Once the decision to introduce Microsoft 365 has been made, the focus is on selecting the right license model. In the following we have put together 4 relevant questions including answers for you, which will make it easier for you to select the correct license and offer you a decision-making aid with Microsoft Development Services.

1. Am I entitled to a special license with my organization?

If you fall into one of the groups below, you could be eligible for a special license and save some money. Microsoft offers the following special licenses:



Education

Special Microsoft 365 Education licenses are offered for educational institutes. On the one hand, Microsoft offers the Office 365 A1 license, which is free of charge for pupils and students as well as for teaching staff and employees of educational institutions. On the other hand, the Office 365 A3 and A5 licenses are offered as a paid subscription, which is cheaper for pupils and students than for the teaching staff and employees of the educational institutes with Al Rafay SharePoint Consulting.

The current prices can be found here !

non-profit

Special non-profit licenses are offered for non-profit organizations. Microsoft distinguishes between small or medium-sized non-profit organizations and large non-profit organizations. For small and medium-sized nonprofit organizations , Microsoft offers the following licenses: Microsoft 365 Business Basic (Donation) and Microsoft 365 Business Standard.


The following licenses are offered for large nonprofits : Office 365 E1 (donation), Office 365 E3, and Office 365 E5.

The current prices can be found here !

Microsoft also offers government licenses. However, these will not be considered further at this point, as they are primarily intended for authorized US government agencies only.

2. How many Microsoft 365 licenses do I need?

This question is important to find out whether Business or Enterprise licenses are the right licenses for your company. The decisive factor is whether you need fewer than 300 or more than 300 licenses.

Business licenses are the right choice for fewer than 300 licenses . In the case of complex requirements, however, it can also make sense to use enterprise licenses for fewer than 300 licenses.

Enterprise licenses must be selected for more than 300 licenses . Please note here: From 301 licenses you have to switch completely to Enterprise licenses. It is not possible to keep 300 business licenses and add an enterprise license to them.

3. Should Windows be included in the licenses?

If Windows is to be included in the Microsoft 365 licenses, you can choose between the following licenses:

  • Microsoft 365 Business Licenses:
  • Business Premium includes a Windows license (Enterprise)
  • Microsoft 365 Enterprise Licenses:
  • Microsoft 365 E3 includes a Windows license (Enterprise)
  • Microsoft 365 E5 includes a Windows license (Enterprise E5)
  • As described above, Office 365 licenses generally do not contain Windows.


4. Which functions are required and which license model best suits the required range of functions?

After the basic questions have been clarified, the requirements for the range of functions must be clarified. It is important to know that many applications are also available as individual licenses. If you are only missing a few applications with a cheaper license plan, you should check whether it might be cheaper to book the applications individually instead of opting for the larger license plan.

The following are questions you can use to opt out of additional licenses, if applicable:

Do I want desktop versions of Word, Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint etc. or are the online versions enough for me?

If pure web versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint from the cloud are not enough for you, the following licenses are not available for you: Business Basic, Office 365 E1, Microsoft 365 F3 (apps only for mobile devices).

Do I want to use Azure Multi-Factor Authentication?

If you want to use Azure multi-factor authentication, you cannot use any of the Office 365 licenses because they do not include multi-factor authentication.

Should Intune or the Endpoint Manager be included?

If Intune or Endpoint Manager is to be included in the license, only the following licenses are possible:

  • Business Premium
  • Microsoft 365 E3
  • Microsoft 365 E5