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Comparison

Microsoft 365 Business Standard vs Premium

Microsoft 365 Business Standard vs Premium: Intune, Defender for Business, Entra ID P1, conditional access and the security upgrade case.

Microsoft 365 Business Standard vs Premium — Security Tier Comparison

Business Standard gives a small team the desktop Office apps plus Exchange, SharePoint and Teams. Business Premium keeps all of that and bolts on the security and device management stack: Microsoft Defender for Business, Intune MDM, Entra ID Plan 1 and conditional access.

If you handle customer data, take payments, or are subject to GDPR/PCI compliance, Premium is the floor — not the upgrade.

How do Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Microsoft 365 Business Premium compare side by side?

FeatureMicrosoft 365 Business StandardMicrosoft 365 Business Premium
Desktop Office apps✓✓
Exchange Online (50 GB mailbox)✓✓
SharePoint & OneDrive (1 TB)✓✓
Microsoft Teams (add-on)✓✓
Defender for Business (anti-malware, EDR) —✓
Intune (mobile & PC management) —✓
Entra ID Plan 1 (Conditional Access, SSO) —✓
Information protection (sensitivity labels)BasicAdvanced
Per-user/month (annual)~€11.70~€20.60

Which one should you buy?

Buy Standard for very small teams with no compliance pressure, where every device is personally owned and trusted.

Buy Premium the moment you need device compliance, MFA enforcement, or remote-wipe — i.e. virtually any business handling client data.

Before choosing a licence

  1. 1. Check the exact edition, Windows or macOS compatibility and number of devices covered. A Windows-only key does not install Office for Mac.

  2. 2. Distinguish personal, commercial and server use. Virtual machines, shared devices and remote access can require additional licences.

  3. 3. Keep the invoice and licence terms. Check transfer rights and support dates: a perpetual licence does not mean perpetual security updates.

Successful activation alone does not prove permission for every use. The applicable Microsoft licence terms take precedence.

Frequently asked questions

Can I upgrade from Standard to Premium mid-term?

Yes. Microsoft pro-rates the difference and you keep all data and settings. Intune and Defender become available immediately after the upgrade.

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