Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365, which evolved from Office 365, includes the main subscription plans for using the most well-known Office applications. The productivity software offers many different subscription plans, each with different goals. This article provides an overview of what Microsoft 365 is, the features it offers, and the available subscription plans.

What is Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 can be seen as a family of cloud-based productivity and collaboration software and services from Microsoft. It includes the classic tools that people use daily, such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, as well as more advanced (security) tools. In 2010, the product family was launched under the name Office 365. It was introduced as software for businesses, available as a subscription. In July 2017, a second subscription service was introduced under the name Microsoft 365, a software that combined Windows 10 Enterprise volume licenses with Office 365 and several cloud-based device management and security products.
Three years later, on April 21, 2020, Office 365 became Microsoft 365. Microsoft wanted to demonstrate that it was not just Office software. Indeed, over the years, so many features have been added, independent of Office, that the name "Office 365" was no longer sufficient.

Microsoft 365: Features
Microsoft 365 offers various features, categorized into three groups: Office applications, cloud services, and security. Read on to find out which features belong to which category and what they entail.

Office applications:

• Word, PowerPoint, Outlook & Excel: the four classic tools that can be used for editing, sharing and creating documents, presentations, spreadsheets and e-mails. 
• OneNote: digital application for taking notes.
• Access & Publisher: build databases & create professional publications. Is not included in all Microsoft 365 versions.

Cloud services:

• SharePoint: create pages, lists and document libraries and build intranet sites.
• Microsoft Teams: digital workspace for communication, collaboration, meetings and sharing apps and files.
• OneDrive: digital place for synchronising, storing and sharing work files. 
• Exchange Online: cloud-based e-mail and digital calendar.

Security:

• Microsoft Defender: help secure data and devices. Beyond that, it ensures that online users can work safely by providing protection against malware. 
• Compliance Center: helps manage risk by providing compliance and data management solutions. 
• Advanced Threat Protection: protects against ransomware, threats and other advanced malware.

Microsoft 365: System Requirements

• Processor: 1.6 GHz
• Memory: At least 4 GB of RAM for the 64-bit operating system. At least 2 GB of RAM for the 32-bit operating system.
• Hard drive: 4 GB of available space.
• Display: Minimum screen resolution of 1280 x 760 px.
• Operating System: Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, or Windows Server 2016.
  
  

  Microsoft 365: Security Features

  Microsoft 365's security tools were mentioned earlier in this article, but in this paragraph, we will detail what they contain.
  
  Microsoft Defender:
  Microsoft Defender is designed to protect organizations against phishing attacks and malware by applying advanced prevention and detection features. Microsoft Defender offers several features that make it an asset for protecting organizations. The main feature is real-time protection. This feature continuously monitors suspicious activity in all sent and received emails and files. Phishing attacks are blocked, and malware is detected before it can cause damage. Updates are performed automatically, and security settings are securely managed, ensuring that the security level is always up to date and users do not need to manually update security software.
  
  Compliance Center:
  Microsoft Compliance Center helps manage risks and protect sensitive data. The program looks for potential security risks within an organization so that they can be identified and resolved. In addition to risk management and data protection, the program also offers solutions to meet legal requirements. Microsoft Compliance offers the following features to ensure security:
• Information Security: Identification and protection of sensitive data.
• Message Encryption: Sending and receiving encrypted emails internally and externally.
• Lifecycle Management: Data is classified and managed at scale using labels.
• Customer Lockbox: Explicit access permissions are required for service tasks to ensure full control.
• Compliance Portal: Monitors recommended security measures and configures settings to meet complex compliance requirements.
• Communication Compliance: Identifies communication risks, records, and, if necessary, takes corrective actions.
• Customer Key: Allows control over an organization's encryption keys.
• Risk Management: Suspicious activities within the organization are detected and investigated, and actions are taken.
• Information Barriers: Restricting communication between certain groups when some staff should not have access to certain information.
• Privileged Access Management: Helps prevent data leaks by applying granular access controls to privileged administrative tasks.
  
  Advanced Threat Protection (ATP):
  ATP ensures that malicious threats designed to bypass traditional security models are detected, analyzed, and stopped. The following section explains exactly how ATP's analysis works:
  Step 1: The cache (temporary storage location for data so that users can access this data faster) is checked to see if the relevant files are registered as bad.
  Step 2: Various antivirus scanners scan the file.
  Step 3: A static analysis is first performed, checking the files for suspicious signals.
  Step 4: Finally, a dynamic analysis is conducted in a real environment to see what the file does in a secure test environment.
  
  

  Microsoft 365: Subscriptions and Prices

  Microsoft 365 is available in different subscription models. Find out below what these subscriptions include and how much they cost.
  
  Microsoft 365 Family:
  Microsoft 365 Family costs €99.00 per year or €10.00 per month. The subscription can be used by at least 1 and up to 6 people, with each person able to use up to 5 devices simultaneously. This subscription includes 6 TB of cloud storage. The subscription is automatically renewed unless canceled. Cancellation is possible at any time without additional costs.
  
  Microsoft 365 Personal:
  Microsoft 365 Personal costs €69.00 per year or €7.00 per month. The subscription is intended for 1 person, and this person can use up to 5 devices simultaneously. The cloud storage for this subscription is 1 TB. This subscription is also automatically renewed, and cancellation is possible at any time without additional costs.
  
  Microsoft 365 Business Basic:
  Microsoft 365 Business Basic can only be purchased as a monthly subscription. The customer pays either €5.60 per month with an annual contract, meaning the subscription cannot be canceled during the term, or €6.72 per month, with the possibility of canceling at any time. Microsoft 365 Business Basic offers, among other things, access, identity, and usage management for up to 300 employees, with each user having a maximum cloud storage limit of 1 TB.
  
  Microsoft 365 Business Standard:
  Microsoft 365 Business Standard can also only be purchased as a monthly subscription. The cost is €11.70 per month with an annual subscription or €14.04 per month, with the possibility to cancel monthly. Generally, Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Microsoft 365 Business Basic are nearly identical. The main difference is that Microsoft 365 Business Standard users can use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook as both desktop, web, and mobile versions, while Microsoft 365 Business Basic is only available as web and mobile versions.
  
  Microsoft 365 Business Premium:
  Microsoft 365 Business Premium is, like the previous two subscriptions, a monthly subscription. The cost is €20.60 per month for a year or €24.72 per month, with the possibility to cancel the subscription monthly. Microsoft 365 Business Premium is similar to Microsoft 365 Business Standard. The main difference lies mainly in security. Microsoft 365 Business Premium offers advanced security features against cyber threats such as viruses or phishing attacks.
  
  Microsoft 365 Apps for Business:
  Microsoft 365 Apps for Business costs €9.80 per month for a year or €11.76, if the subscription can be canceled monthly. The subscription includes 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage per user, with each user able to use up to 5 mobile devices, tablets, and PCs or Macs.
  
  Microsoft 365 E3:
  Microsoft 365 E3 is an annual subscription, costing €35.70 per month. This subscription does not offer the option of monthly payment with the possibility of monthly cancellation. The subscription allows users to combine premium productivity apps for businesses with advanced basic security and compliance capabilities.
  
  Microsoft 365 E5:
  Microsoft 365 E5 costs €57.70 per month for at least one year. This subscription combines premium productivity apps with advanced security, analytics, and compliance features.
  
  Microsoft 365 F1:
  Microsoft 365 F1 costs €2.10 per user per month with an annual subscription and is intended to improve user security and work flexibility.
  
  Microsoft 365 F3:
  Microsoft 365 F3 costs €7.50 per user per month with an annual subscription and offers intuitive and powerful tools to provide a secure and connected experience.