Microsoft 365 is an industry-leading suite that combines productivity and collaboration tools with the intelligence of cloud services. Designed for the dynamic needs of modern businesses, Microsoft 365 is used by over one million companies worldwide.
But what apps and services does this impressive Microsoft offering include? And is it the right choice for your business?
To help you understand how Microsoft 365 could benefit your company, we’ll outline its popular apps, tools, and key features below.
Microsoft 365 Overview
Before we dive into the specific apps and services, here’s a quick look at what Microsoft 365 offers:
- Subscription service: Paid monthly or annually.
- Automatic updates and support: Get the latest updates and features as they are released, and have 24/7 access to web and phone technical support.
- Collaborative cloud-based productivity tools: Leveraging the power of cloud connectivity, you can seamlessly collaborate online from any location with internet access.
- Desktop versions: Install Word, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft apps on your computer and work offline.
- Storage: Business plans provide 1 TB of cloud storage per user, and Enterprise users can get up to 5 TB.
- Mobile app: Use the mobile app (iOS and Android) to access and edit files on the go.
- Copilot AI: Use Microsoft’s AI tool Copilot, now available as an add-on, for tasks like summarising email threads in Outlook or creating a chart showing sales data in Excel.
- Pricing: Pricing starts at £6 per user per month on basic plans to around £21 per user on mid-level plans and over £35 on top plans.
What Is Included In Microsoft 365?
Most of the services below are included in business subscriptions. However, depending on your plan, you may need to buy some apps as separate add-ons. For example, Microsoft Teams is only bundled free in a few plans.
Core applications
These are the ‘classic’ Microsoft Office apps we know well:
- Microsoft Word: A versatile text document and word processing program.
- Microsoft Excel: Advanced spreadsheets for data analysis, calculation, and visualisation.
- PowerPoint: Presentation software for creating impactful slideshows with professional animations and rich multimedia.
- OneNote: Digital note-taking app for capturing and organising information.
- Outlook: Email, calendar, and contact management service.
Collaboration and communication apps
These tools are built for teamwork:
- Microsoft Teams: A feature-rich collaboration platform facilitating video calls, text chats, file sharing, task management apps, and more. (Note: Teams must be bought separately with most plans—it isn’t a free inclusion.)
- SharePoint Online: A powerful platform that enables you to store, manage, share, and collaborate on content and documents in a secure and structured way.
- Viva Engage (formerly Yammer): An Enterprise social platform designed for company-wide communication, knowledge sharing, and community building.
- Stream: A video service for securely uploading, sharing, and managing video content within your company.
- Whiteboard: A collaborative digital canvas where you can brainstorm, draw, and share ideas in real time with your team.
- Loop: A team workspace app that allows groups to co-create and stay in sync with shared dynamic content.
- OneDrive: Cloud storage solution with advanced file sharing and synchronisation capabilities.
- Exchange: An enterprise-class email and calendaring server.
Other business and creativity apps
Other handy apps include:
- Microsoft Bookings: A tool that simplifies scheduling and managing appointments.
- Clipchamp: A user-friendly video editor that allows you to create professional-quality videos with AI-powered features, templates, and effects.
- Sway: A digital storytelling app that lets you create interactive reports, presentations, and newsletters.
- Lists: An organisational tool that lets you organise tasks and projects using customised lists.
- Planner: A task management tool with a visual interface for planning, assigning tasks, and tracking progress.
- Forms: An app for creating surveys and quizzes to gather feedback and data.
- To Do: A task management app that helps you organise and handle tasks on all your devices.
- Microsoft Publisher: A desktop publishing software. (Note: This product is being discontinued and won’t be supported after 2026.)
Security
Microsoft 365 includes advanced security features. Besides automatic spam and malware filtering, the service provides robust authentications, ID verification, and cyber protections.
Its security features include:
- Microsoft Defender: Cyber threat protection that safeguards your teams’ identities and credentials and ensures safe access to cloud resources.
- Microsoft Entra ID: Protects devices from threats like ransomware and malware.
- Microsoft Purview: Restricts access to sensitive information.
- Intune: Protects your business and application data on devices.
- Exchange Online Protection (EOP): Protects Exchange Online mailboxes from malware, phishing, and other email threats.
- Multi-factor authentications (MFA): Adds extra steps to prove it’s really you logging in.
Third-Party app integrations
Microsoft 365 supports easy integrations with hundreds of third-party apps and collaboration tools. A few examples include:
- Salesforce in Outlook
- ChatGPT for PowerPoint
- Rosie AI for Excel
FAQs
What is the difference between Office 365 and Microsoft 365?
The difference between the two is that Microsoft 365 is a more comprehensive solution with added features.
- Office 365 offers the classic productivity apps (Word, Excel, etc.) and many collaboration tools.
- Microsoft 365 includes everything in Office 365 plus more advanced security and management apps and compliance tools.
Think of Office 365 as a subset of Microsoft 365.
What is the difference between Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Outlook?
- Outlook is an email service for accessing and managing email, calendars, and contacts.
- Exchange is the mail server that powers Outlook, providing the backend infrastructure for email storage, synchronisation, and additional features.
Does Microsoft 365 offer a free trial?
Yes, Microsoft 365 offers a 30-day free trial period to test the tools and see how they work for you.
Final Thoughts
Companies worldwide are enjoying greater productivity thanks to Microsft 365. Microsoft offers a range of business plans, from Business Basic and Standard to Business Premium and Enterprise plans for large companies.
Zenzero is a leading Microsoft Solutions Partner with extensive Microsoft 365 support experience. Contact us for guidance on our product range and expert Microsoft 365 implementation support.