Office 365 or Microsoft 365: which one suits better?

It’s not difficult to see the value for Office 365 as a powerful collection of tools to run your office day-to-day. 

Or is it Microsoft 365? 

If you’ve ever wondered what’s the distinction of Office 365 and Microsoft 365 and which one is better it’s not a problem. If you’re an IT decision maker who wants to utilize Office 365 (O365) or Microsoft 365 (M365) or If you’re currently using one of the options and are trying to figure out the best option for you, we’ll walk you through the different features. 

In essence, M365 plans have extra security and device management features in comparison to O365 plans. It is possible to mix and mix O365 and M365 plans, and switch users between one plan and the other. It all comes down to the features you require. 

If you want to be sure that you’ll not pay more than you have to, contact us to arrange a no-cost, no-obligation chat. We are Microsoft gold partners . Our certified M365 technical experts can assist you in choosing the best licensing option for your company. 

Let’s determine the most suitable solution to suit your needs 

Understanding O365 as well as M365 

In the years 2011 and 2017 and 2017 respectively. O365 was launched in 2011 and 2017 respectively. M365 run together and in April 2020, the majority of O365 plans were changed to M365 plans. For instance, O365 Business Premium is now known as M365 Standard Business Standard. To keep us in the loop, there’s one exception to this, which is those who subscribe to the O365 Enterprise plans, which are still branded as such. 

When comparing O365 and the M365 plan, you’ll find that it’s the only one that with Enterprise that you have to select among the plans that are usually intended for larger organizations. The M365 Business plans (typically M365 Business Standard or M365 Business Premium) is ideal for small and medium-sized companies, respectively. 

When it was first introduced in 2017 there was a distinct difference among those who had M365 plans as well as those of the O365 plans. M365 plans had everything the O365 plans did as well as more comprehensive security and device management features at a charge. 

A company that has an old-fashioned on-premises infrastructure (such for example, a system using the Domain Controller, Active Directory and a Domain-joined Windows PC controlled by Group Policy) will purchase an O365 plan that includes Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams and Office licensing. 

M365 has additional capabilities

However “cloud first” businesses that did not rely on infrastructure on premises and required the full power of being cloud-based, would purchase O365 as a plan. Apart from the previously mentioned services offered by O365, this plan also included several other features. For instance, they can utilize Azure AD along with Microsoft Intune that is part of the M365 plan to safeguard as well as manage the devices they use. Learn more about it in our blog post What is different between AD and Azure AD? 

These types of businesses can utilize Azure Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) to provide remote desktops or an application solution. The licensing requirements for certain elements of WVD is included with M365 Business Premium and is explained in our short guide. How do I use Azure Windows Virtual Desktop? 

Comparing O365 and M365 

The renaming of O365 business plans into M365 Plans in 2020 the distinction that separates the O365 plans and M365 plans has become blurred. The idea is that you are able to mix and match plans to select the plan and features that best fit your needs. 

Enterprise plans vs Business plans 

Business plans are less expensive than the equivalent Enterprise plans that have a limit of 300 seats in each plan. Companies that are larger and more complex typically require Enterprise plans with greater capabilities, making the cost of Enterprise plans worth it. 

Microsoft’s mix and match strategy implies that if you want 400 seats, for instance while the Business version comes with all the features you require you can purchase 300 seats of the Business plan and add 100 more seats by purchasing an Enterprise version of the plan. 

Mix and match plans, or alter them 

In your O365 subscription, you are able to have a mixture of these types of plans:

M365 Business

O365 Enterprise

M365 Enterprise 

You may also transfer the user’s license between different types when you need to. If the new plan you choose has added capabilities, users will gain access to the services once the license is given. In contrast in the event that your new plan is not as powerful users will lose access to services that aren’t available in the new plan until it is assigned. 

Add-on capabilities 

There are many options for add-ons that you can use with either of your O365 as well as M365 plans, including: 

• Microsoft Intune to manage device and application management It is available in the form of an add-on, or component of M365 Business Premium and above. 
• M365 Business Voice This is an add-on license for a full telephony service to be connected to Teams. 

Staying current in compliance with Microsoft licensing is often difficult and time-consuming since Microsoft launches new O365 plans several times per year. Contact us to discuss a free meeting in our M365 certified technical experts to discuss the best M365 or O365 licensing options for your company.