A simple guide to choose the best collaboration platform within Microsoft 365

Most businesses are familiar with the most basic form of Microsoft Office to assist their needs. However, what they do not necessarily understand, are the various options that Microsoft 365 now offers businesses or individuals. This article looks into exploring these various options: Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium and additionally, Apps for Business, which all ties into different levels of a business’ needs. Finding relevant sources such as  IT Support London, can assist, support and improve a business’ productivity and efficiency, through the use of better understanding Microsoft 365.

This article will unpack the various options within the Microsft 365 platform, and find ways in which will best be suited for your business’ needs.

Option 1 – Microsoft 365 Business Basic:

Features in this package includes:

• Identity, access and user management for up to 300 employees
• Custom business email
• Web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook
• Chat, call, and video conference with Microsoft Teams
• 1TB of cloud storage per employee
• 10+ additional apps for your business needs
• Automatic spam and malware filtering
• Anytime phone and web support
• Copilot for Microsoft 365, available as an add-on

Secure cloud services:

• Teams
• OneDrive
• SharePoint
• Exchange

Web and Mobile Apps only:

• Word
• Excel
• Powerpoint
• Outlook

Option 2 – Microsoft 365 Business Standard:

Features in this package includes:

• Includes all of the Business Basic plan
• Desktop versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook
• Webinars with attendee registration and reporting
• Collaborative workspaces to co-create using Microsoft Loop
• Video editing and design tools with Microsoft Clipchamp
• Copilot for Microsoft 365, available as an add-one

Desktop, Web and Mobile Apps and Secure cloud services:

• Teams
• OneDrive
• SharePoint
• Exchange
• Word
• Excel
• Powerpoint
• Outlook
• Clipchamp
• Microsoft Loop

Option 3 – Microsoft 365 Business Premium:

Features in this package includes:

• Includes all of the Business Standard plan
• Advanced identity and access management
• Enhanced cyberthreat protections against viruses and phishing attacks
• Enterprise-grade device and endpoint protection
• Discover, classify and protect sensitive information
• Copilot for Microsoft 365, available as an add-on

Desktop, Web and Mobile Apps and Secure cloud services:

• Teams
• OneDrive
• SharePoint
• Exchange
• Word
• Excel
• Powerpoint
• Outlook
• Clipchamp
• Microsoft Loop
• Microsoft Entra ID
• Intune
• Microsoft Defender
• Microsoft Purview

Option 4  – Microsoft 365 Apps for Business

Features in this package includes:

• Desktop versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint and outlook
• 1TB of cloud storage per user
• Anytime phone and web support
• Copilot for Microsoft 365, available as an add-on

Desktop, Web and Mobile Apps and Secure cloud services:

• Word
• Excel
• Powerpoint
• Outlook
• OneDrive
• Microsoft Purview

Through these various options, Microsoft 365 is able to bring business ideas and goals to life. Business will be able to manage their content and productivity tools, such as, apps, emails, appointment scheduling, meetings, chat and enterprise-grade security, all in one place. Businesses will be able to find the right plan that will assist them in their collaboration needs in order to grow their business further.

Microsoft 365 assists business with the following features, allowing for better production and efficiency within the collaborative working environments. Therefore, Managed IT Services London assists businesses in finding the most relevant and optimised solutions within Microsoft 365 for their business.  

Enhance customers:

Businesses can connect and grow their customer relationships by using the tools in which will assist with better communication, manage appointments and deliver an overall greater value to the customer.

Improve your business brand:

Businesses are able to develop a strong marketplace presence with branded documents, meeting backgrounds, marketing videos and custom emails for your business. By creating a personal stamp on your brand, enables customers to recognise your business quicker and more effectively.

Run your business:

Simplify how you run your business, by finding a solution that assists with teamwork and creativity securely from anywhere, allowing the most ideal set-up for mobile working.

Scale your business:

Protect your business’ data and devices with integrated identity, security, device management and privacy protection.

It is always a good initiation to carefully choose a strategy that will help your business easily transform their collaborative digital platforms. Through the additional features that Microsoft 365 offers, businesses will be able to enhance their customer numbers, improve their business brand, simply the running of their business and improve on the security management of their business’ digital data.

By considering the key features, businesses can re-establish their collaboration needs through the various platforms of Microsoft 365, especially if business are striving for growth and innovation. Sources such as Microsoft Consulting Services will be able to assists in the process of transitioning businesses into a more aligned collaboration platform to meet their current needs.