Microsoft 365 licensing Help

Copper Contributor

Hi All, 

Can anyone suggest any websites or material that offers a break down of Microsoft 356 Business\Enterprise features. Currently we use Business Premium with EMS E3 licensing and I am not sure if we use enough features to warrent going up to Microsoft Enterprise or if the features that we do use are avaiable on Microsoft 365 Business. 

Thanks :) 

4 Replies

Hi Brian

 

What features of Intune and AAD Premium are you using now? That would be the best starting place, but a few of the things to think about...

 

If you need iOS/Android/MacOS MDM, then Intune licenses would be required as well as your M365B license. If you are only managing iOS/Android through MAM, then M365B would cover that. If you are using AIP/RMS or ATA, then you wouldn't be covered with M365B.

Thank you for the reply.

 

I can see the Microsoft 365 Business includes an Intune licence, does this license everything in the Intune blade on the Azure Portal? 

Hi Brian

 

M365B isn't licensed for full Intune functionality, the FAQ includes some of the details https://o365pp.blob.core.windows.net/media/Microsoft%20365%20Business%20Partner%20FAQ.pdf but I'm sure we'll see it get updated over time. Next week I'll get a chance to spend some time with one of the PMs and will get some clarification on some of the specific questions I've got on this well.

 

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Does Microsoft 365 Business include the full capabilities of Microsoft Intune?

 

Microsoft 365 Business includes a robust set of mobile app management capabilities powered by Microsoft’s MDM solution (Microsoft Intune). These are a subset of features, specifically chosen to meet the needs of SMBs and organized to be easily managed via a simplified administration experience. If a company requires the full capabilities of Intune, they can purchase a qualifying plan separately.

 

Does Azure Active Directory P1 come with Microsoft 365 Business?

 

No. Microsoft 365 Business is built on technology from across Microsoft and while it shares some features with Azure Active Directory, it is not a full version. The security and management policies created in Microsoft 365 Business rely on some Azure functionality but does not include all features (e.g. self-service features, conditional access features, and reporting). Customers may choose to purchase Azure Active Directory Premium as an add-on to Microsoft 365 Business.

 

Does Microsoft 365 Business allow customers to manage Macs?

 

The security and management capabilities of Microsoft 365 Business pertain to iOS, Android mobile and tablet devices, and Windows PCs.

 

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My take on this is that those who are used to working with AAD/Intune in the Azure Portal might find some of these restrictions impact design and deployment decisions they are already implementing, but for someone looking to move up from O365BP this would be a good starting point before committing to the full Intune+AADP1 or EMS E3 licence.

You already got the answer but just to say you'd be giving up a lot of functionality by going down that route (Microsoft 365 Business). Depends though on which features you're intending to use or use already, Azure AD Premium, Azure Information Protection, Office 365 Message Encryption etc, as well as the Intune bits.

 

Looking at the costings would be interesting, though some of these combos might not make sense

 

Microsoft 365 Enterprise E3

Microsoft 365 Business with Azure AD Premium and Intune add-ons 

Microsoft 365 Business + EM3 E3

 

An interesting distinction according to that FAQ is to get the most from Microsoft 365 Business Windows 10 PCs need to be joined to Azure Active Directory. They can be connected to the on-prem AD but it's not recommended.