Digital Transformation Today

Office 365 Business Plans Renaming: Confusion Continues


All Subscriptions Are Not Created Equal

Did you know that there are Microsoft subscriptions for Home, Small to Medium Businesses (like Office 365 and for Enterprises? For clarification, Microsoft defines Small to Medium businesses as having under 300 people, and Enterprise is 301+. Now you’re asking, is there really a difference in service? In the simplest terms, yes – Business Plans and Enterprise Plans. The Enterprise subscriptions have more advanced security, compliance, storage capabilities and some enhanced features of even Excel and PowerPoint. Our general recommendation is to invest in Enterprise licenses if you’re organization will be larger than 25 people.

What’s in Microsoft 365?

While there are differences in the details, the entire reason for the rename is that the benefits you receive with your subscription is greater than just Office 365. We look at all that is included within Microsoft 365 in two dimensions, the target audience: who mainly uses/controls the features and cloud layer: the main functionality of the features. As you can see from the image below (Microsoft Business Premium & Enterprise Licenses) Microsoft 365 spans functionality through Azure, your operating system, all the way to applications on your desktop. More than just simply Office 365 features.

Conclusion – Rename

On April 21st, the following plans will change names, and not functionality, signifying the expanded capabilities that are already included within the subscriptions.

  • Office 365 Business Essentials will be rebranded as Microsoft 365 Business Basic
  • Office 365 Business Premium will be rebranded Microsoft 365 Business Standard
  • Office 365 Business and Office 365 Pro Plus will be called Microsoft 365 Apps, with Microsoft using “for business” and “for enterprise” as labels to distinguish the two where necessary.

What will happen in the future? While subscription costs may rise, the features that are included will also increase. Microsoft is signaling that they are ready to serve organizations of every size from their desktop all the way to the cloud, in single subscriptions.

Looking to purchase new licenses or make a switch? Reach out to us – To get your organization up and running smoothly, we will guide you to the right licensing plan, provision and set-up your tenant, as well as provide escalation support.


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