Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard or Premium: which one for your SMB?
The three Microsoft 365 Business plans explained without jargon: what each contains, who should take it, and the licence mix that saves money without.
17 September 2026 · 1 min read · ALLSAFE SOLUTIONS
Microsoft offers three Business plans for companies under 300 users. Pick the wrong one and you either pay for unused features or end up without the protections you need. Here is how we read them for our clients.
Business Basic: web and mobile
Exchange email with 50 GB, Teams, 1 TB OneDrive, SharePoint, and the Office apps in web and mobile versions only. Ideal for staff who do not need Word or Excel installed: reception, field, production, shared mailboxes.
Business Standard: desktop apps
Everything in Basic, plus Office installed on PC and Mac (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and Teams webinars. This is the plan for most office desks.
Business Premium: security
Everything in Standard, plus Intune to manage PCs and mobiles, Defender for Business (EDR), advanced anti-phishing, conditional access and information protection. For anyone handling sensitive data or working outside the office, it is the plan we recommend.
The mix that works
Licences combine per user. A typical SMB looks like this:
- Premium for management, finance, HR and any role with access to sensitive data or working remotely.
- Standard for regular office desks.
- Basic for field staff, reception and shared mailboxes.
Result: a controlled average cost, with security where it matters.
Three traps to avoid
- Believing Microsoft backs up your data. The recycle bin is not a backup. Third-party backup remains necessary.
- Forgetting MFA. It is available on all plans and must be enabled everywhere from day one.
- Buying annually without review. Needs change; the monthly CSP model lets you adjust every month.
We provide and administer these licences as a Microsoft partner, within our managed cloud service.
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