Reviewed and updated on 20 October 2026.
Business Standard provides familiar Microsoft 365 productivity applications and cloud services. Business Premium adds security and device management capabilities. The right choice depends on how you protect accounts, manage devices and support staff.
What Business Premium adds
Microsoft lists these capabilities in Business Premium:
- Microsoft Entra ID: identity and access management.
- Microsoft Intune: device and application management.
- Microsoft Defender for Business: protection for business devices.
- Microsoft Defender for Office 365: additional protection against email threats.
- Microsoft Purview: information protection capabilities.
Check the exact plans and features in your proposed subscription. Teams availability, add-ons and licensing terms can differ between offers.
A licence needs an implementation plan
Buying Premium does not configure the controls for your business. Decide who will enrol devices, set access policies, review alerts, maintain permissions and support staff when a policy blocks access.
Plan deployment around the devices and applications in use. Test changes with a small group before applying them across the business, and provide clear instructions for staff.
Questions to ask before changing plans
- Which security and management gaps are we trying to close?
- Do existing products overlap with the proposed features?
- Which users and devices need each capability?
- Who will configure, monitor and maintain it?
- What work and costs sit outside the licence?
Keep backup and recovery requirements in the discussion. Security features and retention settings serve different purposes from a tested recovery plan.
CIS can review your current licences and configuration through our Microsoft 365 support, then explain the changes and ongoing responsibilities.
