Which Microsoft 365 license do we need: Business Standard, Business Premium, or E3?
Short answer
For most organizations under 300 users, Business Premium is the best value: it includes everything in Business Standard plus the security tools, Intune device management, Entra ID P1 for Conditional Access, and Defender for Business, that insurers and auditors now expect. E3 makes sense above 300 users or when you need enterprise-only features.
Draft · pending expert review
Microsoft's license names change often, but the decision usually comes down to three plans.
Business Standard
Desktop Office apps, email, Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive. What it lacks is the security and device management most organizations now need.
Business Premium
Everything in Standard, plus Intune to manage and secure devices, Entra ID P1 for Conditional Access, Defender for Business to protect computers, and Defender for Office 365 for email protection. It's limited to 300 users.
E3 (and E5)
Enterprise plans with no user limit. E3 includes Entra ID P1 and Intune, but some security tools that come with Business Premium are extra. E5 adds advanced security, compliance, and Teams Phone.
Mixing licenses
Not everyone needs the same plan. Frontline or occasional users can often use a less expensive license, as long as the security basics still cover them.