What happened to Office 365?  Well, Microsoft once again changed it’s branding of it’s subscription products.  Sorry Charlie, below is a quick snapshot on the typical Microsoft 365 licensing along with some additional resources.

Additional Resources:

• More in depth conversation on Microsoft 365 Business licenses

Microsoft 365 Business Licenses – Subscriptions

These are all Office products related licenses.   The Business Premium contains is where all IT professional want you to be.

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic (formerly Office 365 Business Essentials)
  • Meh, could have stuck with Essentials instead of opting for “Basic”
• Microsoft 365 Business  Standard (formerly Office 365 Business Premium)
  • This makes senses because it’s the most commonly used product out there.
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium (formerly Microsoft 365 Business – companies less than 300)
  • Select this subscription gives you Intune!
    • This subscription make more sense for Managed Service Providers or internal IT that should be concerned about device management and security.  We all want to upgrade the security of these mobile devices by managing their security.  Business Premium does that.  It will also now include full E3 capabilities.

Less Commonly Used M365 Licenses – Subscriptions

• Microsoft 365 Apps for Business (formerly Office 365 for Business)
  • Holy hell, this wording makes so much more sense!  High five Microsoft!
• Microsoft 365  Apps for Business (formerly Office 365 ProPlus)
  • Same sentiment here.

What Office 365 plan names aren’t changing?
A. The following Office 365 plans will have no changes.  THE NAMES DON’T CHANGE BECAUSE THEY HAVE LIMITED CLOUD SECURITY FEATURES.  The organization purchases the product mainly for Exchange, Teams, and Sharepoint.

• Office 365 for Enterprise
  • Office 365 E1
  • Office 365 E3
  • Office 365 E5
• Office 365 for Firstline Workers
  • Office 365 F1
• Office 365 for Education
  • Office 365 A1
  • Office 365 A3
  • Office 365 A5
• Office 365 for Government
  • Office 365 G1
  • Office 365 G3
  • Office 365 G5

Legacy Office 365 branding & Microsoft 365 a la carte Summary

Now that you know what happened to Office 365, Microsoft will like to further confuse with non-bundle packages.  A la carte setup of your Microsoft 365 is recommended because it’s a license management nightmare if you select from one of the bundle options above but hey…  It’s important to know you can separate out specific services from your Microsoft 365 bundled packaging.  It comes in handy every once in a while.

Disclaimer:  Always do single device test for policy application issues.

Where do I select my a la carte option?

Please head to the licensing section under the Microsoft Admin Center.  You should see a list of broken out items if you query something like “Intune” or whatever service you are in need of.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What happened to Office 365 Summary

 

Additional Resources:

Purchasing plans located here…

• Office 365 Plans & Microsoft 365 Business Bundle
  • See detailed services and pricing.
• Microsoft Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS E3/E5)
  • See detailed services, pricing, and try before you buy here. (3 month trial located at the bottom of page link)