MICROSOFT 365 - WHY USE IT?
In Q4 2017 Microsoft launched two new package bundles that brought together an Office 365 licence with a Windows 10 licence and elements of EMS licencing. There are two main flavours with key differences where Enterprise comes in E3 and E5 versions. These are being targeted at GDPR compliance.
Business
Microsoft 365 Business is designed for small- to medium-sized businesses with up to 300 users and integrates Office 365 Business Premium with tailored security and management features from Windows 10 and Enterprise Mobility + Security. It offers services to empower employees, safeguard the business and simplify IT management.
- Helps companies achieve more together by better connecting employees, customers and suppliers.
- Empowers employees to get work done from anywhere, on any device.
- Protects company data across devices with always-on security.
- Simplifies the set-up and management of employee devices and services with a single IT console.
Enterprise
Microsoft 365 Enterprise is designed for large organizations and integrates Office 365 Enterprise, Windows 10 Enterprise and Enterprise Mobility + Security to empower employees to be creative and work together, securely.
- Unlocks creativity by enabling people to work naturally with ink, voice and touch, all backed by tools that utilize AI and machine learning.
- Provides the broadest and deepest set of apps and services with a universal toolkit for teamwork, giving people flexibility and choice in how they connect, share and communicate.
- Simplifies IT by unifying management across users, devices, apps and services.
- Helps safeguard customer data, company data and intellectual property with built-in, intelligent security.
New Admin/Setup
The Microsoft 365 admin console comes with a new easier setup options and related control options.
EMS for Business
The reference to "Enterprise Mobility + Security" for Business is not the same as EMS for Enterprise in that:
- It uses parts of Microsoft’s MDM solution (Microsoft Intune). These are a subset of features, specifically chosen to meet the needs of SMBs and organized to be easily managed via a simplified administration experience. If a company requires the full capabilities of Intune, they can purchase a qualifying plan separately.
- Azure Active Directory P1 is not in this package. Microsoft 365 Business is built on technology from across Microsoft and while it shares some features with Azure Active Directory, it is not a full version. The security and management policies created in Microsoft 365 Business rely on some Azure functionality but does not include all features (e.g. self-service features, conditional access features, and reporting). Customers may choose to purchase Azure Active Directory Premium as an add-on to Microsoft 365 Business.
- The security and management capabilities of Microsoft 365 Business pertain to iOS, Android mobile and tablet devices, and Windows PCs but not Mac.
Windows Autopilot
Included in Microsoft 365 Business is Windows AutoPilot which is a collection of technologies used to set up and pre-configure new devices, getting them ready for productive use. In addition, you can use Windows AutoPilot to reset, repurpose and recover devices. This solution enables an IT department to achieve the above with little to no infrastructure to manage, with a process that's easy and simple.
IT Roadmap planning tool
The IT Roadmap is a web-based tool built for IT, so it's different from Microsoft's product roadmaps that communicate Microsoft's future product plans. The IT Roadmap is about helping you form your plans. As part of the process, it highlights the capabilities corresponding to all the services represented by Microsoft 365 across 4 levels, each level containing multiple attributes that differentiate it from previous levels. Using the tool, you select the services you want to prioritize, select what best describes how you deliver the service now, and then identify what best describes what you want to do using the Future Level slider.
- Access Managment
- Identity Managment
- Governance
- Compliance