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“Business (for general corporations)” plan that can be used without a company name
Microsoft 365 business licenses are divided into two groups according to the number of employees.
- Business (for general corporations with 300 or less employees)
- Enterprise (unlimited number of people, for large companies)
Of these, “Microsoft 365 Enterprise” for large companies cannot be used by individuals, but “Microsoft 365 Business ~” for general corporations can be contracted by individuals without a company name.
Microsoft 365 Business has four plans. Let’s see the difference between each.
| Business Basic | Business Standard | Business Premium | Apps for business | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office apps | △ Web version only | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 |
| SharePoint Online | 1TB + number of users x 10GB | 1TB + number of users x 10GB | 1TB + number of users x 10GB | – |
| OneDrive for Business | 1TB | 1TB | 1TB | 1TB |
| Exchange Online | 50GB | 50GB | 50GB | – |
| Teams | 〇 | 〇 | 〇 | – |
Microsoft 365 Business Basic
Microsoft 365 Business Basic is the cheapest plan for commercial licenses.
With Business Basic, you cannot use the Office desktop apps installed on your computer, and you can only use the web version of Office.
SharePoint Online, Exchange Online, Teams, etc. can be used, so it can also be used as groupware.
Microsoft 365 Business Standard
Business Standard is the standard content plan among the plans for general corporations.
Office desktop apps and mobile apps can be used on multiple devices, so you can use your PC, tablet, or smartphone separately.
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Business Premium is the top plan for general corporations.
It has functions such as threat countermeasure “Microsoft 365 Defender” and device management “Intune”, and is recommended for companies that emphasize security.
Microsoft 365 Apps for business
Apps for business provides the same set of desktop apps as “Office Professional 2021”.
SharePoint Online, Exchange Online, Teams, etc. cannot be used.
This is a plan for those who want to use only Office apps as reasonably as possible.
Features of “Microsoft 365 Apps for business” recommended for individual business owners to replace Office
“Microsoft 365 Apps for business” is a recommended plan for sole proprietors who have purchased licenses for Office apps and are considering migrating to Microsoft 365 due to license replacement.
Microsoft 365 Apps for business is a plan that subscribes to a perpetual license of Office as it is, and it is an easy-to-use plan for those who sign up for Microsoft 365 for the first time by replacing Office.
Office apps can be used at a reasonable price
The biggest feature of Microsoft 365 Apps for business is that the plan content is specialized for using Office apps.
The price is set lower than Microsoft 365’s personal plan “Personal”, so it is ideal for those who want to use only Office apps.
No support deadline
Perpetual licenses of Office have a support period, and once the period expires, they will not be updated, so license replacements have occurred every few years.
With Microsoft 365, you can always update to the latest version of the app during your contract, so you can continue to use it without worrying about support expiration or replacement.
Multi-device compatible
Office’s perpetual license can be installed on up to 2 computers, but with the Microsoft 365 corporate plan, you can install up to 5 computers, tablets, and smartphones, and can use up to 5 computers at the same time.
For those who have multiple devices or work on smartphones and tablets, Microsoft 365 is definitely recommended over the Office perpetual license, which is only compatible with computers.
With 1TB cloud storage
Comes with 1TB cloud storage of OneDrive for Business.
If you save data on OneDrive, you can refer to the data from anywhere, so you don’t have to worry about data migration when you buy a new computer.
How to personalize Microsoft 365 Apps for business
We will explain how to use individual corporate plans such as Microsoft 365 Apps for business.
Even if you are an individual and do not have a company name, you can still register.
Plan subscription and account setup
Some Microsoft 365 corporate licenses are not handled at mass retailers, so it is certain to use Microsoft’s official store or sales agent.
If you are subscribing to Microsoft 365 for the first time, set up your account first.
- Register your email address and user information
- Authenticate with SMS
- set domain name
- Set user ID and password
- Register payment method
There is a column to enter the company name in the user information registration, but if you are an individual, you can enter your own name.
Corporate account required
Accounts used with corporate licenses such as Microsoft 365 Apps for business are called “work or school accounts.”
People tend to misunderstand that “you can’t create an account unless you are a corporation or an educational institution,” but individuals can also create one.
However, please note that if you are already using a Microsoft account as an individual, you will not be able to register with the same email address.
Installation instructions
After purchasing a license and setting up an account, let’s install Office apps right away.
- Sign in to the Microsoft 365 portal (https://portal.office.com/) with your licensed account.
- Click the user icon in the upper right and click View Account.
- Click “Install Office” in the “Office apps” menu to download the installer to your computer.
- Run the downloaded installer to start installation.
- After the installation is completed, when you start the Office application, the license authentication screen will be displayed. Please sign in with the account associated with the license and activate the license.
Teams, “Business Standard” if you use your own domain
Microsoft 365 Apps for business is a very cost-effective plan for those who want to use only Office apps.
However, you cannot use collaboration tools, which can be said to be the real pleasure of Microsoft 365.
For example, “Teams”, which allows business chats and web conferences, and “SharePoint Online”, which can be used to create portal sites, are tools not included in Microsoft 365 Apps for business.
Also, Microsoft’s cloud-based email service “Exchange Online” is not included, so you cannot create an email address with your own domain.
If you want to use these tools, please consider using “Microsoft 365 Business Standard” which is cheaper than adding each service individually.