What Is the Difference Between Office 365 and Microsoft 365?
Given the similarities between the names, it is understandable that many business owners are confused as to what is the difference between Office 365 and Microsoft 365. As a Microsoft Partner and Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) in San Diego, we are better equipped than most to clarify the situation and help you select the most appropriate Microsoft license for your business.
The Office 365 Business Package
The software bundle previously known as Office 365 is a productivity suite which provides a broad range of Microsoft products including:
- Word
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- OneDrive
- Skype for Business (to be replaced by Microsoft Teams by July 2021)
- SharePoint
- Teams
- Yammer
- Planner
Office 365 is available either online or on-premises via a subscription plan. However, since 2020 this branding is only used for enterprise-level marketing.
What Microsoft 365 Has to Offer
Microsoft 365 is a relatively new service which ran in parallel with Office 365 between 2017 and 2020. Since then it has been the general branding of Microsoft’s productivity apps and cloud service bundles at the home and small & medium-sized business level, as well as its packages for educational institutions and certain enterprise plans. Microsoft 365 offers a broad bundle of services that includes Office 365. Microsoft 365 includes:
If your business hasn’t previously transitioned to Office 365, Microsoft 365 can be highly effective and straightforward to set up. Microsoft 365 Business can facilitate building a collaborative environment in a short time.
Has My Office 365 Plan Changed?
Some Office 365 plans have been renamed and expanded with Microsoft’s latest change. Nothing has been taken away, and the price has not gone up. Plans that have been rebranded include:
- Office 365 Personal- now Microsoft 365 Personal
- Office 365 Home- now Microsoft 365 Family
- Office 365 Business Essentials- now Microsoft 365 Business Basic
- Office 365 Business Premium- now Microsoft 365 Business Standard
- Microsoft 365 Business- now Microsoft 365 Business Premium
- Office 365 Business- now Microsoft 365 Apps for business
- Office 365 ProPlus- now Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise
The enterprise-level plans E1, E3, and E5 are still called Office 365 and are still available under that name. Microsoft 365 Enterprise runs in parallel with these plans, offering all the same apps and services, as well as Windows 10 Enterprise and Enterprise Mobility + Security. Enterprise-level plans offer support for unlimited users, unlike the Business-level plans, which support 300 users or less.
Excedeo’s Services for Microsoft 365
Excedeo is on-hand if you need assistance with your business transitioning to using Microsoft 365. We have experience with both Microsoft 365 and Office 365 migrations and can customize plans to fit your business goals and processes in order for you to get maximum value from the features of your chosen suite. For technical support, our expert technical consultants can provide all the assistance your team needs with pre- or post-migration queries. San Diego businesses and enterprises can count on our top-rated IT support.