A Deep Dive into E3 and E5 Suites

Microsoft 365 is a comprehensive cloud-based platform that offers a range of productivity, collaboration, security, and compliance solutions for businesses of all sizes. However, given the complexity and variety of options available, choosing the right licensing plan for your organization can be daunting. 

Staying ahead means leveraging the best tools available in the ever-evolving enterprise technology landscape. Microsoft 365 remains a cornerstone of productivity, collaboration, and security for businesses worldwide. But with various licensing options, it’s crucial to understand the value each brings to the table. The recent webinar, “Maximizing Value with Microsoft Licensing,” provided a comprehensive look into the E3 and E5 suites and share some tips on assessing your business needs and optimizing your licensing costs. 

What are the E3 and E5 plans? 

E3 and E5 licenses are the pillars of Microsoft 365’s enterprise offerings. They include essential productivity apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, alongside cloud services such as Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Teams.  

These suites are designed to meet the demands of modern enterprises who need advanced capabilities and features across the Microsoft 365 stack, offering scalability and flexibility. They include the following components: 

• Microsoft 365 Apps: These are the familiar desktop and mobile applications, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, and more. They also include web-based apps like Visio, Loop, and Editor. 

• Services: These are the cloud-based services that enable email, messaging, file storage, collaboration, and communication, such as Exchange, SharePoint, OneDrive, Lists, Viva Connections, Teams, and Yammer. 

• Security: These are the tools and solutions that protect your data, devices, identities, and apps from cyber threats, such as Defender, Azure Active Directory, Intune, Cloud App Security, Identity Protection, and more. 

• Compliance: These are the features and functionalities that help you manage your data governance, risk, and regulatory obligations, such as Information Protection, eDiscovery, Data Loss Prevention, Insider Risk Management, and more. 

• Power Platform: These are the low-code or no-code solutions that enable you to create custom apps, workflows, reports, and dashboards, such as Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Power Virtual Agents. 

Distinguishing E3 from E5 

Security and Compliance 

Security is non-negotiable in today’s digital environment. While E3 provides a solid foundation with Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 and data loss prevention policies, E5 takes it further. It includes advanced threat protection with Defender for Office 365 Plan 2, offering automated investigation and response capabilities. E5 also boasts superior compliance tools like Advanced eDiscovery and Customer Lockbox, ensuring that your data governance meets the highest standards. 

Analytics and Business Intelligence 

Data drives decisions, and E5 understands this well. It comes with Power BI, enabling users to transform data into actionable insights through advanced analysis and visualizations. E3, while not including Power BI, still provides access to basic analytics within the Office suite and SharePoint. 

Communication and Collaboration 

E5 enhances communication with Teams Phone, allowing staff to have a dedicated number and connect via various devices, which is ideal for hybrid workforces. E3 offers the basics for collaboration but needs the advanced communication tools found in E5. 

The main difference between the E3 and E5 plans is the functionality level and feature set you get for each component. For example, with E5, you get more storage space, security and compliance options, analytics and insights, and more advanced capabilities for the Power Platform. You also get some additional products that are not available in E3, such as Purview, a data governance solution, and Windows 11, the latest operating system. 

What are the F3 and Business Premium plans? 

The F3 and Business Premium plans are designed to provide flexible and affordable options for frontline and small to medium-sized businesses. They include the following components: 

• Microsoft 365 Apps: These are similar to the E3 and E5 plans, except that the F3 plan does not include desktop apps, only web and mobile apps. The Business Premium plan includes desktop apps but with some reduced functionality and storage space. 

• Services: These are similar to the E3 and E5 plans, except that the F3 plan has a smaller mailbox size (2 GB) and does not support the Outlook desktop client. The Business Premium plan has a larger mailbox size (50 GB) and supports the Outlook desktop client but with some reduced functionality and storage space. 

• Security: These are similar to the E3 and E5 plans, except that the F3 plan has a subset of the security features and solutions, such as Defender, Azure Active Directory, and Intune. The Business Premium plan has broader security features and solutions, such as Defender, Azure Active Directory, Intune, Data Loss Prevention, and more, but with some reduced functionality and feature sets. 

• Compliance: These are similar to the E3 and E5 plans, except that the F3 plan does not include any compliance features and solutions. The Business Premium plan consists of some compliance features and solutions, such as Information Protection, eDiscovery, Data Loss Prevention, and more, but with reduced functionality and feature set. 

• Power Platform: These are similar to the E3 and E5 plans, except that the F3 plan has a subset of the Power Platform features and solutions, such as Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI. The Business Premium plan has a broader set of Power Platform features and solutions, such as Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Power Virtual Agents, but with some reduced functionality and feature set. 

The main difference between the F3 and Business Premium plans is the level of functionality and feature set you get for each component and the number of users you can support. The F3 plan is designed for frontline workers who need primary and mobile access to the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, while the Business Premium plan is designed for small to medium-sized businesses who need more comprehensive and desktop access to the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. The F3 plan can support up to 10,000 users, while the Business Premium plan can support up to 300 users. 

How do you decide which plan is right for your business? 

Choosing the right licensing plan for your business can be challenging, but it can also be rewarding if you do it right. The key is to understand your business needs and requirements first, rather than getting lost in the feature sets and options. If advanced security, compliance, and analytics are priorities, E5 is a clear choice. However, for businesses looking for essential productivity and collaboration tools, E3 might suffice. 

Here are some steps that you can follow to make the best decision: 

1. Document your business needs and requirements. This includes identifying your security and compliance obligations, productivity and collaboration goals, data and analytics needs, business process automation opportunities, and user personas and roles. 

1. Map your business needs and requirements to the Microsoft 365 offerings. Here, you can leverage the expertise and guidance of a Microsoft partner, such as ampiO Solutions, who can help you align your needs and requirements with the best-fit solutions and features within the Microsoft 365 stack, ensuring you make the most informed decision for your business. 

1. Optimize your licensing costs and value. Here, you can compare and contrast the different licensing plans and options and find the optimal mix and match that suits your budget and needs. You can also look for opportunities to consolidate or eliminate any redundant or unnecessary third-party subscriptions that overlap with the Microsoft 365 offerings. 

By following these steps, you can ensure that you are maximizing the value and return on investment of your Microsoft 365 licensing and that you are getting the most out of the platform for your business. 

Conclusion 

The “Maximizing Value with Microsoft Licensing” webinar illuminated the critical differences between the E3 and E5 suites. Understanding these suites’ offerings becomes paramount as businesses continue to navigate the complexities of digital transformation. Whether you opt for E3’s essentials or E5’s advanced features, Microsoft 365 remains a trusted partner in your enterprise journey. 

Microsoft 365 is a powerful and versatile platform that can help you transform your business and achieve your goals. However, navigating the licensing options and making the best choice for your organization can also be complex and confusing. We recommend working with a trusted and experienced Microsoft partner, such as ampiO Solutions, who can help you assess your needs and requirements and optimize your licensing costs and value. 

If you are interested in learning more about Microsoft 365 licensing or taking advantage of our special promotion of 25% off our cloud assessments and true ups until the end of September, please reach out to your account executive or contact us today. We would love to hear from you and help you get the most out of Microsoft 365.