In this guide · 7 sections
Short answer
Premium is worth it if staff keep company data on laptops or phones, or if you need rules such as blocking sign-ins from unmanaged devices. It adds Intune, Defender for Business, Conditional Access and Defender for Office 365 for US$8 more than Standard. A one-person firm using only web apps rarely needs it.
What every plan should have switched on anyway
Whatever you choose, some protection costs nothing. Microsoft's security defaults turn on MFA for every user and block old sign-in methods on all plans, including Basic. Our MFA set-up guide walks through it.
Baseline for Basic, Standard and Premium
Do it yourself or get help?
If you are comfortable in the Microsoft 365 admin centre, Microsoft's setup wizards for Business Premium cover the basics. Plan a day for a small office: enrol devices, create Conditional Access policies, and test them on one user before applying them to everyone. Our BYOD and MDM guide explains what to enforce on personal phones.
If you would like it done properly, our Business Email Setup (S$249) gets Microsoft 365 running on your own account, the Microsoft 365 / Google Security Lockdown (S$590) turns on MFA, anti-phishing and sign-in rules, and Device Encryption & Management (S$490) enrols up to 10 devices in Intune with encryption and remote wipe tested. Licence fees are paid by you to Microsoft.
Frequently asked questions
As of October 2026, Microsoft's Singapore page lists Business Premium at US$22 per user per month on an annual subscription, excluding GST. It did not change in the July 2026 price update. Monthly billing on an annual plan costs about 5% more. Resellers may quote in Singapore dollars at slightly different prices.
Both include the same Office apps, email, Teams and storage. Premium adds security: Intune for managing and wiping devices, Defender for Business antivirus with detection and response, Entra ID P1 for Conditional Access, Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 against phishing, and Purview data protection. It costs US$8 more per user per month.
Yes. Microsoft sells Defender for Business on its own at US$3 per user per month on an annual plan, for organisations up to 300 users, including those on Business Basic or Standard. It covers up to five devices per user. Servers need a separate add-on licence.
No. Security defaults, which turn on MFA for all users and block legacy sign-in, are free on every Microsoft 365 plan. Premium adds Conditional Access, which lets you write finer rules, such as only allowing sign-ins from managed devices or blocking sign-ins from certain countries.
Not strictly. CSA's Cyber Essentials mark asks for controls such as malware protection, secure configuration, access control and updates, not a particular product. Premium makes several of these easier to show because device management, antivirus and sign-in rules sit in one console, but other tools can meet the same requirements.