Microsoft 365 for Enterprise is becoming increasingly popular, Many businesses are making the move to Microsoft 365, but deciding whether to opt for a Business or Enterprise subscription may not be an clear-cut decision.
The first thing that needs to be considered by businesses is how many overall users they want to subscribe.
Office 365 online licensing will limit access to specific apps for collaboration for the users not using an Office 365 license. Combining on-premise with online licensing can prove to be a challenge.
Headcount and mailbox count is one of the most important factors when choosing between the two. If your total count is less than 300, you could consider looking at the Office 365 Business plans. However, if you plan to exceed this count you should opt for Enterprise.
Key differences
Enterprise offers unlimited archive and mail storage, while Business offers 50 GB storage limit with an option to pay more per subscriber for unlimited addon.
Enterprise includes the features Enterprise Search, Excel Services and Visio Services, whereas Business does not.
Business also lacks unified communication solutions, whereas Enterprise features a number of them – telephone number integration (PSTN) for skype for business.
365 Enterprise includes Personal Power BI and Delve Analytics, whereas Business licensing does not.
The majority of users looking at the Business licensing fall to Office 365 Business Premium. However, some businesses only need email access and basic online Office applications for some of its team. This means that a mix of Business Essentials and Business Premium is quite often found in certain work environments.
Many businesses select an Enterprise to lower the cost for PSTN (dial-in) conferencing with Skype for Business.
Power BI Pro access can help a business do all its data analysis in once place and can also provide Microsoft Access to staff.
Which one to choose
The final choice between the two really comes down to headcount, the number of email addresses on the system and the need for unlimited storage. If you exceed 200 accounts and need unlimited storage, then the choice is a no brainer and should be Enterprise. If you do not need these features, then you should consider one of the Business plans, with a potential to addon other apps and features as you need them. The different levels of Enterprise Plans are more expensive than the Business ones, but you get more functionality and support.