INFO ON MICROSOFT DEFENDER

Question

If I upgrade my license from Business Standard to Business Premium, will I get the Attack Simulation Training service to run phishing simulations in my company environment?

Would it also work if I only activate Microsoft Defender as an additional service while keeping my current O365 Business Standard?

Thank you — this is urgent.

Answer 1

Hi Alessandro Albertazzi,

Regarding your concern, Microsoft 365 Business Premium alone does not provide access to Attack Simulation Training. This feature is included only with:

• Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 2, or
• Microsoft 365 E5

Otherwise, you may keep your current business license and add Defender for Office 365 Plan 2 as an add-on to enable phishing simulations and training.

It is noted that in both options, all users included in the simulation must be properly licensed, not just the administrator.

For more information, please refer to the links below:

• Get started using Attack simulation training
• Protect against phishing with Attack Simulation Training in Microsoft Defender for Office 365

I hope the information above is helpful. If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out.

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Answer 2

Upgrading from Microsoft 365 Business Standard to Microsoft 365 Business Premium alone does not give access to Attack simulation training.

Business Premium includes Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1, and Attack simulation training is a Plan 2 capability. Attack simulation training requires either:

• Microsoft 365 E5, or
• Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 2 (as an add-on or via a suite that includes it).

So:

1. Moving from Business Standard → Business Premium
   • Gains Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1.
   • Does not include Attack simulation training.
2. Keeping Business Standard and “only activating Microsoft Defender as an additional service”
   • To run phishing simulations with Attack simulation training, the additional service must specifically be Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 2 (or a suite that includes Plan 2, such as Microsoft Defender Suite for Business Premium, which explicitly adds Defender for Office 365 Plan 2 and therefore Attack simulation training).

In short: Attack simulation training is only available when the users are licensed with Defender for Office 365 Plan 2 (or Microsoft 365 E5 / equivalent suites). Business Premium by itself is not sufficient.

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References:

• Get started using Attack simulation training
• What do you need to know before you begin?
• Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Features service description
• Microsoft Defender service description
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium frequently asked questions
• Add Microsoft Defender Suite for Business Premium to your subscription