Overview
Business Standard is the plan most small companies land on. It is the piece Home and Personal plans cannot provide: real hosted email on your own domain, with SharePoint for shared files and central admin control over accounts.
Two things to check before buying. Licences are per user, not per device — every employee needs their own, and sharing one is a licence breach. And since Microsoft unbundled Teams, some regions and SKUs sell a version without it, so confirm which variant you are getting if Teams matters to you.
Key specifications
- Licence type: Per-user subscription
- Users: 1 per licence — buy one per employee
- Email: Hosted Exchange mailbox with custom domain
- Cloud storage: 1 TB OneDrive per user, plus SharePoint
- Devices per user: 5 PCs or Macs, 5 tablets, 5 phones
- Teams: Included on most SKUs — check, as Microsoft now sells no-Teams variants
- Commercial use: Yes, licensed for business
- Admin: Microsoft 365 admin centre for user management
Microsoft changes what its plans include from time to time. Check the current comparison on microsoft.com before buying or renewing.
Features at a glance
- Desktop Office apps for each licensed user
- Business email hosted on Exchange with your own domain
- SharePoint and 1 TB of OneDrive per user
- Teams collaboration on most SKUs
- Install on up to five PCs or Macs per user
Who the Microsoft 365 Business Standard is for
Small businesses that need company email on their own domain, shared file storage and desktop Office for each employee.
Common problems and how to fix them
Email is not arriving after moving to a custom domain
Check the DNS records at your domain registrar. The MX record must point at Microsoft, and the SPF record needs Microsoft included — mail that vanishes or lands in spam after a migration is almost always one of those two.
A user's apps say the subscription is unlicensed
Confirm a licence is actually assigned to that account in the admin centre. Creating a user does not assign a licence automatically, and it is the most common reason a new starter cannot open Word.
Shared files are hard to find across Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive
Decide up front that OneDrive is personal drafts and SharePoint is anything shared. Teams files live in SharePoint anyway. Setting that rule before the team grows saves a painful reorganisation later.
Frequently asked questions
Does Business Standard include email hosting?
Yes, a hosted Exchange mailbox on your own domain — that is the main difference from the consumer plans.
Can several employees share one licence?
No. Licences are per user. Each person needs their own, and each can install on up to five computers.
Is Microsoft Teams included?
On most SKUs, yes, but Microsoft now sells versions without Teams in some regions. Confirm the exact SKU before you buy.
Still stuck?
Our technicians work with Microsoft every day. Call +1-8887342713 any time, or send us the details and we will get back to you.