Which Office 365 Plan is Right for Your Business?

Choosing a Microsoft Office 365 Plan

Sometimes choice is a blessing, and sometimes it’s a curse. When there are so many choices out there, each differing ever so slightly from the other, what should be a quick and easy decision can end up being a nightmare. This is part of the reason why choosing a Microsoft solution for your business can seem like a daunting task. You can spend hours on end trying to compare all Microsoft 365 plans, and still feel completely lost.

Not to fret – we’re here to help! We’ve already put together an infographic to compare Office 365 plans, and now we’re going to look at three areas that can help you choose the perfect Microsoft 365 plan. 

What Should I Consider When Choosing a Microsoft 365 Plan?  

There are four main considerations that businesses need to think about when choosing the perfect Microsoft plan for their needs: 

1. Budget

It’s the first question that any business will consider when implementing any Microsoft plan: How much can we afford to spend?

There is a Microsoft 365 plan out there to match just about any budget.

If you want to spend as little as possible, then Microsoft 365 Business Basic licenses are the most cost-effective. They include access to all of the essential online tools for word processing and spreadsheeting and presentations, plus cloud storage and collaboration tools like OneDriveSharePoint and Microsoft Teams.

With a bigger budget comes access to the full downloadable versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher and Access, while the Premium and Enterprise licenses offer more advanced security and more storage space respectively.

2. Requirements

What your business needs from your Microsoft suite is going to differ from other companies around you. Companies in the advertising and marketing fields, for example, may need access to Publisher, while those in legal professions would require features like Litigation Hold and eDiscovery. 

While some businesses will revel in Microsoft’s cloud solutions, others may not be convinced by the cloud quite yet, and just want the good old Microsoft that they’re used to, just with a monthly payment plan. For these businesses, Microsoft Apps for Business licenses are the way to go.

3. Growth

How big do you think your business is going to get? You may be a start-up with 10 employees right now, but where do you see yourself in 6 months time? Or a year from now? Or 5, or 10? Will your team members be working from your office, from their home offices, or will you embrace a hybrid work environment?

Planning for your future is critical for any business. And making sure that your Microsoft plan offers you the resources that you’re going to need in the foreseeable future is an important part of that planning process.

4. Security

One of the biggest advantages of the Microsoft 365 Business Premium plans is the advanced security that it offers to companies. We cannot recommend Microsoft Defender for Office 365 highly enough. It really is the future of cyber and email security. And while we truly believe that it’s the security solution that every business needs, it’s not one that every business can afford.

There are alternative anti-virus solutions out there (although Defender is so much more than just an anti-virus). There are other ways to ensure that your teams are trained in the latest cyberthreats and how to handle them. And if you’re an office that provides PCs rather than laptops, the value of a tool like Microsoft Intune device management is significantly reduced, because there’s a far smaller risk of the devices being stolen, especially if you’ve got dedicated in-office security systems.

If, however, your teams are remote or hybrid, are working from multiple devices, are constantly on the move, or are at risk of having hardware stolen, then MS Intune is invaluable. If you can afford the added security that the Premium policy offers, it adds inordinate value to your business, far more than the price tag suggests.

What Next? 

Now that you’ve carefully considered these four aspects of the  Microsoft 365 licenses, you’ll be far better prepared to invest in the right plan for your business. But who should you turn to for implementing the licenses themselves? 

This is where Solid Systems comes in. Not just in purchasing your plans, though we do offer discounted rates. But in helping you make the right choices for your company, implementing your chosen solutions, and training your teams so that you get as much value from your Microsoft services as possible. There’s a reason why we’re a Microsoft Gold Partner, and we can’t wait to help you step into the future with confidence. So what are you waiting for? Get in touch today. 

Michael Claxton

Michael Claxton

Co-Founder and CEO of Solid Systems | I am a father of two, and a mentor of many. My calm focus makes me a natural leader, both in and out the office, and I have a unique skill in nurturing leadership qualities in others as well. But most of all, I understand the true value of time and the ways that technology can optimise efficiency within a business and see humans making the most of the time available to them, both in terms of productivity, and in terms of personal growth. 

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