Help CenterUpgrading to Microsoft 365 Business Premium can be a game-changer for your organization, offering consolidated tools, enhanced security, cost efficiency, and better integration. Here's how you can make a compelling case to your boss:
1. Product Consolidation Saves Money - One of the strongest arguments for upgrading to Microsoft 365 Business Premium is product consolidation. Many organizations currently pay for multiple tools that handle separate security and productivity needs (e.g., email, collaboration, identity management, device security, and file sharing).
With Business Premium, you get an all-in-one solution:
- Email and Collaboration: Microsoft 365 includes Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint.
- Mobile Device Management (MDM): Integrated Microsoft Intune helps manage devices and applications from a single console.
- Identity and Access Management: Azure Active Directory (Entra ID) P1 provides Single Sign-On (SSO), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), and conditional access.
These tools eliminate the need for third-party solutions, which helps lower costs. A detailed breakdown of the cost of these individual tools vs. the comprehensive offering in Business Premium will reveal that the all-inclusive approach is much more cost-effective.
2. Enhanced Security Features - With cyber threats growing more sophisticated, security is a priority for every business. Microsoft 365 Business Premium provides a wide range of integrated security features, including:
- Advanced Threat Protection: Defend against phishing, malware, and ransomware with Microsoft Defender for Office 365.
- Device Security: Manage and secure devices using Intune with features like device encryption, conditional access, and app protection policies.
- Identity Protection: Secure identities through Azure AD Premium P1, which enables conditional access policies, MFA, and risk-based authentication to protect access to company data.
These security features are baked into the platform, providing better protection and visibility than piecing together separate third-party solutions that may not integrate seamlessly. Security is proactive and centralized, reducing the risk of breaches.
3. Cost Efficiency Through Integration - When you break down the security and productivity features offered by Microsoft 365 Business Premium, acquiring these tools separately from different vendors will cost significantly more:
- Endpoint Security: Purchasing a third-party mobile device management (MDM) and antivirus solution can easily cost upwards of $10 per device/month.
- Identity Management: Services like MFA or conditional access from third-party identity providers add additional expenses.
- Collaboration Tools: The cost of enterprise-level collaboration tools (video conferencing, file sharing, etc.) adds to your IT budget.
In contrast, Business Premium consolidates these into a single, affordable subscription. The total cost savings are significant when you compare the cost of individual third-party products against the $22 per user/month for Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
4. Better Integration Between Services - Microsoft 365 Business Premium offers seamless integration between tools. When you rely on multiple third-party solutions, they don’t always work smoothly together, which leads to inefficiencies and increases the risk of security gaps. With Business Premium:
- OneLogin across all tools: SSO through Azure AD means employees sign in once to access email, file sharing, Teams, and other services securely.
- Unified Device Management: Intune and Azure AD work together to provide full device visibility, helping IT teams track, manage, and secure both company-owned and personal devices used for work.
- Consistent Security Policies: Policies set in Intune and Azure AD apply across the whole organization, ensuring that all devices and apps adhere to your security standards.
This level of integration ensures greater visibility into potential risks and simplifies day-to-day management, reducing IT workload while improving overall security.
5. Visibility and Incident Management - One of the often overlooked benefits of upgrading to Microsoft 365 Business Premium is the enhanced visibility into security incidents. With features like Microsoft Defender for Office 365 and Azure AD Premium P1, administrators gain:
- Centralized Incident Response: All security alerts and incident management are unified under the Microsoft 365 Security Center, making it easier to track, investigate, and respond to threats in real time.
- Reporting and Compliance: Built-in compliance and audit tools allow you to easily track data usage and access, ensuring compliance with regulations like GDPR.
- Risk-Based Insights: Gain insights into which users or devices pose higher risks and automatically respond to potential threats with conditional access policies.
This visibility enables your team to quickly detect and address security incidents, helping avoid costly data breaches and downtime.
Conclusion: Why Upgrade to Business Premium
When proposing the upgrade to Microsoft 365 Business Premium, emphasize that the consolidation of tools, enhanced security, cost-effectiveness, and better integration between services will ultimately save time, money, and effort for the organization. You will have a more secure, streamlined IT environment that provides superior protection against modern threats while giving your team the tools they need to be productive.
By presenting this clear and compelling case, you’re showing your boss that upgrading to Business Premium is not just an IT decision, but a business decision that will provide value across the entire organization.
If you need expert guidance or assistance in convincing stakeholders to upgrade to Microsoft 365 Business Premium, contact OnCloud Experts. They can provide tailored advice, breakdown the costs, and showcase the long-term benefits of product consolidation, enhanced security, and cost efficiency.
Reach out to OnCloud Experts for a customized consultation to help make your case stronger and ensure a seamless upgrade path for your organization.