With Microsoft products it’s easy to get confused looking at similar product names and multiple versions of each. Microsoft offers a bundled solution; Microsoft 365, composed of existing products under one license for business. Many people inadvertently use the term Microsoft 365 to describe an Office 365 license. As a business it is important to know the difference between Office 365 and Microsoft 365 as they are comprised of relatively different capabilities.

This article will help break down the differences, so you can decide which Microsoft product and solution is best suited for your business.

Office 365

Office 365 is a cloud services platform that offers Microsoft products either online and/or on-premise via monthly or annual subscription plans that includes:

• Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote
• OneDrive
• Outlook
• SharePoint
• Skype for Business
• Yammer
• Exchange
• Access (PC only)
• Publisher (PC only)
• Microsoft Teams

These applications are used to increase business productivity and Office 365 is the cloud-based suite of applications. There are various business and enterprise level subscription license offerings available.

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 entails an all-in-one bundle that includes:

• All Office 365 applications
• Windows 10 Pro upgrade
• Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS)

Currently there are three primary versions of Microsoft 365 subscription options: Business, Enterprise, and Education. There are different levels of Microsoft 365 solutions for each of the above versions, with various capabilities.

Microsoft announced the addition of new compliance and security offerings beginning February 1, 2019:

• Identity & Threat Protection
• Information Protection & Compliance

The Identity & Threat Protection (ITP) packages the best of breed for advanced threat protection services, including Microsoft Threat Protection (Windows Defender ATP, Azure Advanced Threat Protection, and Office 365 ATP incorporating Threat Intelligence) with Microsoft Cloud App Security and Azure Active Directory.

Microsoft also plans to include the Information Protection & Compliance (IPC) offer to the Microsoft 365 subscription plans, combining Office 365 Advanced Compliance and Azure Information Protection into a single package.

For more information about Office 365 and Microsoft 365, please feel free to contact us.