Microsoft 365 Enterprise editions for large organisations

Microsoft 365 is the modern evolution of Office 365. It combines the familiar productivity apps (Word, Excel, Teams) with cloud services, intelligent security and comprehensive device management (including Windows licences). Office 365 focuses primarily on applications and services such as Exchange or SharePoint, but does not offer the in-depth security and operating system features of the Microsoft 365 packages.

The packages are tailored to company size and security requirements. The Business plans are optimised for SMEs with up to 300 users:

• Business Basic: Focus on cloud services (Teams, OneDrive) and web apps.
• Business Standard: Also includes the desktop applications that can be installed.
• Business Premium: The all-in-one package for SMEs, including Microsoft Defender and Intune for device management.

Enterprise plans (E3, E5, E7): Designed for an unlimited number of users. Among other things, they offer significantly more powerful tools for compliance, automation and IT security.
 

This is a comprehensive, integrated solution comprising:

• Microsoft 365 apps (Office software)
• Windows 11 Enterprise
• Solutions for Enterprise Mobility + Security

This combination enables companies not only to work efficiently, but also to create a highly secure infrastructure for mobile working and data exchange.

Administration is carried out centrally via the Microsoft 365 Admin Centre. Here, IT administrators can assign licences in real time, configure security policies, manage identities and view detailed usage reports.

Under the current licensing models, companies can choose between different contract terms to strike a balance between planning certainty and flexibility:

Monthly subscription: Maximum flexibility. Licences can be cancelled or reduced on a monthly basis. This is ideal for short-term projects, but comes at an additional cost.

Annual subscription: The standard option for most businesses. It offers a price advantage over monthly payments. The number of licences can be increased during the 12-month period, but can only be reduced at the end of the term.

3-year subscription: This model is available for a range of editions and offers the greatest planning certainty. Organisations benefit from a long-term price guarantee that protects against price increases over the three-year period. This model is particularly attractive for strategic IT planning in larger organisations (enterprise).

Note: You can add additional licences to any plan at any time. These will then be charged on a pro-rata basis until the end of the relevant term.

Reduction: The number of licences may only be reduced at the end of the relevant contract term.

• With a monthly subscription, that means every month.
• Once a year for an annual subscription.
• In the case of a three-year contract, at the end of the three years.

The basic environment is consistent, but the apps are natively optimised for their respective operating systems (Windows vs. macOS). This means:

• The design is in keeping with the look of the respective system.
• Some specific features (e.g. certain Excel add-ins or Access) are only available on Windows.

However, thanks to cloud synchronisation, you can switch seamlessly between your PC, Mac and iPad.

Yes. For customers in the EU, Microsoft primarily stores data in European data centres (e.g. Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands). Microsoft provides contractual assurances regarding compliance with the GDPR. Through the Microsoft Purview Compliance Portal, organisations can also define their own policies on data retention and the protection of sensitive information.

Microsoft follows a transparent end-of-life process:

1. Days 1–30: The account has expired, but users can still access their data.
2. Days 31–90: The status is disabled. Only administrators can back up data.
3. After 90 days: The data will be permanently deleted. We strongly recommend that you actively export your data before the first 30 days have elapsed.