What Is Microsoft 365 Business Premium?
Choosing the right Microsoft licence can feel more complicated than it should be. Between Business Basic, Standard, and Premium, it’s easy to end up paying for tools you don’t use, or missing security features your business actually needs. If you’re asking what is Microsoft 365 Business Premium and whether it’s the right fit for your company, this guide walks through exactly what’s included and why so many UK small businesses upgrade to it. Speak to the FOS IT support team if you’d like a licence audit before making any changes.
Understanding the Business Premium Licence
Microsoft 365 Business Premium is the most complete licensing tier Microsoft offers to small and mid sized businesses. It combines the full productivity suite, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams, with advanced Microsoft security tools that aren’t available on the lower tiers. Unlike Business Basic or Standard, Premium adds device management, data protection, and threat defence as standard, which is why our Microsoft 365 Business Premium specialists usually recommend it to any business handling sensitive client data.
What’s Included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium?
At its core, Business Premium is built around three pillars: productivity, collaboration, and security. Here’s what businesses actually get with the licence:
- Full desktop and web versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
- Teams for chat, video calls, and file sharing
- Exchange Online for business class email with a custom domain
- SharePoint and OneDrive for secure file storage and collaboration
- Microsoft Defender for Business, protecting devices from malware and ransomware
- Intune for managing and securing company devices remotely
- Azure Information Protection for controlling who can access sensitive files
- Conditional access policies to block suspicious sign in attempts
This combination is what makes Premium different from a simple productivity suite. It’s built with security baked in, not bolted on afterwards.
The Productivity Suite: More Than Just Office Apps
Most people think of Microsoft 365 as “Office,” but the productivity suite goes far beyond the desktop apps. Teams has become the central hub for meetings, chat, and document collaboration for most UK SMEs, while SharePoint and OneDrive replace the need for shared network drives entirely. Staff can co-author documents in real time, track changes, and pick up work from any device without emailing files back and forth. For growing teams, this alone often justifies the move away from older, disconnected software setups.
Microsoft Security Features That Set Premium Apart
Security is where Business Premium earns its price difference over Standard. Microsoft Defender for Business actively scans for malware, ransomware, and phishing attempts across every connected device, while Intune allows IT teams to enforce security policies, wipe lost devices remotely, and control what data can be accessed outside the office. If you’re unsure whether your current setup meets a reasonable security baseline, a complimentary cyber security assessment is a straightforward way to find out before committing to any changes.
These built in protections matter more than ever given how quickly threats are evolving. It’s a subject we explored recently in our piece on AI driven cyber threats, which looks at how attackers are using automation to target smaller businesses that assume they’re too small to be a target.
Collaboration Tools Built for Hybrid Working
Collaboration has become one of the biggest deciding factors for businesses choosing Premium over Standard. Teams supports video meetings, shared channels, and app integrations, while document co-authoring means multiple people can work on the same file without version confusion. Combined with secure cloud based file storage, staff can work from home, the office, or on the road without compromising on access or security, something that’s become non negotiable for most hybrid UK workplaces.
Business Premium vs Other Microsoft 365 Plans
| Feature | Business Basic | Business Standard | Business Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office desktop apps | No | Yes | Yes |
| Teams and Exchange email | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SharePoint and OneDrive | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced threat protection | No | No | Yes |
| Device management (Intune) | No | No | Yes |
| Data loss prevention | No | No | Yes |
| Conditional access controls | No | No | Yes |
As the table shows, Premium is the only tier that includes proper device management and advanced threat protection, which is exactly why it’s the recommended option for businesses that handle client data, financial information, or anything covered by GDPR.
Do You Need Help Managing Microsoft 365 Business Premium?
While the licence itself includes powerful tools, getting the most out of it usually requires proper configuration. Left on default settings, many businesses miss out on the security features they’re already paying for. Working with a fully managed IT provider means these settings, backups, and updates are handled correctly from day one, rather than being left to chance.
For businesses without an in house IT resource, this is often paired with wider technology consultancy support, covering everything from initial licence selection to long term planning as the business grows and requirements change.
Is Microsoft Licensing Confusing? You’re Not Alone
Microsoft’s licensing structure changes fairly often, and keeping track of what’s included, what’s an add on, and what’s been retired can be a full time job in itself. This is one of the most common reasons businesses reach out for support, alongside broader questions around AI tools now built into the platform, a topic we cover in our article on Microsoft Copilot licensing.
Why Businesses Choose FOS for Microsoft 365 Support
Every business has different needs, which is why licence recommendations should never be one size fits all. You can read more about how we approach this on our company overview page, where we explain how we work with businesses of different sizes and industries across the South East.
Regional Microsoft 365 Support
For businesses outside Essex, the same level of hands on Microsoft 365 support is available through our Hertfordshire based IT specialists, who provide the same licensing, security, and configuration support with local response times when needed.