What matters most in this plan, and the business problem each part solves
A laptop left in a taxi is a non-event: wiped in a minute, data gone, company unaffected. Every device encrypted, patched and provably managed for insurers and auditors.
A stolen password is useless from an unknown device or country. Company data opens only on company-managed devices, with MFA enforced where it matters.
A ransomware click on one PC is contained automatically instead of spreading overnight; you see what was touched and where it came from.
A leaver cannot delete the correspondence on the way out; a regulator or court gets two years of mail in an afternoon, not whatever survived.
What it is
Microsoft 365 Business Premium is the plan we recommend to most companies under 300 people, because it is the cheapest place where the security controls live: Intune to manage laptops and phones, Conditional Access to require compliant devices and MFA, Defender for Business for endpoint detection and response, Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 for Safe Links and Safe Attachments in mail, and Exchange Online Archiving with litigation hold. On top of the desktop Office apps, 100 GB mailbox, Teams and SharePoint of Business Standard. The licence gives the tools; the value depends on someone configuring them, which is what our Intune and security baseline services do.
Choose it if
- Companies of 10–300 people that want one licence covering productivity and security
- Anyone managing company laptops and phones, or whose insurer or auditor asks about MFA and device compliance
- Firms with a leaver process to enforce: remote wipe, hold on the mailbox
- The plan to move to from Business Standard after the first phishing incident
Do not choose it if
- Over 300 users — Microsoft 365 E3 is the equivalent without the cap
- Companies needing Defender for Endpoint P2, Purview eDiscovery Premium or Entra ID P2 — those are E5 or add-ons
- Windows Enterprise upgrade rights — not included; E3 has them
- Terminal servers and virtual desktops — no shared-computer activation
What is included
Desktop and web Office on 5+5+5 devices per user
Exchange Online, 100 GB mailbox from summer 2026, Exchange Online Archiving with auto-expanding archive and litigation hold
Microsoft Intune Plan 1: enrolment, compliance, app protection, remote wipe, Windows Autopilot
Microsoft Entra ID P1: Conditional Access, self-service password reset with writeback, group-based licensing
Microsoft Defender for Business: next-gen antivirus, EDR, attack surface reduction, automated investigation
Defender for Office 365 Plan 1: Safe Links, Safe Attachments, anti-phishing impersonation protection
Sensitivity labels, DLP for email and files, Azure Information Protection P1
Teams with webinars; phone system as add-on
What Microsoft 365 Business Premium does not do, and what that means for the business
The names above in plain language: what each capability is, what goes wrong without it, and how to add it. Most of them are included in Microsoft 365 E3 (and E5 for the security set); each can also be bought on its own on top of this plan.
Windows Enterprise rights
The Enterprise edition of Windows 11 for company PCs: Credential Guard, application control, long-term servicing, and the licence for virtual desktops.
Without it: Virtual desktops and terminal servers are not licensed for Windows at all, and a set of security controls exists only in Enterprise; an audit finds both.
Add it: Windows 10/11 Enterprise E3 — from €6.60 per user per month Add to proposal What it is and what it costs →
Or step up to Microsoft 365 E3 (and E5 for the security set), which includes it.
Office on terminal servers (shared-computer activation)
The Office edition licensed to run on terminal servers, Citrix and virtual desktops that many users share.
Without it: Office installed on a terminal server is unlicensed — one of the most common findings in a Microsoft audit, and it is discovered after the fact.
Add it: Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise — from €15.40 per user per month Add to proposal What it is and what it costs →
Or step up to Microsoft 365 E3 (and E5 for the security set), which includes it.
Endpoint detection and response, enterprise (Defender for Endpoint Plan 2)
The full endpoint security product: threat hunting across all machines, vulnerability management, automated investigation.
Without it: The security team sees alerts but cannot hunt across the estate for the same attacker, and unpatched vulnerabilities are found by the attacker before IT.
Add it: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 — from €4.50 per user per month Add to proposal What it is and what it costs →
Or step up to Microsoft 365 E3 (and E5 for the security set), which includes it.
Identity protection and privileged access (Entra ID P2)
Risk-based sign-in rules, time-limited admin rights, access reviews of who still needs what.
Without it: Administrators hold permanent global-admin rights; a compromised admin account is a compromised company. Leavers keep access to systems nobody reviews.
Add it: Microsoft Entra ID P2 — from €8.70 per user per month Add to proposal What it is and what it costs →
Or step up to Microsoft 365 E3 (and E5 for the security set), which includes it.
Phishing simulation and automated response (Defender for Office 365 Plan 2)
Run controlled phishing campaigns against staff, see who clicks, and let the system investigate and remove real attacks automatically.
Without it: Training is a slide deck nobody remembers; nobody knows which department clicks. A real phishing wave is cleaned up mailbox by mailbox, by hand.
Add it: Microsoft Defender for Office 365 (Plan 2) — from €4.30 per user per month Add to proposal What it is and what it costs →
Or step up to Microsoft 365 E3 (and E5 for the security set), which includes it.
Premium compliance (Microsoft Purview Suite)
eDiscovery Premium, insider risk, communication compliance, advanced data loss prevention, ten-year audit.
Without it: A legal hold across 300 mailboxes and Teams is manual work; a data-leak investigation has no audit trail older than 90 days.
Add it: Microsoft Purview Suite — from €10.40 per user per month Add to proposal What it is and what it costs →
Or step up to Microsoft 365 E3 (and E5 for the security set), which includes it.
Licensing rules and limits
Commercial summary; the rights are governed by the Microsoft Product Terms and the Microsoft Customer Agreement. Reviewed by IT Partner engineers; date at the foot of the page.
- Per user, maximum 300 per tenant on this plan; add-on suites (Defender Suite, Purview Suite for Business Premium) attach to it
- Defender for Business covers up to five devices per user; servers need Defender for Business servers
- Not licensed for shared-computer activation
- Windows Enterprise is not included; Windows Pro on the device is the prerequisite for Intune features such as Autopilot
- Trial: one month, up to 25 users
- Annual commitment: seats can be added at any time; they cannot be reduced until renewal. Cancellation with refund only within the first seven days of the term.
- Monthly commitment: about 20% more per seat than annual; reduce or cancel at each monthly renewal.
- A Microsoft Customer Agreement must be accepted by the customer before the first order; we send it for e-signature.
How to buy it: every option that exists for this product
Only the terms and billing options Microsoft actually sells for this SKU. Prices are Microsoft list prices in EUR; the same table in the other currencies is one click above. “Add to proposal” puts the line with ten licences into the proposal builder, where the quantity is changed.
| Commitment and billing | Per user / month | Per user / year | Flexibility · who it suits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard, with Teams | ||||
| Monthly commitment, billed monthly CFQ7TTC0LCHC:0002 | €22.87 | €274.44 | Cancel or reduce at any monthly renewal Temporary staff, pilots, headcount that moves | Add to proposal |
| Annual commitment, billed annually upfront CFQ7TTC0LCHC:0002 | €19.06 | €228.72 | Seats can be added, not reduced, until renewal The headcount you are sure of; lowest price | Add to proposal |
| Annual commitment, paid monthly CFQ7TTC0LCHC:0002 | €20.01 | €240.12 | One-year commitment under a signed agreement; monthly payments, about 5% more By arrangement: the commitment is for the year, the invoice is monthly | Enquire by email agreement required |
| EEA and Switzerland, without Teams | ||||
| Monthly commitment, billed monthly CFQ7TTC0LCHC:000C | €19.54 | €234.48 | Cancel or reduce at any monthly renewal Temporary staff, pilots, headcount that moves | Add to proposal |
| Annual commitment, billed annually upfront CFQ7TTC0LCHC:000C | €16.28 | €195.36 | Seats can be added, not reduced, until renewal The headcount you are sure of; lowest price | Add to proposal |
| Annual commitment, paid monthly CFQ7TTC0LCHC:000C | €17.09 | €205.08 | One-year commitment under a signed agreement; monthly payments, about 5% more By arrangement: the commitment is for the year, the invoice is monthly | Enquire by email agreement required |
| With Microsoft 365 Copilot | ||||
| Monthly commitment, billed monthly CFQ7TTC0LCHC:001Q | €33.28 | €399.36 | Cancel or reduce at any monthly renewal Temporary staff, pilots, headcount that moves | Add to proposal |
| Annual commitment, billed annually upfront CFQ7TTC0LCHC:001Q | €27.73 | €332.76 | Seats can be added, not reduced, until renewal The headcount you are sure of; lowest price | Add to proposal |
| Annual commitment, paid monthly CFQ7TTC0LCHC:001Q | €29.12 | €349.44 | One-year commitment under a signed agreement; monthly payments, about 5% more By arrangement: the commitment is for the year, the invoice is monthly | Enquire by email agreement required |
| With Copilot, EEA without Teams | ||||
| Monthly commitment, billed monthly CFQ7TTC0LCHC:001P | €29.93 | €359.16 | Cancel or reduce at any monthly renewal Temporary staff, pilots, headcount that moves | Add to proposal |
| Annual commitment, billed annually upfront CFQ7TTC0LCHC:001P | €24.94 | €299.28 | Seats can be added, not reduced, until renewal The headcount you are sure of; lowest price | Add to proposal |
| Annual commitment, paid monthly CFQ7TTC0LCHC:001P | €26.19 | €314.28 | One-year commitment under a signed agreement; monthly payments, about 5% more By arrangement: the commitment is for the year, the invoice is monthly | Enquire by email agreement required |
| With Copilot, without Teams | ||||
| Monthly commitment, billed monthly CFQ7TTC0LCHC:001R | €29.93 | €359.16 | Cancel or reduce at any monthly renewal Temporary staff, pilots, headcount that moves | Add to proposal |
| Annual commitment, billed annually upfront CFQ7TTC0LCHC:001R | €24.94 | €299.28 | Seats can be added, not reduced, until renewal The headcount you are sure of; lowest price | Add to proposal |
| Annual commitment, paid monthly CFQ7TTC0LCHC:001R | €26.19 | €314.28 | One-year commitment under a signed agreement; monthly payments, about 5% more By arrangement: the commitment is for the year, the invoice is monthly | Enquire by email agreement required |
In one paragraph, for the record
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium is licensed per user and capped at 300 users per tenant.
- It includes Intune Plan 1, Entra ID P1 with Conditional Access, Defender for Business, Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 and Exchange Online Archiving.
- It includes litigation hold and an auto-expanding archive; Business Basic and Standard do not.
- It does not include Windows Enterprise rights, Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 or Entra ID P2.
- From summer 2026 the mailbox is 100 GB.
Questions
Does Business Premium include litigation hold?
Yes. Business Premium includes Exchange Online Archiving, which brings litigation hold and an auto-expanding archive up to 1.5 TB. Basic and Standard need the Archiving add-on for this.
Business Premium or Microsoft 365 E3?
Under 300 users and no need for Windows Enterprise: Premium, at roughly half the price. Over 300, or if you need Windows Enterprise, Defender for Endpoint P1 across servers, or the enterprise Office edition for terminal servers: E3. Our comparison page walks through it.
Is Defender for Business the same as Defender for Endpoint?
It is the SMB edition: the same engine and EDR, without some enterprise features such as advanced hunting and the Defender for Endpoint P2 threat analytics. For most companies under 300 it is the right product.
What must be configured after purchase?
Conditional Access policies, Intune compliance and enrolment, Defender for Business onboarding, Safe Links and Safe Attachments policies, DLP. None of it is on by default beyond security defaults; our security baseline service does exactly this in a fixed-price engagement.
Which SKU do I buy in the EU: with Teams or without?
In the European Economic Area and Switzerland Microsoft sells the suite without Teams at a lower price, and Teams as a separate licence — Microsoft Teams EEA. If your people use Teams, the total is close to the old bundled price; if you use another meeting platform, the no-Teams SKU saves the difference. Outside the EEA the bundled SKU is still sold.
Does the UK buy the version with Teams?
Yes for Business plans: the UK is outside the EEA, so the bundled SKU with Teams is sold. New Enterprise (E3, E5) customers worldwide have bought the no-Teams version since April 2024.
Can I mix Business plans with other plans in one tenant?
Yes. Business Basic, Standard and Premium can be mixed with each other, with Enterprise plans and with Frontline plans in one tenant; each user gets the plan that fits. The 300-user cap applies per Business plan, not per tenant.
What happens when we pass 300 users?
The Business plans stop accepting new seats at 300 each. Users beyond that move to Enterprise plans — Office 365 E3 or Microsoft 365 E3 — which have no cap. A mixed tenant is normal.
Can an existing tenant move its licences to IT Partner?
Yes, without migration: the tenant, data and users stay; we become the partner of record and issue the next invoice. Existing annual commitments run to their renewal date. Nothing is paid twice.