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Microsoft 365 & Cloud

Microsoft 365 Business Plans: Basic, Standard and Premium

Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard and Premium are built for organizations with up to 300 users. Each one includes business email, cloud storage and Teams, and the higher plans add desktop apps and advanced security. Venus Systems helps you choose the right plan, buys the licences, sets everything up and supports your users.

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The three plans

Which Microsoft 365 plan fits your team?

In short: Basic suits web-based teams, Standard adds the full desktop apps, and Premium adds the security most businesses now need.

  • Web & mobile

    Business Basic

    Professional email, 1 TB of cloud storage and Teams, with Office apps in the browser and on mobile.

    Best for: frontline and part-time staff, or teams that work mainly online.
    • Exchange email with 50 GB mailbox
    • 1 TB OneDrive storage per user
    • Word, Excel, PowerPoint on web and mobile
    • SharePoint and Teams
    • Microsoft Bookings

    Get a Basic quote

  • Most popular
    Most offices

    Business Standard

    Everything in Basic, plus the full desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook for PC and Mac.

    Best for: office staff who create documents and spreadsheets every day.
    • Everything in Basic, plus:
    • Desktop Office apps on up to 5 PCs or Macs per user
    • Apps on up to 5 tablets and 5 phones
    • Webinars with registration and reporting
    • Clipchamp video editor

    Get a Standard quote

  • Recommended
    Security first

    Business Premium

    Everything in Standard, plus the advanced security and device management that protect your data and devices.

    Best for: any business that handles client, financial or health information.
    • Everything in Standard, plus:
    • Microsoft Intune device management
    • Entra ID P1 and conditional access
    • Defender for Business and Defender for Office 365
    • Purview information protection

    Get a Premium quote

Side by side

Compare Microsoft 365 Business Plans

The table below shows the key differences between the three plans.

Features included in Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard and Business Premium
FeatureBusiness BasicWeb & mobileBusiness StandardMost officesBusiness PremiumRecommended
Email, files & collaboration
Maximum users300300300
Business email (Exchange, 50 GB mailbox)IncludedIncludedIncluded
OneDrive cloud storage (1 TB per user)IncludedIncludedIncluded
Word, Excel, PowerPoint on web and mobileIncludedIncludedIncluded
SharePoint and Teams (or no-Teams version)IncludedIncludedIncluded
Microsoft BookingsIncludedIncludedIncluded
Productivity
Desktop Office apps (PC and Mac)Not includedIncludedIncluded
Webinars with registration and reportingNot includedIncludedIncluded
Clipchamp video editorNot includedIncludedIncluded
Security & device management
Multi-factor authenticationIncludedIncludedIncluded
Intune device managementNot includedNot includedIncluded
Microsoft Entra ID P1 and conditional accessNot includedNot includedIncluded
Microsoft Defender for BusinessNot includedNot includedIncluded
Defender for Office 365 (Plan 1)Not includedNot includedIncluded
Purview information protectionNot includedNot includedIncluded
Exchange Online Archiving (up to 1.5 TB)Not includedNot includedIncluded

Features as offered by Microsoft and subject to change. Ask us for current Canadian pricing.

Teams options

Business plans with or without Teams

Microsoft now sells its Microsoft 365 business suites both with and without Teams. Since April 2024, new customers worldwide can buy Business Basic (no Teams), Business Standard (no Teams) and Business Premium (no Teams), and add Microsoft Teams Enterprise separately if needed.

Existing customers can generally keep their current plans with Teams. We compare the total cost of each option and help you choose the right mix.

Compare Teams options with us

Your options

Plan with TeamsSimplest choice if your staff already meet and chat in Teams.

Plan without TeamsLower cost if you use Zoom, Google Meet or another tool.

No-Teams plan + Teams EnterpriseAdd Teams only for the users who need it.
How we help

From quote to go-live, handled for you

As a Microsoft Partner, we take care of licensing, setup and support so your team can simply get to work.


  1. Review

    We review your users, devices and how your team works.


  2. Recommend

    We recommend a plan, or a mix of plans, and provide a clear quotation.


  3. Set up & migrate

    We set up your tenant, domain, email migration and security.


  4. Support

    We support your users and review your licences every year.

Why Venus Systems

One accountable Microsoft 365 partner

Microsoft Partner

Certified expertise in Microsoft 365, Azure and security.

1-hour response

Fast, guaranteed response when your team needs help.

Secure by default

MFA, backup and security settings configured from day one.

Toronto-based team

On-site across the GTA, remote support for clients everywhere.

FAQ

Microsoft 365 business plan questions

Which Microsoft 365 business plan is right for my company?

If your staff only need email, Teams and files in a browser, Business Basic is enough. If they work in Word, Excel and Outlook on a computer every day, choose Business Standard. If you handle client, financial or health information, or staff use laptops and phones outside the office, Business Premium gives you the security and device management to protect that data.

What is the difference between Business Standard and Business Premium?

Both include the desktop Office apps. Business Premium adds Microsoft Intune for device management, Microsoft Entra ID P1 for conditional access, Microsoft Defender for Business, Defender for Office 365 Plan 1, Purview information protection and Exchange Online Archiving.

Can we mix plans for different staff?

Yes. Each business plan supports up to 300 users, and plans can be assigned per person. Many offices give Business Premium to staff who handle sensitive data and Business Basic to those who only need email and Teams. We recommend the right mix during your review.

Do we need Microsoft Teams included in our plan?

Not always. New subscriptions are available with or without Teams. If you already use Zoom or another meeting tool, a no-Teams plan may cost less. If you want Teams, it can be included or added separately. We compare both options when we quote.

Is our Microsoft 365 data stored in Canada?

Microsoft stores core data at rest, including Exchange email, SharePoint and OneDrive files, in its Canadian datacentres for tenants set up in Canada. We confirm your tenant location during setup.

Can you move us from Google Workspace or another email provider?

Yes. We migrate mailboxes, calendars, contacts and files from Google Workspace, older Exchange servers and most IMAP email systems, and schedule the cutover to keep downtime to a minimum.

What if we have more than 300 users?

Business plans are capped at 300 users each. Larger organizations move to Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 enterprise plans, and we can help you plan that move.

Is Microsoft 365 Copilot included?

Copilot Chat is available to Microsoft 365 business users, and the full Microsoft 365 Copilot is a paid add-on for Business Basic, Standard and Premium. We can help you decide whether it is worth adding and prepare your data and permissions before you turn it on.

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