Office 365 is a suite of cloud-based productivity applications such as Microsoft Office, SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive, Yammer, OneNote, etc.

Microsoft 365, however, is a combination of services that blends together Office 365, Windows 10 OS, and Enterprise Mobility + Security.

Watch this short infocast from our Modern Work Client Strategy Lead, Andrew MacKenzie, explaining the difference between the two Microsoft products.

The biggest difference lies in the availability of desktop applications and security features.

Microsoft 365 Business Basic offers Teams, Exchange, OneDrive, and SharePoint but it only offers web- and mobile-based versions of the most widely used productivity apps such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. This SKU is the cheapest, but users will find it challenging to keep their productivity up without access to the full functionality of the desktop version of the Office productivity apps.  

Microsoft 365 Business Standard is a more robust plan for organisations looking to transform their office productivity, business processes, communications, collaboration, and more. It provides users access to everything that's included in Business Basic plus desktop Office apps, including Yammer, 1 TB OneDrive storage, and limited use rights to Power Apps and Power Automate. Its mid-level price makes it ideal for most organizations to pick this option. 

Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes everything you can find in Business Standard plus the premium security features such as Azure AD Premium, Advanced Threat Protection, Azure Information Protection, and Intune. If your organization has remote workers or BYOD workstyles, Business Premium is highly recommended for you. It might be the most expensive of the three SKUs, but it certainly keeps your business well protected against unseen risks while keeping your people productive. 

Watch the video below for a quick snapshot of the inclusions in Business Premium. 

Yes, you can still purchase Windows OS, Office 365, and Enterprise Mobility + Security Suite a la carte. You can purchase them through a Microsoft Tier 1 CSP CSP such as Professional Advantage.

However, it is more cost-effective to purchase Microsoft 365 Business or Enterprise SKUs as it already bundles several apps and solutions that would otherwise be more expensive when bought separately.

Yes, there is a trial version for Microsoft 365 which you can use for testing purposes for 30 days. 

Available on your Microsoft 365 Business or Enterprise subscription are several useful productivity apps that can help make work a lot easier for you. Apart from the popular and often-used Microsoft Office apps like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, there are a few more that you need to be aware of.

• SharePoint and Teams for content and collaboration.
• Teams for chat, calls, or online meetings.
• Power Apps and Power Automate for business process automation.
• Power BI for data visualisation and analytics.
• OneDrive for Business for storing your files in the cloud so you can take them with you anywhere you go.
• Yammer for company-wide informal communications.
• Stream for storing and playing videos.
• Forms for online surveys and polls.