can you encrypt emails with Microsoft 365 Business Basic or Standard?

Question

I'm assisting a family member setting up Microsoft 365 Business Basic which I have so far. Their company deals with Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Protected Health Information (PHI). They need a solution on sending "Encrypted" emails to certain entities outside of the organization.

1. is microsoft 365 business premium the only solution?
2. is their a different option besides going with microsoft 365 business premium?
3. what if only 2-3 users needed this feature, can you buy a separate add-on license?

Very respectfully,

|This information is removed for privacy|

Answer 1

Hi @Jean Torres 

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your update with us.  We truly appreciate your engagement; it helps us better understand your needs and provide more tailored support. 

If the license you're looking for is Azure Information Protection Plan 1, it's no longer available as a standalone product.  Therefore, you can learn more about Microsoft Purview Information Protection and explore available plans directly on the official Microsoft website: 

• Product Overview: Microsoft Purview Information Protection 
• Pricing & Purchase Options: Azure Pricing – Microsoft Purview 
• Documentation & Setup Guide: Microsoft Learn – Purview Information Protection 

Note: In some tenants, Microsoft Purview Information Protection may not appear in the Microsoft 365 admin center due to recent UI changes or regional availability. However, you can still access detailed information and purchase the product directly via the Microsoft website. 

If you need any further assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m here to support you with everything I have access to, and I’ll do my absolute best to help you resolve this smoothly and confidently. Your experience matters, and I’m committed to making this process as clear and helpful as possible. 

Warm regards, 

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Answer 2

Hi @Jean Torres 

Thank you for your prompt response and I'm always here to help you. 

In some tenants, this tab is renamed to "Purchase Services", or it may be hidden due to UI changes or role restrictions. 

Additionally, if you're not the first Global Admin on the tenant, you might not have the billing role by default. Without it, you may encounter messages like “You don’t have any billing accounts for buying products.”  In that case, it might be helpful to check whether you have the Billing Administrator role assigned in your organization 

If you have Billing Administration permission, you can add products by following these steps: 

1. Navigate to Billing tab > Select Your products 
2. Choose Add more products  
3. Find the license or subscription you'd like to add or modify. 
4. From there, you should see options to purchase or assign licenses. 

If you don’t see the license you're looking for or run into any difficulties along the way, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m here to support you with everything I can access and will do my best to help you resolve this smoothly. 

Warm regards,

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As other users will also be searching for guidance in this community, clicking “Accept Answer” and giving it an upvote would be a wonderful way to amplify your impact. Your action not only helps others with similar questions find the right solution faster, it also highlights your role in shaping a more helpful and informed community.  

Thank you again for your kind words, your thoughtful engagement, and for being such a valuable part of this space. Your contribution truly makes a difference!  

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Answer 3

I do have "Global Admin" under my profile, but I do not have a "MarketPlace" tab on my end. I have "Purchase Services" that I can add more license to. under the "Purchase License" I do not see anything in regards to "Azure Information Protection Plan1".

I know in your previous post you have "Microsoft Intone Remote Help" selected, is that the one I need for email encryption?

Answer 4

Hi @Jean Torres 

Thank you for your prompt response. 

To proceed with purchasing licenses in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, please ensure the following conditions are met: 

1. You must have Global Administrator permissions on the tenant.  This role is required to access billing features and make purchases. 
2. Alternatively, if the tenant is tagged with your own partner tag, you will be able to purchase licenses as well.  This applies if you're managing the tenant as a Microsoft partner. 

If you do not currently have the necessary permissions, we recommend reaching out to your organization's IT Admin to either assign you the appropriate role or complete the purchase on your behalf. 

Once you have the correct access, you can follow these steps to buy more licenses: 

1. Sign in to admin.microsoft.com. 
2. On the left menu bar, navigate to Market place. 
3. Select the subscription you want and click Details. 
4. Choose the quantity and confirm your order > Click Buy 

Note: We appreciate your understanding regarding the scope of support available through this forum. As moderators, our role is to provide general guidance and assist with common troubleshooting steps. While we do not have access to internal systems or administrative tools required to resolve account-specific or backend-related issues but we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.   

I hope the information provided proves useful. Please proceed with the outlined steps and let me know whether they resolve the issue. If not, I’ll be glad to continue working with you to find a solution. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding throughout this process. Should you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out at any time. 

I look forward to hearing from you. 

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As other users will also be searching for guidance in this community, clicking “Accept Answer” and giving it an upvote would be a wonderful way to amplify your impact. Your action not only helps others with similar questions find the right solution faster, it also highlights your role in shaping a more helpful and informed community.  

Thank you again for your kind words, your thoughtful engagement, and for being such a valuable part of this space. Your contribution truly makes a difference!  

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Answer 5

Hi @Jean Torres 

Thank you for reaching out Microsoft Q&A Forum and for your thoughtful questions regarding email encryption in Microsoft 365. I understand the importance of protecting Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Protected Health Information (PHI), and I’m happy to help clarify your options.  Microsoft 365 Business Basic and Standard do not include Office 365 Message Encryption (OME) out of the box. However, you can enable encryption by purchasing an add-on license such as: 

• Azure Information Protection Plan 1 (AIP P1) – This enables classification, labeling, and encryption of emails and documents  
• Cost: Around $2/user/month  

1. Is Microsoft 365 Business Premium the solution? 

Yes, it is a complete solution.  Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes: 

• Office 365 Message Encryption (OME) 
• Microsoft Purview Information Protection 
• Microsoft Entra ID P1 (for conditional access) 
• Device and app management 

This plan is ideal for organizations needing built-in encryption and compliance tools for handling sensitive data like PHI and PII  

1. Is there a different option besides going with Business Premium? 

Yes, if you want to stay on Business Basic or Standard, you can: 

• Add Azure Information Protection Plan 1 to just the users who need encryption. 
• This allows you to encrypt emails based on rules or manually using Outlook or Exchange transport rules  

For more information, you can see here: 

• Microsoft 365 licensing guidance for security & compliance 
• Modern Work Plan Comparison (PDF download) 

1. What if only 2–3 users need this feature? Can you buy a separate add-on license? 

Absolutely, you can purchase AIP P1 licenses for just those 2–3 users. This is a cost-effective way to enable encryption without upgrading the entire organization to Business Premium 

 

Summary of Options 

Plan	Email Encryption	Add-on Available	Best For
Plan	Email Encryption	Add-on Available	Best For
Business Basic / Standard	Not included	AIP P1	Selective encryption for a few users
Business Premium	Included	Not needed	Full-featured compliance and security

I hope this information is helpful. If you need any further assistance or have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. 

Best regards,  

 

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As other users will also be searching for guidance in this community, clicking “Accept Answer” and giving it an upvote would be a wonderful way to amplify your impact. Your action not only helps others with similar questions find the right solution faster, it also highlights your role in shaping a more helpful and informed community.  

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Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable email notifications if you want to receive notifications related to this thread.