Microsoft 365
Business Premium or Business Standard?
Both plans give your team the same Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams. The difference is everything around them: who can sign in, from which devices, and what happens when a laptop goes missing.
The hard part
Why the choice is confusing
The plan names describe the price, not the difference.
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What it costs you
Paying for Premium without turning its security on, or skipping it and having no way to lock a lost laptop.
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What it feels like
Comparison charts with dozens of rows, most of which don’t matter to a small business.
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Why it shouldn’t be this way
The decision comes down to four things. They fit on one screen.
The difference
What Premium adds
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Conditional Access (Microsoft Entra ID P1)
Sets rules for who can sign in, from where, and on which devices.
Why it matters Blocks sign-ins that don’t fit your rules, even with the right password.
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Device management (Microsoft Intune)
Enrolls company and personal devices, sets their security, and can wipe company data remotely.
Why it matters A lost laptop becomes an inconvenience, not a data leak.
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Endpoint protection (Microsoft Defender for Business)
Watches every computer for attacks and responds automatically.
Why it matters The protection most cyber insurers now ask about.
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Data-loss prevention
Flags or blocks sensitive information leaving the company.
Why it matters Helps keep client and financial data where it belongs.
Both plans have a 300-user limit. For current pricing, see Microsoft’s comparison page.
Choosing
Who needs which
Business Premium fits most businesses that hold client or financial data, have cyber insurance, or let staff work from personal devices. Those are the situations its security was built for.
Business Standard can be enough for a very small team with company-owned computers, little sensitive data, and another way to protect and manage those devices.
Who we are
What we set up on each
A license doesn’t protect anything until it’s configured. On either plan we set up sign-in security, email protection and backups. On Premium we also turn on Conditional Access, device management and endpoint protection, and check them every month.
Configured, not just bought
Security features switched on and set for how you work.
Right plan per person
Not everyone needs the same license.
Checked monthly
Settings drift. We look.
Backed up
Microsoft 365 data backed up separately.
Where to start
Where to start
The choice is yours.
- Want your licenses checked for you? Book my free IT risk review →
- A team of 15 to 70 who want IT fully handled. Our Fully Managed IT Support Program →
- A small team, mostly in the cloud. IT Essentials →
What success looks like
The right plan, actually working.
And no paying for features you don’t use.
- Everyone is on the plan they need.
- Lost devices can be locked or wiped.
- Sign-ins that don’t fit your rules are blocked.
Questions about Business Premium and Standard
What’s the difference between Business Premium and Standard?
The apps are the same. Premium adds Conditional Access, device management, endpoint protection and data-loss prevention.
Do we need Premium for cyber insurance?
Often it’s the simplest way to meet the requirements insurers ask about, such as MFA and endpoint protection. Check your insurer’s application.
Can we mix plans?
Yes. Different people can have different plans in the same company.
Is Microsoft backing up our data?
Not in the way most people assume. Microsoft keeps the service running; restoring deleted data beyond its retention settings is on you. Who backs up your Microsoft 365 data →
How many users can be on these plans?
Up to 300.
Can you move us to the right plan?
Yes. We review who needs what, change the licenses, and set up the security that comes with them.
Not sure which plan you need?
Book a free IT risk review and we’ll check your licenses and how they’re set up. Or start with a few questions about your tech.