inTune Licences
HI Everyone, What differences are there between inTune User vs. Device Licences? We are an educational establishment and are looking to use inTune to manage iPads and push out software to shared PCs, so far this is working but we haven't actually assigned any inTune Licences to staff yet...Do we need to get device licences or should user licences cover it? Thanks!O365 E5 Licence report
Hi - I am trying to use Powershell to return a report of all users who have the Power BI pro option enabled under office 365 E5. To clarify, this is not the Power BI Pro licence that can be purchased separately, our users are licenced via their E5 licence. I have tried the following: (Get-MsolAccountSku | where {$_.AccountSkuId -eq "hopuk:ENTERPRISEPREMIUM"}).ServiceStatus This just returns the E5 licence and I can't go down a level into the services beneath it. I've also tried the following (kindly supplied by a colleague): # Connect to the SPO Service Connect-SPOService Connect-MsolService # The license - enterprise pack is E3 and enterprise premium is E5 $AccountSkuId = "<mydom>ENTERPRISEPREMIUM" # The service that you want the script to check - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/enterprise-users/licensing-service-plan-reference $Lserivce = "BI_AZURE_P2" # Get all the users in the tenant, this query takes 1 to 2 minutes $allusers = Get-MsolUser -MaxResults 20000 | Where-Object { $_.isLicensed -eq "TRUE" } # Set counter up $number = 0 $numberofusers = $allusers.count # For each user found foreach ($user in $allusers.UserPrincipalName) { # Add 1 to counter after each user $number++ write "Processing $number \ $numberofusers $($user)" # Get the license details $licensedetails = (Get-MsolUser -UserPrincipalName $user ).Licenses | Where {$_.AccountSkuId -eq $AccountSkuId} # Get all the services in the license for that user, only return the services that have been activated $service = $licensedetails.ServiceStatus | Where {$_.ProvisioningStatus -eq "success"} # Get just the names of the services for the user stripping everything else out $results = $service.serviceplan.servicename # If the service is found in the list of services do something if($results -match $Lserivce) { write-host $user -ForegroundColor green #export the name to the CSV file $user | Export-Csv -Path "C:\users\licencesexport1.csv" -Append -force } } This site https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/enterprise-users/licensing-service-plan-reference seems to suggest the service should just be called Power BI Pro but that returned an empty CSV which took nearly an hour to run. I can see there is a GUID included in that page too but none of the cmdlets I've tried have seemed to allow me to search for that. Any help greatly appreciated before the laptop goes out the window...!Creating a test environment similar to prod - how to license?
Hi, We want to create a test environment to avoid "system wide" settings deploy to production without testing them first (e.g. Kerberos Enforcement or Entra Sync Settings) We would use Windows Trial licenses and Entra Connect to connect to a Testtenant. How must we license this test environment to be compliant with MS licensing? Some say it's Trial and not production "you do not have to". Others say we need to license "like Prod". Can anyone (preferably a Microsoft employee) help with this question? BR Stephan
Microsoft 365 E7 & Agent365: From Where You Are to Enterprise AI at Scale
Introduction As organizations move beyond AI experimentation and begin operationalizing agent-based AI workloads, a new set of challenges is emerging governance, visibility, and control. Microsoft’s response to this shift is Microsoft 365 E7, introduced on May 1, 2026. It bundles: Microsoft 365 E5 Microsoft 365 Copilot Microsoft Entra Suite Microsoft Agent 365 This represents Microsoft’s strategic direction toward a human-led, agent-operated enterprise. However, a key pattern is emerging: Many organizations deploy Agent 365 and assume governance is complete. It isn’t. Understanding Agent 365: Control Plane, Not Control Source Agent 365 is not a standalone security solution, it is a control plane for AI agents. It provides: Agent registry and discovery Blueprint governance and lifecycle control Observability across agents Aggregation of signals from Entra, Defender and Purview Simple analogy Agent 365 is like a dashboard in a car It shows status It aggregates signals But it does not generate signals Without identity, data and threat signals → governance visibility is incomplete. The Key Gap: “Enabled” vs “Governed” Agent 365 can be enabled standalone but governance requires: Identity signals (Entra) Threat signals (Defender) Data risk signals (Purview) This gap between “enablement” and “full governance” is where most deployments fall short. Agent 365 Governance Maturity Heatmap The following heatmap summarizes how governance capabilities evolve as you layer the Microsoft stack: Capability Agent 365 on E3 + Defender Suite + Purview Suite + Entra Suite E7 (Full) Agent registry / inventory ✅ Full ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ Shadow agent discovery ✅ Full ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ Blueprint governance / kill-switch ✅ Full ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ First-party agent observability ✅ Full ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ Conditional Access for agents (P1) ✅ Already in BP/E3 ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ ID Governance for agents (P1) ✅ Already in BP/E3 ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅ Risk-based CA / ID Protection (P2) ❌ ✅ ❌ ✅ ✅ MDA behavioral risk detection ❌ ✅ ❌ ❌ ✅ Risks column fully populated ⚠️ Entra only ⚠️ Entra + Defender ⚠️ Entra + Purview ⚠️ Entra + Network ✅ All signals Purview DLP for agent interactions ⚠️ Basic only ⚠️ Basic only ✅ Full ⚠️ Basic only ✅ Full DSPM for AI ❌ ❌ ✅ ❌ ✅ Shadow AI discovery (external tools) ❌ ❌ ❌ ✅ ✅ Security Copilot SCUs ❌ ❌ ❌ ❌ ✅ (via E5) 🔍 Interpretation of the Heatmap Key insight: Agent 365 on its own provides visibility and governance scaffolding, but true governance maturity emerges only when identity (Entra) threat (Defender), and data (Purview) signals are combined. Microsoft 365 E7 is the only SKU that delivers all signals, identity, security, compliance and AI governance in a single integrated model. What Works with Agent 365 Alone On Business Premium or E3 + Agent 365, you still get meaningful capabilities: Agent registry (full visibility) Shadow agent discovery Blueprint governance and kill-switch Entra Agent ID (identity registration) Conditional Access for agents (via Entra P1) ID Governance (via Entra P1) First-party agent observability This provides a strong governance foundation, especially for early-stage adoption. What’s Missing Without the Full Stack Without Defender, Purview, and Entra Suite key capabilities are limited: Risk-based Conditional Access (requires Entra P2) Behavioral threat detection (Defender) Data interaction governance (Purview DLP) AI data security posture (DSPM for AI) External shadow AI discovery (Entra Internet Access) Result: You can see agents exist but you cannot fully assess risk, behavior or data exposure. What changes across layers: Layer Added What Improves Defender Threat detection, behavioral risk Purview Data protection, AI data governance Entra Suite Network + identity-level AI control E7 Full integration across all layers Licensing Model: Clarifying Agent 365 Agent 365 licensing is simple but often misunderstood: Licensed per user (not per agent) Covers all agents owned or managed by that user Agents do not need individual licenses This eliminates agent sprawl licensing concerns and anchors governance to the user identity. Upgrade Math by Starting Point This is where architecture meets commercial reality. 📍 Business Premium Starting point: $22/user Step Add-on Total Step 1 Agent 365 ($15) $37 Step 2 Defender + Purview Combo ($15) $52 Step 3 Entra Suite ($12) $64 Step 4 Copilot + Intune Suite ~$95 👉 Full E7 Parity: ~$95/user 👉 E7: $99/user At this stage: Minimal price difference E7 adds Security Copilot + removes 300-user limit ✅ This is where consolidation becomes compelling. 📍 E3 Starting point: $39/user Component Cost E3 Base $39 Agent 365 $15 Defender Suite $12 Purview Suite $12 Entra Suite $12 Intune Suite $10 Copilot $30 Total $130/user 👉 E7: $99/user 💥 Delta: $31/user 💥 ~$74K/year extra for 200 users ✅Use Agent 365 for visibility if needed ✅Avoid building full add-on stack ✅Move to E5 or E7 early 📍 E5 Starting point: $60/user Remaining gaps: Copilot ($30) Entra Suite ($12) Agent 365 ($15) 👉 Total: $117/user 👉 E7: $99/user 💥 Savings: $18/user 💥 ~$108K/year for 500 users ✅ ~15% savings ✅ Simplified licensing ✅ This becomes a strong renewal conversation driver. Architectural Perspective AI governance requires layered architecture: Layer Function Agent 365 Control plane Entra Identity + access Defender Threat detection Purview Data protection Governance is not a feature, it is a system built on continuous signals across identity, security and data. How to Position This in Customer Conversations For Business Premium Start with Agent 365 Add Defender + Purview for maximum value For E3 Avoid incremental add-ons Move to E5/E7 For E5 Position E7 as cost optimization + simplification Final Thought Agent 365 is a foundational capability but it is not a complete solution. On its own, it gives you visibility and a governance layer. But enterprise AI governance is not just about seeing and managing agents it’s about understanding what they’re doing, what they’re accessing and whether they should be doing it at all. A simple way to think about it: Deploying Agent 365 alone is like setting up a badge system in your building you can track who is inside and control access. But without the broader security stack, you still can’t: Detect risky or unusual behavior Protect sensitive data from overexposure Enforce governance consistently across the environment Bottom Line Agent 365 provides the control plane Security and compliance services provide the signals Microsoft 365 E7 brings these together into a unified governance model The Strategic Shift Organizations are moving from: AI as tools → isolated productivity gains AI as systems → integrated workflows and automation AI as governed ecosystems → secure, compliant, and scalable operations Sustainable AI adoption is not defined by capability alone it is defined by how effectively that capability is governed at scale. E7 is not just a licensing evolution it represents a shift to an integrated AI operating model, where governance is embedded by design, not added as an afterthought.
