. of all cloud resources

Network Elites has a strong track record of successful implementations, proven expertise in Microsoft platforms, and a team who’ve earned certifications in their areas of competency.