Modern business processes would be inconceivable without a reliable Office suite. That’s why thousands of companies rely on Microsoft products and opt for the subscription-based Microsoft 365 office suite for everyday tasks.
What is Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365, formerly Office 365, is a subscription-based office suite from Microsoft that includes the Microsoft Office product line. The history of the Microsoft Office Suite began in 1986 and since its release, Microsoft has continuously improved and expanded the functionality of its products and services.
Microsoft explains the name change as follows: “We chose the new name because it better reflects the breadth of features and benefits that this subscription solution offers to consumers and businesses.” In addition to the core Microsoft Office products and services, Microsoft 365 includes cloud-based productivity tools and artificial intelligence features.
There are 10 subscription plans divided into three groups – Microsoft 365 for home, for small and medium-sized businesses and for large enterprises. The different plans offer different feature sets at different prices and target different needs and market segments.
Microsoft 365 plans for the home
- Family
- Single
Microsoft 365 plans for small and medium-sized businesses
- Business Basic
- Business Standard
- Business Premium
- Apps for Business
Microsoft 365 plans for large companies
- E3
- E5
- F1
- Apps for Enterprise
All plans include automatic updates for their respective software at no additional cost, unlike traditional licenses for these programs where new versions require the purchase of a new license.
The business capabilities offered by Microsoft have expanded with the release of Microsoft 365, so that today over 50 million business subscribers worldwide use its desktop applications, business intelligence tools, business collaboration, cloud-based services and other great business tools.
The subscription form of the service enables access to Microsoft products from anywhere in the world via the Internet. Such productivity tools are the perfect solutions for small and medium-sized companies. Microsoft therefore offers three plans for companies:
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium
What does the Business Basic Plan contain and what functions does it offer?
The Business Basic Plan is a subscription-based service that provides access to Microsoft software for a monthly subscription fee.
The Basic plan includes email hosting with a 50 GB mailbox and 1 TB of cloud storage, which allows a subscriber to store files online and access them anytime, anywhere from any internet-connected device.
In the Microsoft 365 Business Basic plan, the subscriber receives ten programs:
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft OneNote
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Publisher
- InfoPath
- Visio
- Sharepoint
These apps offer business-class email, standard security, round-the-clock phone and web support and are available in many languages for PCs and Macs.
In addition, Exchange allows the subscriber to use the custom domain name (e.g. “IhrName@IhrUnternehmen.com”) and send and receive business-class emails, while the subscriber can chat and call up to 300 participants in business conferences.
In addition, the Business Basic plan has a variety of calendar functions and allows you to manage your calendar, schedule meetings and time management, set up reminders for upcoming meetings, etc.
Another important feature of Microsoft 365 Business Basic is the regular updates that give subscribers access to the latest version of Microsoft tools.
The advantages of Microsoft 365 Business Basic
Microsoft 365 Business Basic is the most cost-effective plan that includes access to the most important professional tools from Microsoft.
With the exception of the web version of Word, Excel, OneNote and PowerPoint, the desktop version is considered more reliable and can be downloaded free of charge, but requires a higher subscriber. The Business Basic only includes online access to the applications and no desktop versions.
Despite this limitation, the Microsoft tools included in the Basic plan offer a great package and allow a subscriber to share files and stay in touch with colleagues and clients from anywhere.
The Business Basic Plan has many advantages, but we have highlighted the top 5:
1. Work and access your files from anywhere
As Microsoft 365 focuses on online services, the subscriber has the option of connecting to the internet from any location. This means that all files and emails are stored and accessible in the cloud, even when the employee is in the home office. In addition, real-time change is a very useful feature for tasks that require teamwork. The mobile versions of the applications offered in the Business Basic plan have limited functionality, but enable the editing of documents, spreadsheets, presentations and invoices.
2. high security
Microsoft is known for the high security and reliability of its products and services. The Microsoft 365 Business Basic plan therefore includes the following features:
- Microsoft Advanced Threat Analytics
- Multi-factor authentication
- Microsoft Authenticator app
- Ransomware protection
- Office message encryption
- Anti-malware protection
After implementing Microsoft 365, companies can be confident in their operations without any security concerns.
3. complete integration
Daily tasks become easier when Microsoft 365 products work together. For example, the meeting time received by email in Outlook is synchronized with the calendar and displayed on all devices.
4. highest application quality
There is no doubt that Microsoft applications are among the best in their class. They are available in many languages and allow typing in English, German, Spanish, Italian and many more, including correction suggestions. Despite free alternatives to Microsoft 365 products (e.g. Google Documents, Google Sheets etc.), Microsoft 365 applications outperform the competition not only in terms of functionality but also in terms of quality.
5. foreseeable costs
Since the Business Basic is a subscription-based plan, it is an excellent option for small and medium-sized businesses. Paying the monthly or annual subscription gives the business predictable expenses and helps them plan their IT spending for the coming year. In addition, regular updates to Miscoroft 365 are included in the subscription fee, so no additional payments are required.
What is the difference between Business Basic vs Standard vs Premium?
All Microsoft 365 Business plans are suitable for supporting up to 300 users and are ideal for small and medium-sized businesses. However, there are some differences in these plans that should be considered by the company when selecting the best choice according to specific requirements.
Microsoft 365 Business Basic
The Business Basic plan only includes the web and mobile versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint, OneDrive, Teams, Exchange and SharePoint. It is the cheapest Microsoft plan, suitable for companies that do not need access to the desktop versions of the apps.
Microsoft 365 Business Standard
The Business Standard plan is the mid-priced plan that offers access to everything in the Business Basic plan, plus access to Yammer, 1TB of OneDrive storage and limited access to Power Apps and Power Automate in addition to the desktop Office apps.
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
The Business Premium plan is the complete plan and offers all the features of the Business Standard plan as well as premium security features such as Advanced Threat Protection, Azure AD Premium, Azure Information Protection and Intune.
Who uses Microsoft 365 Business Basic and why?
With Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Office, Microsoft has been offering the best Office suites for three decades. Thousands of companies use Microsoft applications every day to increase their sales. The Business Basic plan is the most popular plan for small and medium-sized companies due to its good price-performance ratio.
With Microsoft 365 Business Basic, these companies can make teamwork much easier, save employees time and enable them to collaborate better through Microsoft tools such as team chat, online meetings and file sharing. The ability to access Microsoft 365 makes it a good choice for those organizations where employees work remotely. At the same time, Microsoft guarantees the security of emails and documents stored in the cloud. Automatic updates make Microsoft 365 easy to use and require no additional support from IT specialists.
Microsoft 365 plans for small and medium-sized businesses
- Partially included
- Included
Why is it worth implementing Microsoft 365 Business with Konsultec?
Konsultec is a reliable partner for SMEs in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia and beyond, supporting you in the digital transformation of your company. We create modern workplaces so that your employees are more productive, feel more comfortable and your company becomes more profitable.
We only offer individual solutions that focus on the needs of your company.
Three advantages of implementing Microsoft 365 with Konsultec:
- We cover the whole of Cologne and the North Rhine-Westphalia region, so you can rely on fast implementation and a rapid response to any problems that arise.
- We offer affordable prices for small and medium-sized companies.
- We offer our business partners a high-quality service and only offer industry-specific solutions to help you avoid unnecessary costs.
Sebastian has over 10 years of experience in hardware and software distribution. He is a passionate networker and digital transformation specialist. His mission is to help small businesses grow big.
So don’t hesitate to get in touch with him on LinkedIn for advice on relevant topics.
Mail: info@konsultec.de
Phone: +49 (0)221 2924 1780
