Purchasing and securing Windows 10 and Office 365 just got easier. At its annual Inspire partner conference last week, Microsoft announced plans to combine Office 365, Windows 10 and Enterprise Mobility + Security offerings into one license: Microsoft 365.
What Is Microsoft 365?
Selecting from the menu of Office 365 licenses can get confusing. You also have Windows licenses and add-on security features like Enterprise Mobility + Security to choose from. Learn more about:
- Microsoft Government Licensing
- Office 365 Educational Licensing
- Microsoft GCC Licensing
- Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise Licensing
- Microsoft F1 Licensing
Microsoft 365 simplifies the options by consolidating your licenses into one robust, secure solution. Microsoft 365 includes two new license options for mid-sized business wither fewer than 300 seats and larger enterprises. The plans combine Windows 10, Office 365 and Enterprise Mobility + Security into one license option — easing the purchasing and license management process.
According to Microsoft’s Judson Althoff, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Commercial Business, “It’s a more cohesive approach and reflects the shift our partners and our mutual customers are making — from viewing productivity, security and device management as individual workloads to seeking a comprehensive approach to secure productivity.”
Microsoft 365 Plans
Depending on the size of your organization and business requirements, you can choose from two broader Microsoft 365 plans:
Microsoft 365 Enterprise
Microsoft 365 Enterprise will be available for companies with more than 300 users on August 1. Advantages of the Microsoft 365 Enterprise option include:
- Gain tools powered by AI and machine learning.
- Always have access to the most complete set of apps and services.
- Give employees flexibility in how they connect, share and communicate.
- Centralize management across users, devices, apps and services.
- Built-in security helps protect customer data, company data and intellectual property.
Within Microsoft 365 Enterprise, you can choose from:
- Microsoft 365 E3 license: Get access to Office apps, email and calendaring, Skype for Business (now Microsoft Teams), threat protection, identity and access management and more.
- Microsoft 365 E5 license: Gain everything included in E3 along with PSTN conferencing, Cloud PBX, Azure Active Directory P2, Power BI Pro and My Analytics.
Learn more about the Enterprise plans here.
Microsoft 365 Business
The Office 365 and Windows bundle will also be available for small and mid-sized business.
Microsoft 365 Business integrates Office 365 Business Premium, security and management features from Windows 10 and Enterprise Mobility + Security for up to 300 users.
The option allows small businesses to deploy and secure devices and users in one central console. The Microsoft 365 Business option will be available in public preview on August 2. Highlights of Microsoft 365 Business include:
- Better connect employees, customers and suppliers to boost output.
- Equip employees to work from anywhere and on any device.
- Built-in security helps protect company data across devices.
- Easily set up and manage employee devices and services from one console.
Within Microsoft 365 Business, Microsoft also announced three new features:
- Microsoft Connections email marketing service
- Microsoft Listings for publishing your business information on top sites
- Microsoft Invoicing to easily create professional invoices and get paid fast
Why Choose Microsoft 365?
The main advantage of Microsoft 365 is integrating Enterprise Mobility + Security across Office 365 and Windows 10 for a consolidated price.
Security remains a top concern among businesses using and considering the cloud. In fact, more than half of respondents cited security as the most pressing concern in the Interop 2017 State of the Cloud Report.
Enterprise Mobility + Security adds another layer of security to both Windows 10 and Office 365 to help alleviate these concerns. EMS enables you to:
- Mange identity and access in the cloud
- Enforce security by identity
- Manages mobile devices
- Efficiently deliver and manage Windows desktops and apps on all devices
By managing your users and workloads in the cloud under Microsoft 365, you always have access to the latest version of Office 365, Windows and security features. Consolidating these solutions also reduces the total cost of ownership — making enterprise-level security more accessible to businesses of all sizes.
An Easier Way to Manage Microsoft Licenses
Tired of managing and updating user licenses? Looking for a liaison to field your Microsoft support calls?
As your cloud solutions provider (CSP), Agile IT handles all billing and subscriptions for your Office 365 products like Azure and Office 365. You continue paying Microsoft the monthly license fee, and we take care of the rest.
By transferring your Office 365 and Azure licenses to Agile IT, you also gain:
- Weekly Tech Talks: Get access to Agile IT’s cloud engineers to discuss specific Microsoft technologies and strategy.
- 1 Hour of Engineering Time: As your CSP, you get one hour of engineering time to help with project planning or assessment.
- A Cloud Partner to Purchase and Manage Licenses: Agile IT will add or renew your Microsoft licenses to save you even more time.
- Faster Microsoft Support: Never sit on a Microsoft support call again. Agile IT acts as a liaison between your company and Microsoft. Leveraging our longstanding relationships, we field support issues to get solutions faster.
Interested in learning more about the free CSP program? Request a Quote:
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