What matters most in this plan, and the business problem each part solves
Every laptop managed, every sign-in checked: a stolen password or a lost device stops being a crisis. New hires get a laptop that sets itself up.
Virtual desktops and terminal servers are licensed for Windows, and the Enterprise-only security controls are available.
Malicious links and attachments are sandboxed before they reach the inbox; CEO-impersonation mail is flagged.
The whole enterprise on one standard, with a fixed price for three years if you want it.
What it is
Microsoft 365 E3 is what most organisations over 300 users run. It bundles Office 365 E3 — desktop Office with shared-computer activation, 100 GB mailboxes with litigation hold, DLP, eDiscovery Standard — with Enterprise Mobility + Security E3 — Intune, Entra ID P1 with Conditional Access, Azure Information Protection — and Windows 11 Enterprise upgrade rights. Since July 2026 it also includes Defender for Office 365 Plan 1. It is the licence on which enterprise Conditional Access, Autopilot and device compliance are built; what it lacks against E5 is the advanced security stack.
Choose it if
- Organisations over 300 users, or under 300 that need Windows Enterprise or shared-computer activation
- Estates managed with Intune and Conditional Access as the standard
- Groups consolidating tenants that want one enterprise baseline
- Companies that will add Defender for Endpoint P2 or Entra ID P2 selectively rather than buy E5 for everyone
Do not choose it if
- Under 300 users without Windows Enterprise needs — Business Premium is about half the price for the same security tier
- Organisations wanting the full Defender and Purview suites — E5, or the add-ons
- Frontline staff — F3
What is included
Windows 11 Enterprise E3 upgrade rights
Microsoft Intune Plan 1
Microsoft Entra ID P1: Conditional Access, self-service password reset, dynamic groups
Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 from July 2026
Azure Information Protection P1, DLP
Defender for Endpoint P2, Entra ID P2, the E5 Security and E5 Compliance suites, Copilot
What Microsoft 365 E3 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 E5; each can also be bought on its own on top of this plan.
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 E5, 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 E5, 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 E5, 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 E5, which includes it.
Phone system in Teams (Teams Phone)
Teams becomes the company phone system: numbers, call queues, voicemail, dial out to real phones.
Without it: The old PBX stays, with its own contract and its own outage; the mobile number of a leaver leaves with them.
Add it: Microsoft Teams Phone Standard — from €8.70 per user per month Add to proposal What it is and what it costs →
Or step up to Microsoft 365 E5, which includes it.
Business intelligence (Power BI Pro)
Publish and share live dashboards across the company instead of emailing Excel files.
Without it: The monthly report is a spreadsheet forwarded ten times; nobody knows which version the board saw.
Add it: Power BI Pro — from €12.10 per user per month Add to proposal What it is and what it costs →
Or step up to Microsoft 365 E5, 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, no cap; three-year SKU available
- Unattended licence variant exists for RPA and automation accounts
- Windows Enterprise rights require a Windows Pro base licence on the device
- New customers worldwide buy the no-Teams SKU since April 2024; Teams Enterprise is a separate licence
- 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 CFQ7TTC0LFLX:0001 | €45.34 | €544.08 | Cancel or reduce at any monthly renewal Temporary staff, pilots, headcount that moves | Add to proposal |
| Annual commitment, billed annually upfront CFQ7TTC0LFLX:0001 | €37.78 | €453.36 | Seats can be added, not reduced, until renewal The headcount you are sure of; lowest price | Add to proposal |
| Annual commitment, paid monthly CFQ7TTC0LFLX:0001 | €39.67 | €476.04 | 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 CFQ7TTC0LFLX:0010 | €36.43 | €437.16 | Cancel or reduce at any monthly renewal Temporary staff, pilots, headcount that moves | Add to proposal |
| Annual commitment, billed annually upfront CFQ7TTC0LFLX:0010 | €30.36 | €364.32 | Seats can be added, not reduced, until renewal The headcount you are sure of; lowest price | Add to proposal |
| Annual commitment, paid monthly CFQ7TTC0LFLX:0010 | €31.88 | €382.56 | 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 |
| Three-year term | ||||
| Three-year commitment, billed annually CFQ7TTC0LFLX:002Q | €37.78 | €453.36 | Fixed price for three years; no reductions Stable estates, protection from price rises | Add to proposal |
| Three-year commitment, billed upfront CFQ7TTC0LFLX:002Q | €37.78 | €453.36 | Fixed price for three years, one invoice Stable estates; best per-seat price | Add to proposal |
| EEA without Teams, three-year term | ||||
| Three-year commitment, billed annually CFQ7TTC0LFLX:002N | €30.36 | €364.32 | Fixed price for three years; no reductions Stable estates, protection from price rises | Add to proposal |
| Three-year commitment, billed upfront CFQ7TTC0LFLX:002N | €30.36 | €364.32 | Fixed price for three years, one invoice Stable estates; best per-seat price | Add to proposal |
| Unattended licence (automation accounts) | ||||
| Monthly commitment, billed monthly CFQ7TTC0LFLX:0003 | €45.34 | €544.08 | Cancel or reduce at any monthly renewal Temporary staff, pilots, headcount that moves | Add to proposal |
| Annual commitment, billed annually upfront CFQ7TTC0LFLX:0003 | €37.78 | €453.36 | Seats can be added, not reduced, until renewal The headcount you are sure of; lowest price | Add to proposal |
| Annual commitment, paid monthly CFQ7TTC0LFLX:0003 | €39.67 | €476.04 | 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 without Teams, unattended licence | ||||
| Monthly commitment, billed monthly CFQ7TTC0LFLX:0013 | €36.43 | €437.16 | Cancel or reduce at any monthly renewal Temporary staff, pilots, headcount that moves | Add to proposal |
| Annual commitment, billed annually upfront CFQ7TTC0LFLX:0013 | €30.36 | €364.32 | Seats can be added, not reduced, until renewal The headcount you are sure of; lowest price | Add to proposal |
| Annual commitment, paid monthly CFQ7TTC0LFLX:0013 | €31.88 | €382.56 | 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 without Teams, unattended, three-year | ||||
| Three-year commitment, billed annually CFQ7TTC0LFLX:002M | €30.36 | €364.32 | Fixed price for three years; no reductions Stable estates, protection from price rises | Add to proposal |
| Three-year commitment, billed upfront CFQ7TTC0LFLX:002M | €30.36 | €364.32 | Fixed price for three years, one invoice Stable estates; best per-seat price | Add to proposal |
| Unattended License - 3 year | ||||
| Three-year commitment, billed annually CFQ7TTC0LFLX:002P | €37.78 | €453.36 | Fixed price for three years; no reductions Stable estates, protection from price rises | Add to proposal |
| Three-year commitment, billed upfront CFQ7TTC0LFLX:002P | €37.78 | €453.36 | Fixed price for three years, one invoice Stable estates; best per-seat price | Add to proposal |
In one paragraph, for the record
- Microsoft 365 E3 includes Office 365 E3, Enterprise Mobility + Security E3 (Intune, Entra ID P1) and Windows 11 Enterprise E3.
- From July 2026 it includes Defender for Office 365 Plan 1.
- It is licensed per user with no user cap and is available on one-year and three-year terms.
- For new customers worldwide it is sold without Teams since April 2024.
Questions
Business Premium or Microsoft 365 E3?
Same security tier — Intune, Entra ID P1, Defender for Office 365 P1 — but E3 has no user cap, includes Windows Enterprise and the enterprise Office edition for terminal servers, and uses Defender for Endpoint P1 rather than Defender for Business. Under 300 users without those needs, Premium; otherwise E3.
Does E3 include Defender for Endpoint?
Plan 1 — the prevention tier — through Windows Enterprise E3. Plan 2, with EDR and threat hunting, is an add-on or part of E5.
What is the Unattended licence?
A variant for accounts that run automation — RPA bots — rather than people; same price, different usage rights.
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.
Is there a user cap?
No. Enterprise plans have no maximum; they also carry the Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise edition of Office, which is the version with shared-computer activation for terminal servers and virtual desktops.
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.
Should I buy the three-year term?
Only for the headcount you are certain of for three years. The three-year SKU is the cheapest per seat and protects against Microsoft price rises, but seats cannot be reduced until the end of the term.