Microsoft 365: Windows and Office subscription bundle
Microsoft 365 is a new subscription-based service by Microsoft that includes Windows,Office 365 and Windows Mobility in a single package.
Announced officially on July 10, 2017 by Kirk Koenigsbauer, corporate vice president for the Office team on the official Office blog, Microsoft 365 is the next step in Microsoft's transformation to a company that moves from traditional software sales to subscription-based services.
The new service will be offered in two editions: Microsoft 365 Enterprise, and Microsoft 365 Business.
Microsoft 365 Enterprise integrates Office 365 Enterprise, Windows 10 Enterprise, and Enterprise Mobility + Security.
Microsoft 365 Enterprise
Microsoft 365 Enterprise is built on the foundation of the highly successful Secure Productive Enterprise, which grew seats by triple digits in the last year. Going forward, Microsoft 365 Enterprise replaces Secure Productive Enterprise to double-down on the new customer promise of empowering employees to be creative and work together, securely.
Microsoft plans to launch two Microsoft 365 Enterprise editions, Microsoft 365 E3 and Microsoft 365 E5. The company has yet to announce how these two editions differ from each offer.
Update: The official Microsoft 365 Enterprise site details the differences between Microsoft 365 E3 and E5:
| Microsoft 365 E3 | Microsoft 365 E5 | ||
| Office applications | Feature Word, Excel, PowerPoint |
feature is included | feature is included |
| Email & calendar | Feature Outlook, Exchange |
feature is included | feature is included |
| Chat-based workspace | Feature Teams |
feature is included | feature is included |
| Voice, video & meetings | Feature Skype for Business |
feature is included | feature is included |
| Voice, Video and Meetings | Feature PSTN Conferencing, Cloud PBX |
PSTN Conferencing, Cloud PBX are not included | feature is included |
| Social & internet | Feature SharePoint, Yammer |
feature is included | feature is included |
| Threat protection | Feature Microsoft Advanced Threat Analytics, Windows Defender Antivirus, Device Guard |
feature is included | feature is included |
| Threat protection | Feature Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection, Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection, Office 365 Threat Intelligence |
Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection, Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection, Office 365 Threat Intelligence are not included | feature is included |
| Identity & access management | Feature Azure Active Directory P1, Windows Hello and Credential Guard |
feature is included | feature is included |
| Identity and Access Management | Feature Azure Active Directory P2 |
Azure Active Directory P2 is not included | feature is included |
| Device & app management | Feature Microsoft Intune |
feature is included | feature is included |
| Information protection | Feature Office 365 Data Loss Prevention, Windows Information Protection and BitLocker, Azure Information Protection P1 |
feature is included | feature is included |
| Information Protection | Feature Azure Information Protection P2, Microsoft Cloud App Security, Office 365 Advanced Security Management |
Azure Information Protection P2, Microsoft Cloud App Security, Office 365 Advanced Security Management are not included | feature is included |
| Advanced compliance | Feature Advanced eDiscovery, Customer Lockbox, Advanced Data Governance |
Advanced eDiscovery, Customer lockbox, Advanced Data Governance are not included | feature is included |
| Analytics | Feature Delve |
feature is included | feature is included |
| Analytics | Feature Power BI Pro, My Analytics |
Power BI Pro, My Analytics are not included | feature is included |
It is clear however that Microsoft uses the same system that it uses for Office 365 where Office 365 E3 and E5 are also available.
The core difference between those? According to this Office product comparison page " advanced security, analytics, and voice capabilities" in Office 365 Enterprise E5.
Microsoft 365 Enterprise is designed for "large organizations" according to Microsoft. General availability date is August 1, 2017.
Microsoft 365 Business
Microsoft 365 Business was purpose-built for small and medium-sized customers that have little to no IT resources on staff, do not rely on an Active Directory domain controller, and need a solution that provides their employees with the best-in-class productivity and collaboration capabilities of Office 365 and device management and security solutions to safeguard business data and assets across devices.
Microsoft 365 Business is designed for businesses with up to 300 users. It integrates Office 365 Premium with "tailored security and management features from Windows 10 and Enterprise Mobility + Security".
The Windows 10 version that is included in Microsoft 365 Business is not mentioned in the blog post on the Office blog. It is likely that Microsoft will integrate Windows 10 Professional and not Enterprise in the package, but we have to wait for confirmation before we know that for sure.
Update: The official product site lists Windows 10 Professional as the version that is included.
Microsoft did reveal pricing and availability for Microsoft 365 Business. Microsoft 365 will be available as a public preview on August 2, 2017, and available worldwide in the Fall of 2017. The price of the subscription-based package is $20 per user per month.
Additional details, for instance whether there is a minimum number of users for either package, are unclear at this point in time.
| Office 365 Business Premium $12.50 user/month |
Microsoft 365 Business $20 user/month |
||
| Office applications | Feature Office on tablets and phones |
feature is included | feature is included |
| Feature Fully installed and web versions of Office apps |
feature is included | feature is included | |
| File & document viewing & editing |
Feature 1 TB file storage and sharing |
feature is included | feature is included |
| Collaboration services | Feature Business class email (50GB), calendar, and contacts |
feature is included | feature is included |
| Collaboration services | Feature Online meetings (instant messaging, audio, and HD video chat/conferencing) |
feature is included | feature is included |
| Collaboration services | Feature Microsoft Teams chat-based workspace |
feature is included | feature is included |
| Business applications | Feature Outlook Customer Manager, Bookings |
feature is included | feature is included |
| Device management | Feature Single console to manage user and device settings |
feature is included | |
| Device management | Feature Self-service PC deployment with Windows AutoPilot |
feature is included | |
| Device management | Feature Automatically deploy Office apps to Windows 10 PCs |
feature is included | |
| Security | Feature Protect company data across devices |
feature is included | |
| Security | Feature Secure access to documents on mobile devices |
feature is included | |
| Security | Feature Protect Windows 10 devices against malware, viruses, and spyware with Windows Defender |
feature is included | |
| Maximum number of users | Feature Up to 300 |
feature is included | feature is included |
Microsoft announced in the same blog post that three new applications are coming for Office 365 Business Premium and Microsoft 365 Business. These are Microsoft Listings, an email marketing service, Microsoft Connections, an app to publish business information on "top sites", and Microsoft Invoicing, an app to create and deliver "professional invoices".
Closing Words
Microsoft has offered Windows 10 subscriptions before, but only for Enterprise customers. The subscription model is now available for businesses as well. It is an extra $7.50 for businesses who are subscribed to Office 365 Premium already, and it brings along with it several device management options next to Windows 10 Professional.
Now You: What's your take on Microsoft 365? Do you think Microsoft will offer subscriptions for home users in the future as well?
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