Office 365 becomes Microsoft 365 – Microsoft changes the individual product names while the content remains the same

On April 21, 2020, “Office 365” will be replaced by “Microsoft 365” in the majority of cases. Microsoft thus standardizes the product names and combines most of the products under the umbrella brand “Microsoft 365”. The restructuring is intended to make the range of products and services more intuitive for users.

Microsoft 365 – tailored to customer needs

Microsoft 365 – the solution package for the digital workplace – is available for the Enterprise, Business and Consumer segments. There are variants for each segment, which take into account different customer needs. For standardization and simplification purposes, the product names of the following 3 segments will be replaced.

1. Microsoft 365 for Enterprise

For large companies the names of the plans are new:

• Microsoft 365 F1
• Microsoft 365 F3
• Microsoft 365 E3
• Microsoft 365 E5

Up to The “pure” productivity range (Office 365 ProPlus) with the familiar office applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc., and OneDrive, the cloud data storage, also gets a new name:

• Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise

2. Microsoft 365 for Business (für KMU)

Up to now, we have known the products in the SME segment under the names Office 365 Business Essentials, Office 365 Business Premium and Microsoft 365 Business. New they are called:

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic  → Cloud Services
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard  → Cloud Services and Desktop Apps
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium  → Cloud Services and Desktop Apps as well as for advanced security solutions

The “pure” productivity range (Office 365 Business) with the familiar office applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc., and OneDrive, the cloud data storage, also gets a new name:

• Microsoft 365 Apps for Business

3. Microsoft 365 for Consumer

For private persons there are now the following names/plans:

• Microsoft 365 Personal
• Microsoft 365 Family

Plans that are not affected by the name change:

Office 365 for enterprises

• Office 365 E1
• Office 365 E3
• Office 365 E5

Office 365 for frontline employees

• Office 365 F1

Office 365 for education

• Office 365 A1
• Office 365 A3
• Office 365 A5

Office 365 for government

• Office 365 G1
• Office 365 G3
• Office 365 G5

Conclusion – Office 365 becomes Microsoft 365

Basically nothing changes for you as a customer. Although the names are new, the contents and advantages of the solution packages remain practically untouched, the prices remain unchanged. The designation Office 365 will not disappear completely, but most of them will be replaced by Microsoft 365. This may not be easier to understand for many people, so we are happy to help you. Furthermore, you will find further information about Microsoft 365 / Office 365 here.