Microsoft 365 is a subscription platform that includes Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and a set of enterprise-grade security tools. For small businesses, it is the most common platform for email, file storage, and team collaboration.
What is actually included
Exchange Online
Business email with your own domain. Includes shared calendars, contacts, and a 50GB+ mailbox per user.
Microsoft Teams
Chat, video meetings, and file sharing. Replaces many Slack/Zoom setups for businesses already in the M365 ecosystem.
SharePoint and OneDrive
Cloud file storage and collaboration. OneDrive is per-user, SharePoint is shared team storage.
Office apps
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, installable on up to 5 devices per user depending on the plan.
Security tools (Business Premium)
Microsoft Defender for Business, Intune for device management, conditional access policies, and Entra ID (formerly Azure AD).
Which plan does a small business need?
Most small businesses should be on Microsoft 365 Business Premium, not the cheaper Basic or Standard plans. The difference is the security tools. Business Premium includes Defender for Business (EDR), Intune (device management), and the full conditional access policy suite. These are not nice-to-haves for a business with internet-connected devices handling client data.
Business Basic gives you email and Teams but no meaningful endpoint security. If your current IT provider has you on Basic, ask them why. The premium cost difference is approximately $12 per user per month and it is almost always worth it.
Why default settings are not secure settings
A freshly provisioned Microsoft 365 tenant has oversharing enabled, weak MFA policies, legacy authentication protocols left open, and no meaningful conditional access in place. Most tenants we audit look like this because no one went in and properly configured security after setup.
Buying the right license is step one. Configuring it correctly is step two. Most small businesses are stuck at step one.
EagleOnyx manages, configures, and secures Microsoft 365 for Central Florida businesses.
Free M365 security audit for your current tenant. We will show you exactly what is misconfigured and what it would take to fix it.
See Microsoft 365 services