Microsoft 365 is the New Office 365

Microsoft 365 is the New Office 365

Written by Joe Cannata

Posted on May 22, 2020

Microsoft Office 365 Rebrands As Microsoft 365

Many small businesses that rely on programs like Word, Excel, and Powerpoint may have noticed a minor change in the names of their Microsoft product suites. Starting in late April, Microsoft 365 has taken the place of Office 365. Here’s a look at what all this change means for small businesses who rely on these programs every day.

The Suites of Programs Are Largely Unchanged

The fundamentals of this program update bring little change that small businesses will notice in their day-to-day operations. Aside from some name changes, the suites of Microsoft programs remain mostly unchanged, and the features within the applications themselves also are mostly the same (or slightly improved).

Concerning nomenclature, however, the suites that small businesses typically use have all had their names changed. The new suites are part of the Microsoft 365 platform that has previously been available only to larger enterprises. For small businesses, the relevant Microsoft 365 Suites are:

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic (formerly Office 365 Business Essentials), which includes web versions of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, along with Exchange, Teams, OneDrive and Sharepoint
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard (formerly Office 365 Business Premium), which adds on stand-alone Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Publisher, and Access
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium (formerly Microsoft 365 Business), which adds on Advanced Threat Protection, Information Protection, Defender, Intune, Windows Virtual Desktop and Conditional Access
• Microsoft 365 Apps (formerly Office 365 Business), which includes Onedrive, Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Publisher, and Access

In some cases, there might be small changes to security and sharing access. These areas have been subtly improved, however, and the changes don’t significantly affect actual day-to-day business activities.

Essential Microsoft Programs Are Included

Importantly for many small businesses, the most essential Microsoft programs are still included in most of the software suites offered. Every Microsoft 365 product suite has some version of Word, Powerpoint, and Excel, and most come with non-web versions. Additionally, highly useful programs such as Publisher and Access are also included in several suits.

Customers Don’t Need to Take Any Action

For customers who have been using an Office 365 suit, there is no change that must be taken. The new Microsoft 365 suite will contain the same programs, and the shift in Microsoft 365 has been implemented automatically. Throughout the transition, small businesses continued to have uninterrupted access to the programs that they’re signed up for.

The actual transition took place on May 1, and businesses may have already noticed some name changes in their software suite.

Prices Will Remain the Same

Additionally, there are no planned price increases at this time. The prices that businesses have paid in previous months for Office 365 subscriptions will be what companies currently pay for their identical Microsoft 365 subscriptions.

The one change that businesses will see on their itemized invoices is an updated name for the subscription. To accurately reflect the products that Microsoft is offering, Office 365 subscriptions will be listed as Microsoft 365 subscriptions on bills.

Get Help with Microsoft 365

Every aspect of this transition has been implemented automatically and shouldn’t cause businesses any trouble. Should your business need assistance with Microsoft 365 or want to change your Microsoft 365 subscription, however, Techsperts LLC is here to help. We’re an IT agency that serves areas throughout New Jersey, and we’re fully able to help with any aspect of Microsoft 365 that your business might require assistance with.