Adding Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 2 Add-on to Business Standard accounts?

Question

I'm considering the 90-day free trial of the Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 2 add-on, which is required to do attack simulations and training through Defender.

My question is: can the Plan 2 add-on only be applied to Business Premium accounts, or can it also be added to users on Business Standard tiers? 

Our organization currently has users on each of those tiers, and I'm wondering if it's necessary to upgrade everyone to Business Premium in order to add Plan 2.

Answer 1

Dear Lorena,

Good day, and thank you for reaching out to the Q&A Forum. I understand that you are considering the 90-day free trial of Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 2 and want to know whether it can be added to users on Business Standard, or whether it requires everyone to be upgraded to Business Premium first.

From my research, you do not need to upgrade everyone to Business Premium just to add Defender for Office 365 Plan 2 or to use Attack simulation training. Microsoft states that Defender for Office 365 is available as an add-on subscription to many Microsoft 365 subscriptions with cloud mailboxes, and Microsoft 365 Business Standard does include cloud mailboxes, so it qualifies.

If you decide to keep Defender for Office 365 Plan 2 after the trial, licensing should be assigned to each user who benefits from Plan 2 features, including any users targeted by Attack simulation training simulations. Although some Defender capabilities operate at the tenant level, Microsoft's licensing guidance is clear that appropriate licenses are required for every user benefiting from an online service. A single trial or add-on license should not be treated as licensing the entire organization.

You could, for example, keep users who need advanced protection (executives, finance, IT) on Business Premium or with a Plan 2 add-on, while the rest of the organization stays on Business Standard with the built-in security features. This mixed-licensing approach is fully supported.

For references:

Why do I need Microsoft Defender for Office 365? - Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Try and evaluate Defender for Office 365 - Microsoft Defender for Office 365 | Microsoft Learn

I hope this information is helpful and provides you with a clear path forward. Should you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'm always happy to help. Have a wonderful day! 

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