Microsoft 365 Business Premium is the most complete bundled security starting point among the common small-business plans. For larger organizations, Microsoft 365 E3 supplies a substantial baseline, while E5 adds broader security and compliance capabilities. The right choice depends on the specific Defender, Entra, Intune, and Purview services your organization needs—not just the plan name.
What security comes with each Microsoft 365 plan?
This comparison covers common commercial small-business and enterprise plans. The table reflects Microsoft’s subscription-suite and security-plan guidance; it is not a universal entitlement list for every country, sector, reseller, or historical agreement. “Not listed” means the named service does not appear in the cited subscription-table rows; it should not be read as proof that the service cannot be purchased separately.
| Plan | Security-related baseline | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | The subscription table lists Exchange Online Plan 1, SharePoint Online Plan 1, and OneDrive Plan 1. Defender for Business, Defender for Office 365, Intune Plan 1, and Entra ID P1 are not listed in its security rows. | Do not assume it includes the dedicated endpoint, identity, and device-management bundle found in Business Premium. |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard | Adds Microsoft 365 Apps for business to the listed business services. The table does not list the Defender for Business, Intune Plan 1, and Entra ID P1 bundle. | It is an apps-and-services tier, not the security bundle described for Business Premium. |
| Microsoft 365 Business Premium | Includes Defender for Business, Defender for Office 365 Plan 1, Intune Plan 1, Entra ID P1, Azure Information Protection Premium Plan 1, Purview Data Loss Prevention, and Exchange Online Archiving. | Microsoft positions it as productivity plus comprehensive security for organizations with up to 300 employees. Confirm the current offer and exact SKU in your region. |
| Microsoft 365 E3 | Includes Entra ID P1 and Intune Plan 1, and Microsoft positions E3 as including Microsoft Defender Antivirus. It also includes core Purview features. | A strong enterprise foundation, but not every advanced Defender or Purview service is included. |
| Microsoft 365 E5 | Microsoft describes E5 as including E3 plus broader security, compliance, identity threat detection and response, endpoint, email, and SaaS protections. | Check the exact service entitlements and whether the E5 offer you are buying includes Teams. |
Sources: Microsoft’s Subscription Suites Licensing Guidance, Microsoft 365 Security Enterprise Plans, and Microsoft 365 Security Pricing for Business.
Is Business Premium enough for a small business?
It can be a suitable single-plan starting point when an organization needs bundled endpoint protection, email protection, identity controls, and device management rather than just productivity apps and hosted services. Its Defender for Office 365 entitlement is Plan 1; that distinction matters if a requirement specifically calls for Plan 2 features.
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- 1 TB Secure Cloud Storage | Store and access your documents, photos, and files from your Windows, Mac or mobile devices.
- Premium Tools Across Your Devices | Your subscription lets you work across all of your Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android devices with apps that sync instantly through the cloud.
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“Enough” depends on the risks and controls the business must address. Map the requirements to named services, then verify the exact SKU and applicable terms. Microsoft’s small-business security-plan page describes the plan lineup, but an organization with sector-specific or contractual requirements should validate those requirements separately.
What changes between E3 and E5?
E3 provides important security and compliance foundations, including Entra ID P1, Intune Plan 1, and core Purview capabilities. E5 is the broader combined tier in this comparison, with additional security, identity, and compliance capabilities. Neither label alone answers whether a particular control is licensed: check the feature row and the terms for the offer being purchased.
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- Designed for Your Windows and Apple Devices | Install premium Office apps on your Windows laptop, desktop, MacBook or iMac. Works seamlessly across your devices for home, school, or personal productivity.
- Includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint & Outlook | Get premium versions of the essential Office apps that help you work, study, create, and stay organized.
- Up to 2 TB Shared Cloud Storage | Store and access your documents, photos, and files from your Windows, Mac or mobile devices.
- Premium Tools Across Your Devices | Your subscription lets you work across all of your Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android devices with apps that sync instantly through the cloud.
- Share Your Family Subscription | You can share all of your subscription benefits with up to 6 people for use across all their devices.
Microsoft’s suite names have changed. The current Defender Suite was formerly called Microsoft 365 E5 Security, and the Purview Suite was formerly called Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance. Older articles or quotes may use those former names.
What do the Defender and Purview add-on suites include?
Business Premium Defender and Purview suites
The Defender Suite for Business Premium adds Defender for Office 365 Plan 2, Defender for Identity, Defender for Cloud Apps, Defender for IoT EIoT, Azure Information Protection Premium Plan 2, and Entra ID P2. It requires Business Premium. The combined Defender and Purview Suite for Business Premium includes those Defender additions and advanced Purview services.
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Enterprise Defender Suite
Microsoft lists the enterprise Defender Suite as requiring Microsoft 365 E3 or Office 365 E3 plus Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) E3. The suite maps advanced services including Defender for Office 365 Plan 2, Defender for Endpoint Plan 2, Defender for Identity, Defender for Cloud Apps, and Entra ID P2 to the suite.
Purview Suite and narrower add-ons
The enterprise Purview Suite requires Microsoft 365 E3 or Office 365 E3 plus EMS E3. Microsoft also offers narrower Information Protection and Governance, Insider Risk Management, and eDiscovery and Audit add-ons in certain plan families. If only one advanced control is needed, compare the applicable narrower add-on with the full suite instead of assuming the suite is the only route.
Rank #4
- 12-month subscription for one person – available for organizations with up to 300 people with additional paid licenses.
- 1 TB OneDrive for Business cloud storage with ransomware detection and file recovery.
- One license covers fully-installed Office apps on 5 phones, 5 tablets, and 5 PCs or Macs per user (including Windows, iOS, and Android).
- Premium versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote (features vary), Outlook, Access, Publisher, (Publisher and Access are for PC only).
- Business apps: Bookings
Suite availability and prerequisites are listed in Microsoft’s Subscription Suites Licensing Guidance and enterprise security plans.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does E3 include Purview, or is E5 required for compliance?
E3 does include core Purview capabilities; it is inaccurate to say that E3 has no compliance features or that all data loss prevention requires E5. Microsoft identifies core features available in E3, E5, F1, F3, and Business Premium, including:
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- Manual, default, and mandatory sensitivity labeling in Microsoft 365 apps.
- Data Loss Prevention for Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and OneDrive for Business.
- Basic data lifecycle and retention, Compliance Manager, basic message encryption, eDiscovery Standard, and Audit Standard.
Advanced Purview licensing adds capabilities such as Data Loss Prevention for Teams chats, Endpoint DLP, advanced message encryption, records management, Insider Risk Management, Communication Compliance, Information Barriers, eDiscovery Premium, and Audit Premium. Microsoft maps these to E5 or the relevant Purview suite or add-on; confirm the entitlement for the exact feature you plan to use.
Which Entra identity features require a higher license?
Entra ID P1 is included in Business Premium, Microsoft 365 E3, and E5, among other offers. P2 is included in E5 and designated Defender and EMS offers, and is also included in the Defender Suite for Business Premium and the combined Defender and Purview Suite for Business Premium. P2 includes P1 capabilities plus Identity Protection and Privileged Identity Management. The separate Entra Suite requires Entra ID P1 or a package that includes P1.
Quick Recap
How should you choose and verify a license?
- List the controls you actually need. Separate email and collaboration protection, endpoint detection and response, identity risk and privileged access, SaaS visibility, device management, and the specific data-protection or compliance features required.
- Match each requirement to a named service and plan level. For example, Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 and Plan 2 are different entitlements; likewise, core Purview features differ from advanced capabilities.
- Check suite prerequisites. Business Premium add-ons require Business Premium. The enterprise Defender and Purview suites require Microsoft 365 E3 or Office 365 E3 plus EMS E3.
- Confirm the offer that will actually be assigned. Check geography, sector, agreement, reseller terms, and whether the SKU includes Teams. Microsoft’s guidance is authoritative for its listed offers, but it does not establish identical licensing for every tenant or contract.
- Recheck before purchase. Names, included services, and commercial terms can change; enterprise buyers should confirm against their agreement or with Microsoft or their licensing representative.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
