Microsoft 365 Business Premium for Sydney Businesses
Microsoft 365 Business Premium is Microsoft’s top small-business plan, bundling the Office apps and cloud services with a full security and device-management stack: Microsoft Defender for Business, Intune, and Entra ID P1 conditional access. For most Sydney SMEs it is the plan that makes the security maths work, because buying those tools separately costs more. 4iT sets up, licenses, and manages Business Premium for businesses across Greater Sydney.
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Key facts
- Business Premium is around AU$32.90 per user per month on the Australian site (annual commitment, ex GST), and supports up to 300 users.
- It includes everything in Business Standard plus Microsoft Defender for Business, Intune device management, and Entra ID P1.
- Business Premium’s price is holding while Business Basic and Standard rise from 1 July 2026, narrowing the gap to Standard.
- Entra ID P1 unlocks conditional access, the control that lets you require a compliant, enrolled device before granting access to company data.
- Defender for Business adds endpoint detection and response, plus Safe Links and Safe Attachments for email, beyond the basic filtering in lower plans.
What is included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium?
Business Premium includes the full Office app suite, Exchange email, Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive, plus a security and management layer the cheaper plans do not have. The headline additions are Microsoft Defender for Business for endpoint protection, Intune for managing and securing devices, and Entra ID P1 for conditional access and advanced identity controls.
In plain terms, that layer is what lets you say “staff can open company email, but only from a device we manage and that has a screen lock and encryption turned on.” It is also what gives you a single dashboard to enrol, secure, and if needed remotely wipe laptops and phones. For a business holding client data, that control is the difference between hoping staff devices are safe and knowing they are.
Business Premium vs Business Standard: which do you need?
Business Standard gives you the apps, email, and Teams with no advanced security or device management, while Business Premium adds Defender, Intune, and conditional access on top. If your only need is productivity software and email, Standard is enough. If you hold client data, have compliance obligations, or run hybrid and remote staff on their own devices, Premium is the right call.
The pricing shift makes this easier than it used to be. Business Standard is rising from 1 July 2026 while Business Premium holds at around AU$32.90 per user per month, so the gap between the two is shrinking. When the difference is only a few dollars per user, paying it to get an entire security stack is rarely the wrong decision. We walk through this comparison in detail in our guide to Business Premium vs Business Standard.
Why does Business Premium need proper setup?
Business Premium is only worth its price if the security features are actually turned on and configured, and out of the box most of them are not. Buying the licence gives you the tools; it does not enrol your devices in Intune, write your conditional access policies, or configure Defender. That is the work, and it is where the value lives.
We see businesses paying for Business Premium while running it like Business Standard, getting none of the security they are paying for. The licence sits there, Defender is unconfigured, no device is enrolled, and conditional access is off. Setting it up properly is a one-time project that finally makes the spend pay for itself, and it overlaps closely with our managed IT security work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Business Premium is around AU$32.90 per user per month on the Australian site, on an annual commitment and quoted ex GST. That figure is holding while Business Basic and Standard rise from 1 July 2026. Microsoft's Australian site has the definitive current number, and we handle licence procurement as part of setting it up.
For most businesses that hold client data or run staff on mobile and home devices, yes. The extra cost buys Microsoft Defender for Business, Intune device management, and conditional access, which would cost more bought separately. With the price gap to Standard narrowing in July 2026, Premium is better value than it has been.
Not necessarily. The right approach is a persona audit: match each role to the plan it needs. Knowledge workers handling sensitive data usually warrant Premium, while some frontline or shared-device roles may suit a lighter plan. We help right-size licences so you are not over-paying for users who do not need the full stack.
Often, yes. Because Business Premium includes Defender for Business and Intune, many businesses can drop a separate third-party antivirus and device-management subscription, which offsets the licence cost. We assess what you are currently paying for separately and whether consolidating into Business Premium saves money overall.
If you are on Business Premium but not sure the security side is actually switched on, or you are weighing it up against Standard, that is worth a short review. We are happy to check what you are licensed for and what is actually configured, and tell you where the gaps are.
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