Microsoft 365 Business Premium

What is Microsoft 365 Business Premium?

Microsoft 365 Business Premium is the top-tier SMB Microsoft 365 plan, sitting below the enterprise E3/E5 licences but above Business Standard. It bundles the full Office apps, Exchange email, Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive with a security and device management layer that most businesses on cheaper plans simply don't have.

The security additions are what make it worth the extra cost: Microsoft Defender for Business (endpoint detection and response), Microsoft Intune (device management), Azure AD P1 (Conditional Access), and Microsoft Purview Information Protection. These are not bolt-ons — they're included in the licence.

What's actually included

Business Premium includes everything in Business Standard plus:

• Microsoft Defender for Business — EDR for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android
• Microsoft Intune — zero-touch device enrolment and policy management
• Azure AD P1 — Conditional Access, MFA enforcement, sign-in risk policies
• Microsoft Purview — sensitivity labels, data loss prevention, retention policies
• Azure Information Protection P1 — classify and protect documents and email
• Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 — safe links, safe attachments, anti-phishing
• Intune-based Autopilot — ship a new laptop directly to a staff member, fully configured

Why the cheaper plans leave you exposed

Business Basic and Business Standard give you the productivity tools but none of the security layer. You get Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint — but no endpoint protection, no device management, and no Conditional Access. That means a compromised laptop has full access to your Microsoft environment until someone notices.

For Canberra businesses that handle government data, health information, or legal documents, the gap between Standard and Premium is the difference between a defensible security posture and a reportable data breach.

What it costs

Microsoft 365 Business Premium is priced per user per month. For most Canberra businesses, the jump from Business Standard is modest — and when you factor in the cost of separate endpoint protection and MDM tools, Premium is often cheaper than building the equivalent stack from third-party products.

Licensing is available through Microsoft directly or through a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) like I.T.S Canberra. CSP pricing includes local support and billing in AUD.

The security controls you get out of the box

When Business Premium is properly configured, you get a security baseline that would cost significantly more to replicate with third-party tools. Defender for Business provides endpoint detection and response across all your devices. Intune enforces device compliance policies — ensuring only patched, encrypted devices can access your data. Conditional Access blocks sign-ins from unknown devices or risky locations.

Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 adds safe links and safe attachments to email — scanning every link and attachment before it reaches your inbox. This alone blocks a significant proportion of phishing and malware delivery attempts.

Is it right for your business?

Business Premium makes sense for most Canberra organisations with 5–300 staff, particularly those handling sensitive data, working with government, or subject to compliance frameworks like the Essential Eight or ISO 27001.

If you're currently on Business Basic or Standard and haven't reviewed your licensing recently, there's a good chance you're paying for productivity tools without the security layer that makes them safe to use. A licensing review takes less than an hour and often reveals significant gaps.