Microsoft 365 vs Office 365 – What’s the Difference?

Microsoft 365 or Office 365 is the name that may confuse many businesses. Both are potent productivity, cloud, and collaboration applications, and thus, they tend to think they are interchangeable. However, the truth is otherwise; the two suites serve different business requirements, budgets, and IT flexibility. 

In case you intend to purchase Office 365 or Microsoft 365, you need to know the differences. It is clear and easy to select the correct solution, protect your business data, and save on the total cost of licensing. 

Understanding Office 365
Office 365 refers to a cloud-based productivity platform, which has all the well-known Office applications such as Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive. Its primary intention is straightforward – to make the daily operations of your business easier, more productive, and seamless with your fellow teammates by giving you constantly updated Office tools right out of the cloud. It is common practice that many businesses will buy Office 365 through an Office 365 reseller or Office 365 vendor; resellers offer better prices, onboarding services, and licensing advice, particularly when a team is required to assist them in setting up and installing Office 365. 

Understanding Microsoft 365 

Microsoft 365 is a more developed and comprehensive productivity and security package of Microsoft. It will include all of the Office 365 tools in this, along with additional capabilities such as Windows OS licensing, enterprise-level security, device management with Intune, higher-order compliance capabilities, and endpoint protection. 

Microsoft 365 as a whole is a whole ecosystem; not only is it built to work, but it is also made to protect identities, secure the system, and the device as well. 

This software is the ideal option for companies that need to streamline their IT processes, protect their remote workforce, and avoid the additional cost of several third-party security or administration systems. More frequently, an appropriate license of Microsoft 365 is chosen by a company according to a certified Microsoft 365 vendor, as under the correct guidance, cost optimization, and hassle-free implementation is more convenient. 

Key Differences Between Office 365 and Microsoft 365 

Below is a simple comparison table to help you understand the differences clearly: 

 When Should You Choose Office 365? 

You should choose Office 365 if: 

• You only need Office apps and cloud collaboration tools. 

• Your business has a simple IT environment. 

• You want an affordable productivity suite. 

• You don’t require advanced device management or security. 

This alternative may suit small companies, start-ups, freelancers, and any other teams that primarily work in the office daily, as well as those who will require higher safety or device control. 

When purchasing Office 365, however, you should always attempt to purchase Office 365 with an authorized reseller, since it is always good to work with a partner. Reseller provides your business with ongoing support, faster deployment, and cost-efficient bundles, by which your overall setup becomes smooth and budget-friendly. 

When Should You Choose Microsoft 365? 

Microsoft 365 is ideal if: 

• You want both Office apps and Windows OS licensing. 

• Security is a priority (Zero Trust, identity protection, conditional access) 

• You manage multiple corporate devices. 

• You have remote or hybrid teams. 

• You want to reduce the number of third-party IT tools. 

The majority of medium and large companies prefer Microsoft 365 because its whole design is based on a security-first approach. It has sophisticated protection, compliance functionalities, and device management functionalities, which make it a powerful business-level security solution. 

Once purchasing Microsoft 365, the selection of the appropriate Microsoft 365 license will always be dependent on your business environment, i.e., Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard, Premium or Enterprise (E1/E3/E5). Each of the plans has varying abilities, and that is why the proper choice would enhance productivity and cost. 

Conclusion 

Microsoft 365 and Office 365 are equally strong cloud solutions, yet their objective is different. Office 365 is more productivity-oriented, whereas Microsoft 365 offers a fully-fledged ecosystem, which is composed of security, device management, and enterprise-level security functions. 

Whether you are going to purchase Office 365 or Microsoft 36, this choice is completely based on the security requirements and available IT hardware. And if you want the right selection, cost optimization, and smooth deployment, then partnering with an experienced Microsoft reseller can be the best option, through which you will get maximum subscription value.