Business Premium is the Microsoft 365 plan most funded startups should start with, because it includes Conditional Access, Intune, and Defender. But the license does nothing until those features are configured.
Key Takeaways
- Business Premium adds Entra ID P1, Intune Plan 1, and Defender features that Business Standard doesn’t include.
- Microsoft’s Business plans are limited to 300 users in total. Beyond that, you need Enterprise plans.
- Buying the license doesn’t turn on the protection. Most of the value comes from configuring it.
The short answer
For a funded startup that handles customer data or expects security reviews, Business Premium is usually worth the difference over Business Standard. It includes the controls those reviews ask about most: Conditional Access and device management.
If you’re a very small team with no device or compliance pressure, Business Standard can be enough for now. You can upgrade later without moving to a new tenant.
What Business Premium adds
Check Microsoft’s current plan comparison and pricing before you buy, because both change.
| Capability | Business Standard | Business Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Office apps, Exchange, SharePoint, Teams | Included | Included (Teams can vary by region and plan) |
| Conditional Access (Entra ID P1) | Not included | Included |
| Device management | Basic Mobility and Security only | Intune Plan 1 |
| Email threat protection | Exchange Online Protection | Adds Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 |
| Endpoint protection | Not included | Defender for Business |
What to configure first
A new license changes very little until someone sets it up. We’d do these in order:
- Move admin rights off everyday accounts, and create two emergency access accounts.
- Roll out Conditional Access in report-only mode, then enforce MFA and block legacy authentication.
- Enroll laptops in Intune with encryption, updates, and compliance policies.
- Turn on Defender for Office 365 protections and Defender for Business on devices.
- Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
- Limit external sharing in SharePoint and OneDrive.
When Business Premium isn’t the right plan
You’ll pass 300 users soon. Microsoft’s Business plans cap out at 300 users in total, so plan your move to E3 or E5 before you reach it.
You need risk-based Conditional Access. Sign-in and user risk policies require Entra ID P2, which comes with E5 or as an add-on.
Not everyone needs it. Some companies can mix plans by role. Just remember that a security control usually only protects the users who are licensed for it.