[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":420},["ShallowReactive",2],{"footer-services-en":3,"footer-local-en":28,"cmp-\u002Fen\u002Fcomparisons\u002Fmicrosoft-365-business-plans-security":45,"cmp-alt-\u002Fen\u002Fcomparisons\u002Fmicrosoft-365-business-plans-security":405,"cmp-others-\u002Fen\u002Fcomparisons\u002Fmicrosoft-365-business-plans-security":407},[4,8,12,16,20,24],{"path":5,"navTitle":6,"order":7},"\u002Fen\u002Fservices\u002Fcybersecurity-audit","Cybersecurity Audit",1,{"path":9,"navTitle":10,"order":11},"\u002Fen\u002Fservices\u002Fpenetration-testing","Penetration Testing",2,{"path":13,"navTitle":14,"order":15},"\u002Fen\u002Fservices\u002Fmicrosoft-365-google-workspace-audit","Microsoft 365 \u002F Google Workspace Audit",3,{"path":17,"navTitle":18,"order":19},"\u002Fen\u002Fservices\u002Flaw-25-compliance","Law 25 Compliance",4,{"path":21,"navTitle":22,"order":23},"\u002Fen\u002Fservices\u002Fremediation-hardening","Remediation and Hardening",5,{"path":25,"navTitle":26,"order":27},"\u002Fen\u002Fservices\u002Fongoing-security-partner","Ongoing Security Partner (vCISO)",6,[29,33,37,41],{"path":30,"city":31,"translationKey":32},"\u002Fen\u002Fcybersecurity-audit\u002Fmontreal","Montréal","montreal",{"path":34,"city":35,"translationKey":36},"\u002Fen\u002Fcybersecurity-audit\u002Flaval","Laval","laval",{"path":38,"city":39,"translationKey":40},"\u002Fen\u002Fcybersecurity-audit\u002Fsouth-shore","South Shore","rive-sud",{"path":42,"city":43,"translationKey":44},"\u002Fen\u002Fcybersecurity-audit\u002Fnorth-shore","North Shore","rive-nord",{"id":46,"title":47,"body":48,"criteria":222,"date":271,"description":272,"extension":273,"faq":274,"keyword":287,"meta":288,"navigation":289,"options":290,"path":348,"rawbody":349,"seo":350,"sources":351,"stem":390,"translationKey":391,"updated":392,"verdict":393,"verified":403,"__hash__":404},"comparisons_en\u002Fen\u002Fcomparisons\u002Fmicrosoft-365-business-plans-security.md","Microsoft 365 Basic vs Standard vs Premium vs E3: Security",{"type":49,"value":50,"toc":213},"minimark",[51,55,58,66,71,74,83,86,90,93,96,99,103,106,140,143,146,150,153,156,160,163,167,170,197,209],[52,53,54],"p",{},"A 25-person engineering firm in Ottawa is renewing its Microsoft 365 licences. The IT provider suggests moving from Business Standard to Business Premium, for about ten dollars more per user each month. The managing partner pushes back: Word, Outlook and Teams already work fine. So what would the extra money actually buy?",[52,56,57],{},"Almost entirely one thing: security. For day-to-day productivity, Standard and Premium are nearly identical. For protecting accounts, devices and email, the gap is wide. And once you pass 300 users, the conversation changes, because Microsoft 365 E3 enters the picture.",[59,60,63],"callout",{"title":61,"type":62},"Our method","info",[52,64,65],{},"We compared the four plans on the security features that matter to a Canadian small or mid-sized business: identity and Conditional Access, device management, endpoint and email protection, data protection and Canadian data residency. Every value comes from Microsoft's official pages (the Canadian plan comparison tables and Microsoft Learn documentation), checked in October 2026. Prices and plan contents change often, so double-check before you buy. This comparison is not sponsored.",[67,68,70],"h2",{"id":69},"what-every-plan-has-in-common","What every plan has in common",[52,72,73],{},"Even the cheapest plan isn't defenceless. All four include MFA for work accounts, Exchange Online Protection spam and malware filtering, Microsoft Purview Audit (Standard) and Secure Score, which measures your tenant's security posture.",[52,75,76,77,82],{},"Microsoft also provides security defaults at no cost: mandatory MFA, blocked legacy authentication and protection for administrative actions. That's the bare minimum to switch on in Basic or Standard. If you're still deciding how people should authenticate, our guide to ",[78,79,81],"a",{"href":80},"\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fmulti-factor-authentication-choosing-mfa","choosing phishing-resistant MFA"," compares the options.",[52,84,85],{},"Data location doesn't depend on the plan either. For a tenant signed up in Canada, Microsoft commits to storing certain data at rest in the country, including mailbox content.",[67,87,89],{"id":88},"basic-and-standard-productivity-first","Basic and Standard: productivity first",[52,91,92],{},"According to Microsoft's own comparison table, Basic and Standard have exactly the same security features. What separates them is the desktop apps, Clipchamp, Loop and webinars. Picking Standard over Basic does nothing for your protection.",[52,94,95],{},"Their limits are clear. With the free version of Entra ID, there's no Conditional Access: you can't require a managed device or block a sign-in based on context. Security defaults apply to everyone, with no exceptions. Device management is limited to Basic Mobility and Security, a free mobile device management tool. And no endpoint protection is included.",[52,97,98],{},"You can close part of that gap: Microsoft sells Defender for Business on its own for CA$4.10 per user per month on an annual commitment, for organizations with up to 300 users.",[67,100,102],{"id":101},"business-premium-the-security-upgrade","Business Premium: the security upgrade",[52,104,105],{},"Premium adds four building blocks that change the picture.",[107,108,109,117,123,129],"ul",{},[110,111,112,116],"li",{},[113,114,115],"strong",{},"Entra ID P1"," unlocks Conditional Access: require a compliant computer to open company files, block sign-ins from outside the country, apply stricter rules to admins.",[110,118,119,122],{},[113,120,121],{},"Intune Plan 1"," manages Windows and macOS computers as well as phones, and checks their compliance.",[110,124,125,128],{},[113,126,127],{},"Defender for Business"," protects endpoints with detection and response (EDR), automated investigation and remediation, and vulnerability management.",[110,130,131,134,135,139],{},[113,132,133],{},"Defender for Office 365 Plan 1"," adds Safe Links, Safe Attachments and impersonation protection, which helps against ",[78,136,138],{"href":137},"\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fbusiness-email-compromise-ceo-fraud","business email compromise",".",[52,141,142],{},"On top of that you get sensitivity labels and data loss prevention (DLP) for email and files, plus a 1.5 TB archive per user. For a team of 25 on an annual commitment with Teams, the difference over Standard comes to CA$270 a month.",[52,144,145],{},"The real trap lies elsewhere: none of these features protect anything until someone configures them.",[67,147,149],{"id":148},"microsoft-365-e3-beyond-300-seats","Microsoft 365 E3: beyond 300 seats",[52,151,152],{},"Business plans are capped at 300 licences across the whole family. E3 has no user limit and includes Windows 11 Enterprise E3, Intune Plan 1 and Entra ID P1. Since July 1, 2026, it also includes Defender for Office 365 Plan 1.",[52,154,155],{},"Watch the endpoint side, though. E3 comes with Defender for Endpoint Plan 1, which provides next-generation antivirus and attack surface reduction, but not EDR or automated investigation, according to Microsoft's comparison table. Under 300 users, Business Premium therefore gives you more complete endpoint protection for CA$23.10 less per user per month.",[67,157,159],{"id":158},"with-or-without-teams","With or without Teams",[52,161,162],{},"In Canada, Microsoft sells each plan with or without Teams, and the version without Teams costs less. According to Microsoft, Premium without Teams keeps Entra ID, Intune and Defender. That version can make sense if your company already relies on another video conferencing tool.",[67,164,166],{"id":165},"how-to-choose","How to choose",[52,168,169],{},"Work through these questions in order:",[171,172,173,179,185,191],"ol",{},[110,174,175,178],{},[113,176,177],{},"How many users will you have in three years?"," If you'll pass 300, plan for E3, plus a separate EDR solution.",[110,180,181,184],{},[113,182,183],{},"Do you handle personal or financial information?"," An accounting firm, a clinic or a payroll company has every reason to aim for Premium, at least for its most exposed staff.",[110,186,187,190],{},[113,188,189],{},"Do people work remotely or on personal devices?"," Then Conditional Access and Intune become essential.",[110,192,193,196],{},[113,194,195],{},"Is the budget tight?"," Standard, security defaults and Defender for Business make a reasonable floor until you can move to Premium.",[52,198,199,200,204,205,208],{},"Whichever plan you pick, the licence is only the starting point. Our ",[78,201,203],{"href":202},"\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fmicrosoft-365-security-audit","Microsoft 365 security audit guide"," lists the settings to check, and our ",[78,206,207],{"href":13},"Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace audit"," measures the gap between what you pay for and what's actually turned on.",[210,211],"cta",{"variant":212},"devis",{"title":214,"searchDepth":11,"depth":15,"links":215},"",[216,217,218,219,220,221],{"id":69,"depth":11,"text":70},{"id":88,"depth":11,"text":89},{"id":101,"depth":11,"text":102},{"id":148,"depth":11,"text":149},{"id":158,"depth":11,"text":159},{"id":165,"depth":11,"text":166},[223,228,233,238,242,248,253,258,262,267],{"label":224,"values":225},"Maximum number of users",[226,226,226,227],"300","No limit",{"label":229,"values":230},"Desktop Office apps",[231,232,232,232],"No (web and mobile only)","Yes",{"label":234,"values":235},"Conditional Access (Entra ID P1)",[236,236,237,237],"No: Entra ID Free and security defaults","Yes (Entra ID P1)",{"label":239,"values":240},"Device management",[241,241,121,121],"Basic Mobility and Security (basic mobile management)",{"label":243,"values":244},"Endpoint protection",[245,245,246,247],"Not included (Defender for Business add-on)","Defender for Business, with EDR","Defender for Endpoint Plan 1, without EDR",{"label":249,"values":250},"Email protection",[251,251,133,252],"Exchange Online Protection and time-of-click URL protection","Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 (since July 2026)",{"label":254,"values":255},"Sensitivity labels (Purview Information Protection)",[256,256,257,257],"No","Yes (Plan 1)",{"label":259,"values":260},"Data loss prevention (DLP)",[256,256,261,261],"Email and files",{"label":263,"values":264},"Mailbox archive per user",[265,265,266,266],"50 GB","1.5 TB",{"label":268,"values":269},"Data at rest in Canada",[270,270,270,270],"Yes, for a tenant signed up in Canada","2026-10-24","Business Basic, Standard, Premium or E3? Compare the Conditional Access, Intune, Defender and data protection each plan includes, with verified Canadian prices.","md",[275,278,281,284],{"q":276,"a":277},"Is MFA included in Microsoft 365 Business Basic and Standard?","Yes. Microsoft includes multi-factor authentication for work accounts in every Business plan. Without Entra ID P1, you enforce it with security defaults, which are free, require MFA and block legacy authentication. That setting is all-or-nothing, though: unlike Conditional Access, it doesn't allow exceptions or rules based on device or location.",{"q":279,"a":280},"Can we mix Business Standard and Business Premium in the same company?","Yes, plans in the Business family can be combined in one tenant, under a total cap of 300 licences. Microsoft does require an appropriate licence for each user who benefits from a service. A common approach is to give Premium to the most exposed people, such as executives and finance staff, but confirm that split with your licensing provider.",{"q":282,"a":283},"Is our Microsoft 365 data stored in Canada?","For a tenant signed up in Canada, Microsoft commits in its Product Terms to store certain core data at rest in Canada, such as Exchange Online mailbox content, whichever plan you choose. The Data Location card in the Microsoft 365 admin center shows where your data lives. If data location matters for your privacy obligations under PIPEDA or Quebec's Law 25, confirm the details with your legal advisor.",{"q":285,"a":286},"Is Business Premium enough to protect a small business?","The licence provides the tools, not the configuration. Conditional Access, device compliance, Defender policies and sensitivity labels all have to be set up, tested and monitored. A Premium licence that was never configured protects you barely better than Standard.","microsoft 365 business premium vs standard security",{},true,[291,305,318,333],{"name":292,"url":293,"tagline":294,"pricing":295,"bestFor":296,"pros":297,"cons":301},"Microsoft 365 Business Basic","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.microsoft.com\u002Fen-ca\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fbusiness\u002Fmicrosoft-365-business-basic","Email, Teams and web and mobile apps, with Microsoft 365's baseline security.","CA$9.50 per user per month, annual commitment (CA$11.40 on a monthly subscription; CA$7.30 without Teams), plus tax (per the official site, October 2026)","Very small teams that work in the browser and handle little sensitive data",[298,299,300],"Lowest price in the lineup","MFA and security defaults included","Email spam and malware filtering included",[302,303,304],"No Conditional Access or Intune","No endpoint protection included","Web and mobile versions of Office apps only",{"name":306,"url":307,"tagline":308,"pricing":309,"bestFor":310,"pros":311,"cons":314},"Microsoft 365 Business Standard","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.microsoft.com\u002Fen-ca\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fbusiness\u002Fmicrosoft-365-business-standard","Basic plus the desktop Office apps, with the same level of security as Basic.","CA$19.00 per user per month, annual commitment (CA$22.80 on a monthly subscription; CA$14.60 without Teams), plus tax (per the official site, October 2026)","Businesses that need the desktop apps and add endpoint protection separately",[312,299,313],"Desktop apps on up to 5 PCs or Macs per user","Defender for Business available as an add-on (CA$4.10 per user per month)",[315,316,317],"Same security limits as Basic","No sensitivity labels or DLP","Device management limited to Basic Mobility and Security",{"name":319,"url":320,"tagline":321,"pricing":322,"bestFor":323,"pros":324,"cons":329},"Microsoft 365 Business Premium","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.microsoft.com\u002Fen-ca\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fbusiness\u002Fmicrosoft-365-business-premium","Standard plus Entra ID P1, Intune, Defender for Business and Defender for Office 365.","CA$29.80 per user per month, annual commitment (CA$35.76 on a monthly subscription; CA$25.50 without Teams), plus tax (per the official site, October 2026)","Organizations under 300 users that handle personal or financial information",[325,326,327,328],"Conditional Access with Entra ID P1","Intune Plan 1 for computers and mobile devices","Defender for Business with endpoint detection and response (EDR)","Defender for Office 365 Plan 1, sensitivity labels and DLP",[330,331,332],"CA$10.80 more than Standard per user per month (annual commitment, with Teams)","Nothing is protected until the features are configured","300-user cap",{"name":334,"url":335,"tagline":336,"pricing":337,"bestFor":338,"pros":339,"cons":344},"Microsoft 365 E3","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.microsoft.com\u002Fen-ca\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fenterprise\u002Fe3","The enterprise plan with no user cap, including Intune, Entra ID P1 and Windows Enterprise.","CA$52.90 per user per month, annual commitment (CA$41.30 without Teams), plus tax (per the official site, October 2026)","Organizations with more than 300 users, or getting close",[340,341,342,343],"No user limit","Intune Plan 1, Entra ID P1 and Windows 11 Enterprise E3","Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 included since July 1, 2026","Sensitivity labels and DLP",[345,346,347],"Defender for Endpoint Plan 1, without EDR or automated investigation","CA$23.10 more than Business Premium per user per month","Annual commitment, purchased through Microsoft sales","\u002Fen\u002Fcomparisons\u002Fmicrosoft-365-business-plans-security","---\ntitle: \"Microsoft 365 Basic vs Standard vs Premium vs E3: Security\"\ndescription: \"Business Basic, Standard, Premium or E3? Compare the Conditional Access, Intune, Defender and data protection each plan includes, with verified Canadian prices.\"\ndate: 2026-10-24\nverified: \"October 2026\"\ntranslationKey: m365-plans\nkeyword: \"microsoft 365 business premium vs standard security\"\noptions:\n  - name: \"Microsoft 365 Business Basic\"\n    url: \"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.microsoft.com\u002Fen-ca\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fbusiness\u002Fmicrosoft-365-business-basic\"\n    tagline: \"Email, Teams and web and mobile apps, with Microsoft 365's baseline security.\"\n    pricing: \"CA$9.50 per user per month, annual commitment (CA$11.40 on a monthly subscription; CA$7.30 without Teams), plus tax (per the official site, October 2026)\"\n    bestFor: \"Very small teams that work in the browser and handle little sensitive data\"\n    pros: [\"Lowest price in the lineup\", \"MFA and security defaults included\", \"Email spam and malware filtering included\"]\n    cons: [\"No Conditional Access or Intune\", \"No endpoint protection included\", \"Web and mobile versions of Office apps only\"]\n  - name: \"Microsoft 365 Business Standard\"\n    url: \"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.microsoft.com\u002Fen-ca\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fbusiness\u002Fmicrosoft-365-business-standard\"\n    tagline: \"Basic plus the desktop Office apps, with the same level of security as Basic.\"\n    pricing: \"CA$19.00 per user per month, annual commitment (CA$22.80 on a monthly subscription; CA$14.60 without Teams), plus tax (per the official site, October 2026)\"\n    bestFor: \"Businesses that need the desktop apps and add endpoint protection separately\"\n    pros: [\"Desktop apps on up to 5 PCs or Macs per user\", \"MFA and security defaults included\", \"Defender for Business available as an add-on (CA$4.10 per user per month)\"]\n    cons: [\"Same security limits as Basic\", \"No sensitivity labels or DLP\", \"Device management limited to Basic Mobility and Security\"]\n  - name: \"Microsoft 365 Business Premium\"\n    url: \"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.microsoft.com\u002Fen-ca\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fbusiness\u002Fmicrosoft-365-business-premium\"\n    tagline: \"Standard plus Entra ID P1, Intune, Defender for Business and Defender for Office 365.\"\n    pricing: \"CA$29.80 per user per month, annual commitment (CA$35.76 on a monthly subscription; CA$25.50 without Teams), plus tax (per the official site, October 2026)\"\n    bestFor: \"Organizations under 300 users that handle personal or financial information\"\n    pros: [\"Conditional Access with Entra ID P1\", \"Intune Plan 1 for computers and mobile devices\", \"Defender for Business with endpoint detection and response (EDR)\", \"Defender for Office 365 Plan 1, sensitivity labels and DLP\"]\n    cons: [\"CA$10.80 more than Standard per user per month (annual commitment, with Teams)\", \"Nothing is protected until the features are configured\", \"300-user cap\"]\n  - name: \"Microsoft 365 E3\"\n    url: \"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.microsoft.com\u002Fen-ca\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fenterprise\u002Fe3\"\n    tagline: \"The enterprise plan with no user cap, including Intune, Entra ID P1 and Windows Enterprise.\"\n    pricing: \"CA$52.90 per user per month, annual commitment (CA$41.30 without Teams), plus tax (per the official site, October 2026)\"\n    bestFor: \"Organizations with more than 300 users, or getting close\"\n    pros: [\"No user limit\", \"Intune Plan 1, Entra ID P1 and Windows 11 Enterprise E3\", \"Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 included since July 1, 2026\", \"Sensitivity labels and DLP\"]\n    cons: [\"Defender for Endpoint Plan 1, without EDR or automated investigation\", \"CA$23.10 more than Business Premium per user per month\", \"Annual commitment, purchased through Microsoft sales\"]\ncriteria:\n  - label: \"Maximum number of users\"\n    values: [\"300\", \"300\", \"300\", \"No limit\"]\n  - label: \"Desktop Office apps\"\n    values: [\"No (web and mobile only)\", \"Yes\", \"Yes\", \"Yes\"]\n  - label: \"Conditional Access (Entra ID P1)\"\n    values: [\"No: Entra ID Free and security defaults\", \"No: Entra ID Free and security defaults\", \"Yes (Entra ID P1)\", \"Yes (Entra ID P1)\"]\n  - label: \"Device management\"\n    values: [\"Basic Mobility and Security (basic mobile management)\", \"Basic Mobility and Security (basic mobile management)\", \"Intune Plan 1\", \"Intune Plan 1\"]\n  - label: \"Endpoint protection\"\n    values: [\"Not included (Defender for Business add-on)\", \"Not included (Defender for Business add-on)\", \"Defender for Business, with EDR\", \"Defender for Endpoint Plan 1, without EDR\"]\n  - label: \"Email protection\"\n    values: [\"Exchange Online Protection and time-of-click URL protection\", \"Exchange Online Protection and time-of-click URL protection\", \"Defender for Office 365 Plan 1\", \"Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 (since July 2026)\"]\n  - label: \"Sensitivity labels (Purview Information Protection)\"\n    values: [\"No\", \"No\", \"Yes (Plan 1)\", \"Yes (Plan 1)\"]\n  - label: \"Data loss prevention (DLP)\"\n    values: [\"No\", \"No\", \"Email and files\", \"Email and files\"]\n  - label: \"Mailbox archive per user\"\n    values: [\"50 GB\", \"50 GB\", \"1.5 TB\", \"1.5 TB\"]\n  - label: \"Data at rest in Canada\"\n    values: [\"Yes, for a tenant signed up in Canada\", \"Yes, for a tenant signed up in Canada\", \"Yes, for a tenant signed up in Canada\", \"Yes, for a tenant signed up in Canada\"]\nverdict:\n  - profile: \"Six-person design studio in Toronto with no sensitive data that wants the desktop apps\"\n    pick: \"Microsoft 365 Business Standard\"\n    why: \"The desktop apps justify Standard. Turn on security defaults and add Defender for Business to protect the computers.\"\n  - profile: \"25-person accounting firm in Montréal handling tax data, with staff working from home\"\n    pick: \"Microsoft 365 Business Premium\"\n    why: \"Conditional Access, device management, EDR and advanced email protection come in a single licence, which covers most of a firm's key risks.\"\n  - profile: \"Manufacturer in Mississauga with 320 employees\"\n    pick: \"Microsoft 365 E3\"\n    why: \"Business plans are capped at 300 users; E3 has no limit. Budget for an EDR solution, though, since Defender for Endpoint Plan 1 doesn't include one.\"\nfaq:\n  - q: \"Is MFA included in Microsoft 365 Business Basic and Standard?\"\n    a: \"Yes. Microsoft includes multi-factor authentication for work accounts in every Business plan. Without Entra ID P1, you enforce it with security defaults, which are free, require MFA and block legacy authentication. That setting is all-or-nothing, though: unlike Conditional Access, it doesn't allow exceptions or rules based on device or location.\"\n  - q: \"Can we mix Business Standard and Business Premium in the same company?\"\n    a: \"Yes, plans in the Business family can be combined in one tenant, under a total cap of 300 licences. Microsoft does require an appropriate licence for each user who benefits from a service. A common approach is to give Premium to the most exposed people, such as executives and finance staff, but confirm that split with your licensing provider.\"\n  - q: \"Is our Microsoft 365 data stored in Canada?\"\n    a: \"For a tenant signed up in Canada, Microsoft commits in its Product Terms to store certain core data at rest in Canada, such as Exchange Online mailbox content, whichever plan you choose. The Data Location card in the Microsoft 365 admin center shows where your data lives. If data location matters for your privacy obligations under PIPEDA or Quebec's Law 25, confirm the details with your legal advisor.\"\n  - q: \"Is Business Premium enough to protect a small business?\"\n    a: \"The licence provides the tools, not the configuration. Conditional Access, device compliance, Defender policies and sensitivity labels all have to be set up, tested and monitored. A Premium licence that was never configured protects you barely better than Standard.\"\nsources:\n  - title: \"Microsoft: Compare all Microsoft 365 business plans (Canada)\"\n    url: \"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.microsoft.com\u002Fen-ca\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fbusiness\u002Fcompare-all-microsoft-365-business-products\"\n  - title: \"Microsoft: Microsoft 365 Business Basic (Canada)\"\n    url: \"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.microsoft.com\u002Fen-ca\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fbusiness\u002Fmicrosoft-365-business-basic\"\n  - title: \"Microsoft: Microsoft 365 Business Standard (Canada)\"\n    url: \"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.microsoft.com\u002Fen-ca\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fbusiness\u002Fmicrosoft-365-business-standard\"\n  - title: \"Microsoft: Microsoft 365 Business Premium (Canada)\"\n    url: \"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.microsoft.com\u002Fen-ca\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fbusiness\u002Fmicrosoft-365-business-premium\"\n  - title: \"Microsoft: Microsoft 365 E3 (Canada)\"\n    url: \"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.microsoft.com\u002Fen-ca\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fenterprise\u002Fe3\"\n  - title: \"Microsoft: Microsoft 365 Enterprise plans and pricing (Canada)\"\n    url: \"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.microsoft.com\u002Fen-ca\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fenterprise\u002Fmicrosoft365-plans-and-pricing\"\n  - title: \"Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Defender for Office 365 service description\"\n    url: \"https:\u002F\u002Flearn.microsoft.com\u002Fen-us\u002Foffice365\u002Fservicedescriptions\u002Foffice-365-advanced-threat-protection-service-description\"\n  - title: \"Microsoft Learn: What is Microsoft Defender for Business?\"\n    url: \"https:\u002F\u002Flearn.microsoft.com\u002Fen-us\u002Fdefender-business\u002Fmdb-overview\"\n  - title: \"Microsoft Learn: Overview of Basic Mobility and Security\"\n    url: \"https:\u002F\u002Flearn.microsoft.com\u002Fen-us\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fadmin\u002Fbasic-mobility-security\u002Foverview\"\n  - title: \"Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Entra licensing\"\n    url: \"https:\u002F\u002Flearn.microsoft.com\u002Fen-us\u002Fentra\u002Ffundamentals\u002Flicensing\"\n  - title: \"Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Entra Conditional Access\"\n    url: \"https:\u002F\u002Flearn.microsoft.com\u002Fen-us\u002Fentra\u002Fidentity\u002Fconditional-access\u002Foverview\"\n  - title: \"Microsoft Learn: Security defaults in Microsoft Entra ID\"\n    url: \"https:\u002F\u002Flearn.microsoft.com\u002Fen-us\u002Fentra\u002Ffundamentals\u002Fsecurity-defaults\"\n  - title: \"Microsoft Learn: Data Residency for Exchange Online\"\n    url: \"https:\u002F\u002Flearn.microsoft.com\u002Fen-us\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fenterprise\u002Fm365-dr-service-exo\"\n  - title: \"Microsoft Learn: Microsoft 365 services data locations\"\n    url: \"https:\u002F\u002Flearn.microsoft.com\u002Fen-us\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fenterprise\u002Fo365-data-locations\"\n---\n\nA 25-person engineering firm in Ottawa is renewing its Microsoft 365 licences. The IT provider suggests moving from Business Standard to Business Premium, for about ten dollars more per user each month. The managing partner pushes back: Word, Outlook and Teams already work fine. So what would the extra money actually buy?\n\nAlmost entirely one thing: security. For day-to-day productivity, Standard and Premium are nearly identical. For protecting accounts, devices and email, the gap is wide. And once you pass 300 users, the conversation changes, because Microsoft 365 E3 enters the picture.\n\n::callout{type=\"info\" title=\"Our method\"}\nWe compared the four plans on the security features that matter to a Canadian small or mid-sized business: identity and Conditional Access, device management, endpoint and email protection, data protection and Canadian data residency. Every value comes from Microsoft's official pages (the Canadian plan comparison tables and Microsoft Learn documentation), checked in October 2026. Prices and plan contents change often, so double-check before you buy. This comparison is not sponsored.\n::\n\n## What every plan has in common\n\nEven the cheapest plan isn't defenceless. All four include MFA for work accounts, Exchange Online Protection spam and malware filtering, Microsoft Purview Audit (Standard) and Secure Score, which measures your tenant's security posture.\n\nMicrosoft also provides security defaults at no cost: mandatory MFA, blocked legacy authentication and protection for administrative actions. That's the bare minimum to switch on in Basic or Standard. If you're still deciding how people should authenticate, our guide to [choosing phishing-resistant MFA](\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fmulti-factor-authentication-choosing-mfa) compares the options.\n\nData location doesn't depend on the plan either. For a tenant signed up in Canada, Microsoft commits to storing certain data at rest in the country, including mailbox content.\n\n## Basic and Standard: productivity first\n\nAccording to Microsoft's own comparison table, Basic and Standard have exactly the same security features. What separates them is the desktop apps, Clipchamp, Loop and webinars. Picking Standard over Basic does nothing for your protection.\n\nTheir limits are clear. With the free version of Entra ID, there's no Conditional Access: you can't require a managed device or block a sign-in based on context. Security defaults apply to everyone, with no exceptions. Device management is limited to Basic Mobility and Security, a free mobile device management tool. And no endpoint protection is included.\n\nYou can close part of that gap: Microsoft sells Defender for Business on its own for CA$4.10 per user per month on an annual commitment, for organizations with up to 300 users.\n\n## Business Premium: the security upgrade\n\nPremium adds four building blocks that change the picture.\n\n- **Entra ID P1** unlocks Conditional Access: require a compliant computer to open company files, block sign-ins from outside the country, apply stricter rules to admins.\n- **Intune Plan 1** manages Windows and macOS computers as well as phones, and checks their compliance.\n- **Defender for Business** protects endpoints with detection and response (EDR), automated investigation and remediation, and vulnerability management.\n- **Defender for Office 365 Plan 1** adds Safe Links, Safe Attachments and impersonation protection, which helps against [business email compromise](\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fbusiness-email-compromise-ceo-fraud).\n\nOn top of that you get sensitivity labels and data loss prevention (DLP) for email and files, plus a 1.5 TB archive per user. For a team of 25 on an annual commitment with Teams, the difference over Standard comes to CA$270 a month.\n\nThe real trap lies elsewhere: none of these features protect anything until someone configures them.\n\n## Microsoft 365 E3: beyond 300 seats\n\nBusiness plans are capped at 300 licences across the whole family. E3 has no user limit and includes Windows 11 Enterprise E3, Intune Plan 1 and Entra ID P1. Since July 1, 2026, it also includes Defender for Office 365 Plan 1.\n\nWatch the endpoint side, though. E3 comes with Defender for Endpoint Plan 1, which provides next-generation antivirus and attack surface reduction, but not EDR or automated investigation, according to Microsoft's comparison table. Under 300 users, Business Premium therefore gives you more complete endpoint protection for CA$23.10 less per user per month.\n\n## With or without Teams\n\nIn Canada, Microsoft sells each plan with or without Teams, and the version without Teams costs less. According to Microsoft, Premium without Teams keeps Entra ID, Intune and Defender. That version can make sense if your company already relies on another video conferencing tool.\n\n## How to choose\n\nWork through these questions in order:\n\n1. **How many users will you have in three years?** If you'll pass 300, plan for E3, plus a separate EDR solution.\n2. **Do you handle personal or financial information?** An accounting firm, a clinic or a payroll company has every reason to aim for Premium, at least for its most exposed staff.\n3. **Do people work remotely or on personal devices?** Then Conditional Access and Intune become essential.\n4. **Is the budget tight?** Standard, security defaults and Defender for Business make a reasonable floor until you can move to Premium.\n\nWhichever plan you pick, the licence is only the starting point. Our [Microsoft 365 security audit guide](\u002Fen\u002Fblog\u002Fmicrosoft-365-security-audit) lists the settings to check, and our [Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace audit](\u002Fen\u002Fservices\u002Fmicrosoft-365-google-workspace-audit) measures the gap between what you pay for and what's actually turned on.\n\n::cta{variant=\"devis\"}\n::\n",{"title":47,"description":272},[352,355,357,359,361,363,366,369,372,375,378,381,384,387],{"title":353,"url":354},"Microsoft: Compare all Microsoft 365 business plans (Canada)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.microsoft.com\u002Fen-ca\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fbusiness\u002Fcompare-all-microsoft-365-business-products",{"title":356,"url":293},"Microsoft: Microsoft 365 Business Basic (Canada)",{"title":358,"url":307},"Microsoft: Microsoft 365 Business Standard (Canada)",{"title":360,"url":320},"Microsoft: Microsoft 365 Business Premium (Canada)",{"title":362,"url":335},"Microsoft: Microsoft 365 E3 (Canada)",{"title":364,"url":365},"Microsoft: Microsoft 365 Enterprise plans and pricing (Canada)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.microsoft.com\u002Fen-ca\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fenterprise\u002Fmicrosoft365-plans-and-pricing",{"title":367,"url":368},"Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Defender for Office 365 service description","https:\u002F\u002Flearn.microsoft.com\u002Fen-us\u002Foffice365\u002Fservicedescriptions\u002Foffice-365-advanced-threat-protection-service-description",{"title":370,"url":371},"Microsoft Learn: What is Microsoft Defender for Business?","https:\u002F\u002Flearn.microsoft.com\u002Fen-us\u002Fdefender-business\u002Fmdb-overview",{"title":373,"url":374},"Microsoft Learn: Overview of Basic Mobility and Security","https:\u002F\u002Flearn.microsoft.com\u002Fen-us\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fadmin\u002Fbasic-mobility-security\u002Foverview",{"title":376,"url":377},"Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Entra licensing","https:\u002F\u002Flearn.microsoft.com\u002Fen-us\u002Fentra\u002Ffundamentals\u002Flicensing",{"title":379,"url":380},"Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Entra Conditional Access","https:\u002F\u002Flearn.microsoft.com\u002Fen-us\u002Fentra\u002Fidentity\u002Fconditional-access\u002Foverview",{"title":382,"url":383},"Microsoft Learn: Security defaults in Microsoft Entra ID","https:\u002F\u002Flearn.microsoft.com\u002Fen-us\u002Fentra\u002Ffundamentals\u002Fsecurity-defaults",{"title":385,"url":386},"Microsoft Learn: Data Residency for Exchange Online","https:\u002F\u002Flearn.microsoft.com\u002Fen-us\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fenterprise\u002Fm365-dr-service-exo",{"title":388,"url":389},"Microsoft Learn: Microsoft 365 services data locations","https:\u002F\u002Flearn.microsoft.com\u002Fen-us\u002Fmicrosoft-365\u002Fenterprise\u002Fo365-data-locations","en\u002Fcomparisons\u002Fmicrosoft-365-business-plans-security","m365-plans",null,[394,397,400],{"profile":395,"pick":306,"why":396},"Six-person design studio in Toronto with no sensitive data that wants the desktop apps","The desktop apps justify Standard. Turn on security defaults and add Defender for Business to protect the computers.",{"profile":398,"pick":319,"why":399},"25-person accounting firm in Montréal handling tax data, with staff working from home","Conditional Access, device management, EDR and advanced email protection come in a single licence, which covers most of a firm's key risks.",{"profile":401,"pick":334,"why":402},"Manufacturer in Mississauga with 320 employees","Business plans are capped at 300 users; E3 has no limit. Budget for an EDR solution, though, since Defender for Endpoint Plan 1 doesn't include one.","October 2026","Exdu12e97zXe8vjVCWNUyl6_hYoN3gnbpQZ4QXTB8wM",{"path":406},"\u002Fcomparatifs\u002Fmicrosoft-365-business-basic-standard-premium-securite",[408,412,416],{"path":409,"title":410,"description":411},"\u002Fen\u002Fcomparisons\u002Fantivirus-vs-edr-vs-mdr","Antivirus vs EDR vs MDR: Which Endpoint Protection Do You Need?","Antivirus, EDR or MDR? Detection, response, 24\u002F7 monitoring, in-house skills and cost model compared for small businesses with 10, 50 or 150 employees.",{"path":413,"title":414,"description":415},"\u002Fen\u002Fcomparisons\u002Fbackup-nas-vs-cloud-vs-hybrid","Backups: Local NAS vs Cloud vs Immutable Storage vs Hybrid","On-site NAS, cloud backup, immutable storage or a hybrid 3-2-1-1-0 setup: ransomware resilience, restore speed, cost model and Canadian data residency compared.",{"path":417,"title":418,"description":419},"\u002Fen\u002Fcomparisons\u002Fbusiness-password-managers","1Password vs Bitwarden vs Keeper vs Dashlane for Business","1Password, Bitwarden, Keeper or Dashlane? Canadian data hosting, SSO, SCIM, pricing and compliance compared side by side for Canadian small businesses.",1792972906289]