A Look At Office 365 Versions
The following is a brief overview of the most popular Office 365 versions and options for small and medium businesses
A Brief Look at the Different Office 365 Versions
The easiest way to classify Office 365 is as a cloud-based version of Microsoft Office aimed at businesses. This new model of subscription-based services offers businesses all the productivity software they need plus a solid platform for their communications. Think of Outlook combined with Skype for Business and Office apps, all of which are accessible via your browser, or can be installed on your workforce computers, tablets and mobile devices (both IOS and Android)
At the core of Office 365 there is a supporting layer known as SharePoint that links all of these apps together, thereby giving you a central place to store all of your documents which can then be collaborated on using various Microsoft apps.
As noted above, Office 365 is subscription based and comes in several versions and subscription models. These business-oriented subscriptions are broken down into two main categories: Business and Enterprise subscriptions and of course, there are subscriptions for Education and Government, but we will focus this overview on the two main small to medium business categories.
Office 365 Small Business Subscriptions
There are three plans under the Business subscription category:
- Office 365 Business Essentials – Comes with online versions of Office apps (Office Web Apps), Skype for business, online storage through OnEDRive and a corporate email address plus Exchange Online Protection. This plan is ideal for businesses who don’t need desktop versions of the Office apps and are more concerned with a Cloud delivery model and collaboration. Plans start at $5.00 per user, per month but do require an annual commitment.
- Office 365 Business – For businesses who need installable versions of Office apps along with cloud-storage through OneDrive. It is important to note that this version of Office 365 does not come with hosted email or business communication tools like Skype. If you already have hosted email, and are just looking for Office apps, then this could be a good plan for you. Plans cost $8.25 per user, per month on an annual commitment.
- Office 365 Business Premium – This subscription is for businesses who want the whole package. It combines all the elements of the above plans into a solution which is ideal for smaller businesses or even enterprises. If you are looking for a full solution, then this plan could be the best fit for your business. Plans cost $12.50 per user, per month on an annual commitment.
It is worth noting here that all three of these plans have a limit of 300 users per plan, giving you a maximum of 300 subscriptions.
Enterprise subscriptions
These subscriptions are aimed more at larger organizations, or businesses who need more control over Office 365 and access to features like Business Intelligence, Enterprise Management apps, and even business portals. As with the Business subscription category, there are three main plans in the Enterprise subscription category:
- Office 365 Enterprise E1 – Comes with online versions of Office apps (Office Web Apps), Skype for business, online storage through OneDrive, a corporate email address, and a corporate video portal. This plan is ideal for businesses who don’t need full versions of Office apps. Plans cost $8.00 per user, per month on an annual commitment.
- Office 365 Pro Plus – This plan is for businesses who need installable versions of Office along with more advanced apps like Access, and cloud-storage through OneDrive. It does not come with hosted email or business communication tools like Skype for Business. If you already have hosted email, and are just looking for Office apps, then this could be a good plan for you. Plans cost 12.00 per user, per month on an annual commitment.
- Office 365 Enterprise E3 – This subscription is ideal for companies who want most of what Office 365 has to offer. This includes all of the above, plus advanced business intelligence tools, compliance protection, enterprise management, and more. If you are looking for a full solution, then this plan could be a good match for your business. Plans cost $20.00 per user, per month on an annual commitment.
- Office 365 Enterprise E5 - This subscription is ideal for companies who want absolutely all Office 365 has to offer. This includes all of the above, plus a full Cloud PBX with a Microsoft PSTN calling plan where available, Meeting Broadcast, PSTN Conferencing, advanced business intelligence tools, compliance protection, enterprise management, and more. If you are looking for a full solution combined with voice which could replace your PBX, then this plan could be a great match for your business or organization. Plans cost $35.00 per user, per month on an annual commitment.
Businesses who subscribe to Enterprise plans can sign up for an unlimited number of subscriptions.
Which plan is best for my business?
This is a tough question to answer outright. What we recommend is contacting us. As experts in all things Microsoft, we can work with you to not only help you pick the plan that is best for your business, but ensure it is installed correctly. This can help further reduce costs and increase productivity.
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