Microsoft 365 Education deployment overview

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Overview

Microsoft 365 Education empowers educators to unlock creativity, promote teamwork, and provide a simple and safe experience in a single, affordable solution built for education. The purpose of this guide and the links below is to help IT administrators deploy Microsoft Education offerings from start to finish, in the easiest and least costly way. We have divided topics into phases and steps to help you through the deployment continuum.

Note

This guide is designed for customers who want to move their platforms and education resources to the cloud. It is not designed to capture all the necessary steps for larger scale or more complex deployments.

What is Microsoft 365 Education?

Microsoft 365 Education consists of:

Product	Description
Office 365 Education	Includes both Office 365 ProPlus, the latest Office apps for your PC and Mac (such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and others), and a full suite of online services for email, file storage and collaboration, meetings, and more. See features in each O365 education plan
Windows 10 Education	Addresses the needs of both large and small schools, providing users with the most productive and secure version of Windows and IT professionals with comprehensive deployment, device, and app management.
Management & Security	Includes Intune for Education and School Data Sync, among other security features.

Compare Microsoft 365 Education SKUs.

Microsoft 365 Education deployment guide

The Microsoft 365 Education deployment guide steps you through the correct and required configuration of Microsoft 365 Education products and features. Deploy the foundation infrastructure for built-in security and integration for simplified management, which makes it easier to ensure your client software is updated with the latest productivity and security enhancements. The foundation infrastructure is organized as a series of numbered phases that build upon each other and towards an environment that enables Microsoft 365 Education workloads and scenarios. For education customers, the first step is Cloud deployment, which includes Networking and Identity. These steps enable you to deploy education workloads and scenarios, including Teams for Education, Exchange, and SharePoint and OneDrive.

We highly recommend you upgrade to Windows 10 if you haven’t already, use the best version of Office365, Office365 ProPlus, and manage and secure your organization’s devices with Intune for Education.

Visit the Microsoft Store for Education to download the latest and greatest education apps, and deploy Minecraft Education to keep your students interested and engaged.

We have divided the guide into four phases and associated steps. These steps are meant to guide you through the most common deployment strategies. You can deploy phases or the portions of phases of this infrastructure in any order-- one after another or in parallel to integrate with your current infrastructure, fit your IT plans, and meet your schools’ needs.

Phase 1: Cloud deployment

Step	Action
Step 1	Create your Office 365 tenant account
Step 2	Secure and configure your network
Step 3	Sync your active directory
Step 4	Sync your Student Information System with School Data Sync
Step 5	License users
	Office 365 A1 Plus guidance

Phase 2: Device management

Step	Action
Step 1	Deploy Windows 10
Step 2	Manage Devices with Intune for EDU

Phase 3: Apps management

Step	Action
Step 1	Configure admin settings
Step 2	Configure Teams for Education
Step 3	Install Office Apps on devices
Step 4	Install apps from Microsoft Store for Education
Step 5	Install Minecraft Education

Phase 4: Complete your deployment

Step	Action
Step 1	Deploy Exchange Online
OR	Deploy Exchange Server hybrid
Step 2	Deploy SharePoint Online and OneDrive
OR	Deploy Sharepoint Server hybrid