Microsoft 365 for Business: The Complete Guide
Everything Australian businesses need to know about Microsoft 365 — plans, pricing, features, setup, and how to choose the right tier for your team.
What Is Microsoft 365 for Business?
Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) is Microsoft’s bundled productivity suite for businesses. It combines the Office apps you know (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) with cloud storage (OneDrive, SharePoint), collaboration tools (Teams), and — depending on your plan — advanced security and device management.
For Australian businesses, Microsoft 365 is the default productivity platform in most industries. Legal, accounting, healthcare, finance, and engineering firms run on it. If you’re wondering which plan fits, how it compares to Google Workspace, or how to migrate from an older system — this guide covers it.
Microsoft 365 Business Plans Compared
| Feature | Business Basic | Business Standard | Business Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (AUD/user/month) | $8.20 | $17.20 | $30.20 |
| Web & mobile Office apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Office apps | No | Yes | Yes |
| Outlook Email (50GB mailbox) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft Teams | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OneDrive (1TB) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SharePoint | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced threat protection | No | No | Yes |
| Intune device management | No | No | Yes |
| Azure Information Protection | No | No | Yes |
Prices are indicative AUD monthly, billed annually, excl. GST. Microsoft updates pricing periodically — we confirm current pricing as part of our setup process.
Which Plan Should You Choose?
Business Basic — $8.20/user/month
Best for: small businesses that only need web-based Office, email, and Teams. If your team works primarily from browsers and doesn’t need the full desktop Word and Excel, Basic saves money without sacrificing collaboration.
Business Standard — $17.20/user/month
Best for: most Australian SMBs. You get desktop Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook on up to 5 devices per user, plus all Basic features. This is the plan we recommend by default — it’s the sweet spot of features vs. cost.
Business Premium — $30.20/user/month
Best for: businesses that take security seriously. Premium adds Microsoft Defender for Business (advanced threat protection), Intune for device management, Azure Information Protection, and full Essential Eight-aligned security controls. For law firms, financial services, healthcare, and any business handling sensitive data, Premium is often the right choice.
Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace
| Microsoft 365 | Google Workspace | |
|---|---|---|
| Word processing | Word (full-featured) | Docs (simpler) |
| Spreadsheets | Excel (most powerful) | Sheets (good) |
| Outlook + Exchange | Gmail | |
| Video calls | Teams | Google Meet |
| File storage | OneDrive (1TB) | Drive (varies) |
| Desktop apps | Yes (Standard+) | Web-first |
| Enterprise features | Stronger | Simpler |
| Best for | Businesses with existing Office files | Google-native teams |
For most Australian businesses with existing Word, Excel, and Outlook files — Microsoft 365 wins. For teams that are already Google-native or starting from scratch with lightweight needs, Google Workspace is a reasonable choice. We help Brisbane businesses migrate in either direction.
How We Set Up Microsoft 365 for Brisbane Businesses
1. Licensing & tenant setup
We purchase licences through our Microsoft CSP partnership (often cheaper than direct), set up your tenant, configure your custom domain, and handle email DNS (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC) so mail flows reliably.
2. User provisioning & migration
We migrate existing mailboxes (from Exchange, Gmail, or IMAP), set up users with appropriate licences, configure OneDrive and SharePoint, and train your team on the basics.
3. Security hardening
We enable MFA, conditional access policies, data loss prevention rules, malware/phishing protection, and — on Premium plans — full Intune device management. Essential Eight-aligned from day one.
4. Ongoing support
We monitor your tenant health, handle licence management, support users with issues, and review your security posture quarterly. You always have a named engineer who knows your environment.
Security & Essential Eight Alignment
Microsoft 365 Business Premium aligns tightly with the ACSC Essential Eight framework. With Premium licences and the right configuration, you get MFA, patch management, application control (Intune), macro controls, user application hardening, privilege restriction, and backup — seven of the eight strategies covered by one vendor platform.
We deploy Microsoft 365 Premium with Essential Eight in mind, aligning configurations to the maturity level your business needs. See our Essential Eight Guide for the full framework.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Microsoft 365 cost for Australian businesses?
As of 2026, Microsoft 365 Business plans start at around $8.20 per user per month (Basic), $17.20 (Standard), and $30.20 (Premium) in AUD, billed annually. Prices exclude GST. Pricing changes periodically — we confirm current pricing as part of every engagement and help you optimise licence mix.
What’s the difference between Business Standard and Business Premium?
Standard includes desktop Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) on up to 5 devices per user, plus Teams, Outlook email, OneDrive, and SharePoint. Premium adds Microsoft Defender for Business (advanced threat protection), Intune for device management, Azure Information Protection, and more — making it the right choice for businesses prioritising security.
Can you migrate our email from another provider?
Yes. We migrate from Exchange Server, Google Workspace (Gmail), IMAP providers, and older hosted email. Typical migration: plan 1-2 weeks, complete migration overnight or over a weekend, zero mail loss. We handle user training so your team knows Outlook or webmail from day one.
Do you handle Microsoft 365 licensing, or do we buy direct from Microsoft?
We recommend buying through our Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partnership. CSP pricing is often the same as or lower than direct, we handle licence management for you, and we can add/remove licences as your team grows or shrinks without annual commitments.
Is Microsoft 365 compliant with Australian data laws?
Yes. Microsoft 365 tenant data for Australian customers can be hosted in Australian data centres. Microsoft is certified for Australian government ISM compliance and aligns with Privacy Act requirements. We configure your tenant for Australian data residency and compliance from day one.
Can Microsoft 365 replace our file server?
For most businesses, yes. SharePoint and OneDrive replace file shares with better permissions, version history, and remote access. We plan and execute the migration — including retraining users on the new file structure. For specialist workloads (large CAD files, certain industry software) we may recommend a hybrid approach.
Do you train our staff on Microsoft 365?
Yes. We provide rollout training for new deployments, on-demand training materials, and targeted training for specific tools (Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Excel). Training is included in our managed IT packages and available as a stand-alone service.
What if we’re already on Microsoft 365 but it’s not working well?
Very common. We offer Microsoft 365 health checks that audit your current configuration, identify gaps, and propose fixes — from improving email deliverability to hardening security to optimising licence mix. Many customers find they’re either overpaying or under-secured.
Need Microsoft 365 Set Up Properly?
Whether you’re new to M365 or your current setup isn’t working — we’ll audit, plan, and execute. Free 30-minute scoping call.