Ready to Upgrade Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office 365?

Shifting your office productivity and management software to the cloud offers a wide range of benefits, including enhanced security and easier licensing. Which options are right for your business?

Business applications are a vital component of productivity in the office, and also a key risk factor in terms of security and compliance. Having access to the right tools and information can help your teams collaborate effectively, which is why Microsoft has created thoughtful suites of tools to meet a variety of business configurations. Whether you are prepping a startup or upgrading your enterprise business applications, you can be confident that the Microsoft experts at K² Technologies will be by your side at each stage of the process.

Which is Right for My Business: Microsoft 365 or Microsoft Office 365?

When it was initially unveiled in 2017, Microsoft 365 was lauded as a comprehensive business management package that brought together many of the core benefits of several Microsoft software solutions. As a complete, connected experience, it allows administrators to streamline their operations and more easily retain vital security measures across the organization. However, not all companies will need the full suite of services included in Microsoft 365 and may only require the more limited functions of Microsoft 365. Here’s a breakdown of what’s included in each suite.

Microsoft Office 365

When you think of productivity tools, the base programs included in Microsoft Office 365 are likely what comes to mind: Outlook for emails, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for either Windows or Mac machines. Each software can be installed on up to 5 devices, plus the web-based versions of each of these programs. Microsoft Access and Publisher are available for PCs only. Users will appreciate the ability to share documents for real-time collaboration with the addition of Microsoft Teams for several of the packages.

Microsoft Office 365 currently offers three core options:

Office 365 Business: Includes all base programs, including OneDrive, but does not include business email solutions.
Office 365 Business Premium: All base programs plus hosted Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Microsoft Teams for collaboration and communication.
Office 365 Business Essentials: For business on the go, this package includes only web-based versions of the popular programs plus hosted Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams.

Microsoft 365

Finding a truly comprehensive office management system is rare, but Microsoft 365 fits the bill. Combining the best features of Office 365 with popular desktop management tools found in Windows deployments plus mobility options, Microsoft 365 is an intelligent, secure, and innovative solution for the modern enterprise. The Microsoft 365 bundle includes options to address complicated compliance and security requirements plus the full Office 365 suite of programs, Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise Mobility + Security. Microsoft 365 comes in two primary flavors, for businesses of up to 300 users and an enterprise version.

Microsoft 365 Business adds restrictions against unauthorized access to business apps, controls for email that limit the ability to forward attachments, and pre-breach threat resistance baked into Windows 10 with Windows Defender Exploit Guard. Plus, you can securely configure remote PCs and mobile devices via a setup wizard and automatically deploy base components to Windows 10 PCs, making it faster than ever to get new computers up and running.
Microsoft 365 Enterprise has three options: E5, E3, and F1. The E5 edition includes Advanced Threat Protection, security, and collaboration tools such as Yammer, Stream, Sway, Planner, PowerBI Pro, Teams, and more. The E3 version limits functionality for some of the advanced programs such as Power BI Pro, Teams and Identity and Access Management. The F1 edition is targeted towards the enterprise with Firstline Workers, with limited desktop applications and more focused on web-based processes and access.

As you can see, there are complexities involved with each option, making it vital to have a thorough understanding of each edition before making a decision that could be costly in the future.