Unlocking Enterprise-Grade Security with Microsoft 365 Business Premium

Small and midsize businesses (SMBs) face the same cyber threats as large enterprises, but they often lack the resources to implement advanced protection. That’s why Microsoft 365 Business Premium is such a game-changer for some. The Premium subscription tier quietly delivers enterprise-grade security and management tools, and for SMBs on a Standard plan, Premium offers a major step up in security at a fraction of the cost of any of the Microsoft 365 Enterprise editions.

Beyond Security Defaults

SMBs most often begin their Microsoft journey with Security Defaults—a sensible set of protections Microsoft enables by default. But the defaults can feel like a “black box.” You don’t always know what’s happening, or why, and if you're on a Standard subscription there's not much you can change. That’s where Business Premium shines. The inclusion of Azure AD and Entra ID P1 licensing opens the door to Conditional Access Policies.

"Identity is the new perimeter," goes the new mantra, and with Conditional Access, administrators move from guesswork to precision in ensuring that identities are thoroughly vetted. People are no longer breaking into your network, they're literally just signing in. Your ability to turn up the knobs on the conditional access policies, such as requiring multi-factor authentication (MFA) when users log in from outside the corporate network, for example, is a huge step forward. And a pro tip: The “What If” analysis tool built into the Azure management console lets IT teams test policies in advance—avoiding unpleasant surprises. 

If you want to learn more about Conditional Access Policies and practical strategies for Microsoft 365 security, check out Prescriptive’s webinar, Unleashing M365 Security from Default Config to Ironclad Protection (Advance to the 25:56 mark to get right into conditional access).

Entra Internet Access and the Modern Security Edge

Another overlooked benefit of Business Premium is Entra Internet Access, part of Microsoft’s Security Service Edge (SSE) and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) strategy. 

Traditionally, businesses have used VPNs to funnel traffic through a secure tunnel. But VPNs can be clunky and difficult to manage at scale. Entra Internet Access replaces the VPN model with identity-based access. While not a full VPN replacement, it's an identity-aware secure web gateway (SWG) for internet and SaaS traffic—including Microsoft 365. Instead of securing the network perimeter, access is granted only to the right user, on the right device, under the right conditions. 

By inspecting and securing traffic to internet and SaaS applications, Entra Internet Access reduces the risk of session token hijacking and delivers fine-grained control without the overhead of a VPN. For Windows 11 version 24H2 and later, the client is built in; for earlier versions, macOS, iOS, and Android, a Global Secure Access (GSA) client fills the gap.

Bonus: Built-in Security and Management Tools

Microsoft 365 Business Premium doesn’t stop there. These additional features are often overlooked:

• Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1: Provides anti-phishing, Safe Links, Safe Attachments, and real-time scanning.
  
  
• Microsoft Defender for Business: Enterprise-grade endpoint protection, roughly on par with Defender for Endpoint Plan 1.
  
  
• Intune: Enables mobile device management, compliance enforcement, and even Autopilot for remote device deployment—capabilities SMBs rarely consider but can benefit from as they grow.
  
  

Scalable and Flexible Licensing

Business Premium supports up to 300 users per tenant, but here’s the twist: you can mix Business SKUs (Basic, Standard, Premium) to reach up to 900 users. You can also blend Business and Enterprise SKUs (for example, pairing Business Premium with M365 E3), creating a cost-effective, flexible approach to scaling.

The Bottom Line

From a security perspective, Microsoft 365 Business Premium provides a massive leap in value compared to the Standard subscription given the depth of security and management tools included. From replacing VPNs with Entra Internet Access to enforcing compliance with Conditional Access, this subscription puts advanced capabilities in the hands of smaller organizations—without the enterprise price tag.

If you're interested in leveraging the benefits of Business Premium, but not sure whether your organization is ready for the additional complexity, give Prescriptive a call today. We're here to help!

Mark's Outline:

Did you know?

MSFT 365 Business Premium is the only subscription in the Business-class SKUs which provides the Azure AD / Entra ID P1 subscription / license.

• What does this mean, what capabilities does this provide?
  • Opens the ability to use Conditional Access Policies and transition off the M365 Security Defaults.
    • Not complaining about Security Defaults at all…however, they can sometimes be a bit of a “black box” of inconsistency.
    • With Conditional Access Policies, you are in complete control and know exactly what will happen
    • While were on this topic, I’d like to mention the What If section that you may not be aware of…a handy tool to use for your Conditional Access Policy testing and analysis.
  • Plug:  If you want to learn more about Conditional Access Policies and our approach, check out our MSFT Webinar, “Unleashing M365 Security from Default Config to Ironclad Protection” Webinar: Unleashing M365 Security from Default Config to Ironclad Protection | Prescriptive Data Solutions
    I get into Security Defaults & Conditional Access Policies around 25:56 in the video.
• Azure AD / Entra ID P1 also opens doors for a new capability you may not have heard of…MSFT Entra Internet Access
  • This covers the Security Service Edge (SSE) / Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) element of SASE
  • It’s a new cloud-based service that helps organizations secure internet and SaaS app access – all without needing a traditional VPN
  • Instead of tunneling all traffic through a VPN, Entra Internet Access:
    • Inspects and secures traffic going to the internet and SaaS apps
    • Allows you to apply Conditional Access Policies (for example, only allow access if the device is compliant)
    • Enforced identity-based access
      • As they say, Identity is the new security perimeter
      • Users only get access to what they need
    • Ultimately, this is what makes it a modern VPN replacement, but with fine-grained control
    • One would argue that this also begins to cover and address session token hijacking scenarios.
      • If your connection from your windows endpoint to MSFT is encrypted, no one can steal you session tokens.
  • From the endpoint perspective, the client components are included on systems running Windows 11 version 24H2 or later.
    • However, there is a separate Global Secure Access (GSA) client which can be installed on:
      • Windows 10 (64-bit)
      • Windows 11 (pre-24H2)
      • Windows 11 Arm64
      • Also available for macOS, Android, and iOS
    • Note:  Endpoint must be Microsoft Entra joined or hybrid joined (not just registered)

More on M365 Business Premium that you may not know:

• You can use it for up to 300 users per tenant
  • And on that same note this same rule applies for Business Basic (300), and Business Standard (300).  So between the 3, you can cover up to 900 users!
• You can also mix M365 Business-class SKUs alongside Enterprise SKUs such as M365 E3, Office 365 E1, etc.
• Includes Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1, Microsoft’s solution for an entry-level cloud-based email security gateway:
  • Anti-phishing
  • Safe links and safe attachments
  • Real-time scanning
• Includes Microsoft Defender for Business (endpoint protection)
  • For small businesses, this is a big deal as it rivals Defender for Endpoint Plan 1 which is included with the Enterprise Plans.
• It also includes Intune
  • Allows you to get into mobile device management (MDM), app protection policies, and compliance enforcement, often overlooked by SMBs
  • Also allows you (if you dare) to get into Autopilot to pre-configure and deploy your Windows devices remotely.  For SMBs around 300 users, this may be a bit early!