Service

Microsoft 365 for Business: when email is down and nobody knows your plan

Microsoft 365, Azure, Teams and more, set up and supported by people who pick up the phone.

(604) 813-7881 Contact Us 24/7 emergency line
Answered by a person

It is Tuesday. Half the team cannot sign in, and the last person who set this up left months ago. You need email, files and sign-in that work, with a clear price before you commit.

Benson Hunt is a Microsoft Solutions Partner and authorized reseller. We help with Microsoft 365, Azure, Teams and security. We provide managed IT for an accounting firm of about 75 people, and that work included cost savings of $33,000 a year on their email system. Managed IT from $55 per PC per month.

Plain prices, what actually differs between plans, and what is easy to overlook. Looking for Google? See our Google Workspace page.

Microsoft tools we set up and support

Microsoft 365 plans, side by side

CAD per user per month, taxes extra, as of October 2026. Annual commitment and month to month. Check Microsoft for the current price.

Microsoft 365 plans compared: Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium, E3 and E5. CAD per user per month. Taxes extra. As of October 2026.
Feature. CAD per user per month. Taxes extra. As of October 2026.	Business Basic$9.50annual commitment$11.40month to month	Business Standard$19.00annual commitment$22.80month to month	Our usual suggestionBusiness Premium$29.80annual commitment$35.76month to month	Microsoft 365 E3$52.90annual commitmentAsk usMicrosoft doesn’t publish a monthly price	Microsoft 365 E5$81.40annual commitmentAsk usMicrosoft doesn’t publish a monthly price
Who can buy it	Up to 300 users	Up to 300 users	Up to 300 users	No limit on users	No limit on users
Office apps	Web and mobile apps only	Desktop, web and mobile apps	Desktop, web and mobile apps	Desktop, web and mobile apps	Desktop, web and mobile apps
Cloud storage per person	1 TB	1 TB	1 TB	1 to 5+ TB	1 to 5+ TB
Sign-in security (Entra ID, formerly Azure AD)	Entra ID Free, with basic MFA through security defaults	Entra ID Free, with basic MFA through security defaults	Entra ID P1	Entra ID P1	Entra ID P2
Conditional Access (rules for who signs in, from where, on what device)	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes, plus risk-based rules
Device management (Intune)	Not included. A lighter built-in tool, Basic Mobility and Security, covers the basics	Not included. A lighter built-in tool, Basic Mobility and Security, covers the basics	Intune Plan 1	Intune Plan 1	Intune Plan 1
Device protection (antivirus and ransomware)	Defender for Business not included	Defender for Business not included	Defender for Business	Defender for Endpoint Plan 1	Defender for Endpoint Plan 2
Email and link protection	Spam and malware filtering, plus link checking when someone clicks	Spam and malware filtering, plus link checking when someone clicks	Defender for Office 365 Plan 1	Defender for Office 365 Plan 1	Defender for Office 365 Plan 2
Data loss prevention (Purview)	No	No	Email and files	Email and files	Yes
Windows edition	Not included	Not included	Windows 11 Pro upgrade	Windows 11 Enterprise E3	Windows 11 Enterprise E5
Where it usually fits	Email, Teams and web apps for people who don’t need desktop Office	Desktop Office and Teams for a team with light security needs	A small office that cares about security and device control	More than 300 users, or when you need enterprise features	Larger or regulated organizations with a security team

Business Basic

$9.50 annual commitment

$11.40 month to month

Who can buy it: Up to 300 users
Office apps: Web and mobile apps only
Cloud storage per person: 1 TB
Sign-in security (Entra ID, formerly Azure AD): Entra ID Free, with basic MFA through security defaults
Conditional Access (rules for who signs in, from where, on what device): No
Device management (Intune): Not included. A lighter built-in tool, Basic Mobility and Security, covers the basics
Device protection (antivirus and ransomware): Defender for Business not included
Email and link protection: Spam and malware filtering, plus link checking when someone clicks
Data loss prevention (Purview): No
Windows edition: Not included
Where it usually fits: Email, Teams and web apps for people who don’t need desktop Office

Business Standard

$19.00 annual commitment

$22.80 month to month

Who can buy it: Up to 300 users
Office apps: Desktop, web and mobile apps
Cloud storage per person: 1 TB
Sign-in security (Entra ID, formerly Azure AD): Entra ID Free, with basic MFA through security defaults
Conditional Access (rules for who signs in, from where, on what device): No
Device management (Intune): Not included. A lighter built-in tool, Basic Mobility and Security, covers the basics
Device protection (antivirus and ransomware): Defender for Business not included
Email and link protection: Spam and malware filtering, plus link checking when someone clicks
Data loss prevention (Purview): No
Windows edition: Not included
Where it usually fits: Desktop Office and Teams for a team with light security needs

Our usual suggestion

Business Premium

$29.80 annual commitment

$35.76 month to month

Who can buy it: Up to 300 users
Office apps: Desktop, web and mobile apps
Cloud storage per person: 1 TB
Sign-in security (Entra ID, formerly Azure AD): Entra ID P1
Conditional Access (rules for who signs in, from where, on what device): Yes
Device management (Intune): Intune Plan 1
Device protection (antivirus and ransomware): Defender for Business
Email and link protection: Defender for Office 365 Plan 1
Data loss prevention (Purview): Email and files
Windows edition: Windows 11 Pro upgrade
Where it usually fits: A small office that cares about security and device control

Microsoft 365 E3

$52.90 annual commitment

Ask us Microsoft doesn’t publish a monthly price

Who can buy it: No limit on users
Office apps: Desktop, web and mobile apps
Cloud storage per person: 1 to 5+ TB
Sign-in security (Entra ID, formerly Azure AD): Entra ID P1
Conditional Access (rules for who signs in, from where, on what device): Yes
Device management (Intune): Intune Plan 1
Device protection (antivirus and ransomware): Defender for Endpoint Plan 1
Email and link protection: Defender for Office 365 Plan 1
Data loss prevention (Purview): Email and files
Windows edition: Windows 11 Enterprise E3
Where it usually fits: More than 300 users, or when you need enterprise features

Microsoft 365 E5

$81.40 annual commitment

Ask us Microsoft doesn’t publish a monthly price

Who can buy it: No limit on users
Office apps: Desktop, web and mobile apps
Cloud storage per person: 1 to 5+ TB
Sign-in security (Entra ID, formerly Azure AD): Entra ID P2
Conditional Access (rules for who signs in, from where, on what device): Yes, plus risk-based rules
Device management (Intune): Intune Plan 1
Device protection (antivirus and ransomware): Defender for Endpoint Plan 2
Email and link protection: Defender for Office 365 Plan 2
Data loss prevention (Purview): Yes
Windows edition: Windows 11 Enterprise E5
Where it usually fits: Larger or regulated organizations with a security team

All prices are CAD per user per month, taxes extra, as of October 2026. These are Microsoft Canada’s list prices. The annual price is for a one year commitment paid yearly. Month to month is about 20% more. Check Microsoft for the current price.

Microsoft Canada lists E3 and E5 on an annual commitment only. Ask us about other billing options.

Business plans share one cap of 300 users, so 250 Premium seats leaves room for 50 more across all Business plans. E3 and E5 have no cap. Plans shown include Teams. Microsoft also sells Standard and Premium bundled with Microsoft 365 Copilot ($31.90 and $43.40 CAD on the annual commitment), which isn’t shown here.

See current prices at Microsoft 365 for business pricing (Canada).

Nonprofit staff pricing

Eligible nonprofits can pay less. Nonprofit is not free for every plan. Microsoft must verify your organization first. Prices change. Figures below are CAD per user per month on an annual commitment, taxes extra, as of October 2026.

Microsoft 365 commercial annual price beside nonprofit staff pricing. CAD per user per month. Taxes extra. As of October 2026.
Plan. CAD per user per month, annual. Taxes extra. As of October 2026.	Commercial	Nonprofit staff
Business Basic	$9.50	Free grant, up to 300 users
Business Standard	$19.00	$4.60
Business Premium	$29.80	$7.50
Microsoft 365 E3	$52.90	Ask us
Microsoft 365 E5	$81.40	Ask us

Business Basic

$9.50 commercial

Free grant nonprofit, up to 300 users

Business Standard

$19.00 commercial

$4.60 nonprofit staff

Business Premium

$29.80 commercial

$7.50 nonprofit staff

Microsoft 365 E3

$52.90 commercial

Ask us for nonprofit pricing

Microsoft 365 E5

$81.40 commercial

Ask us for nonprofit pricing

Nonprofit is not the same as free. Business Basic can be a grant for eligible orgs. Standard and Premium are discounted paid plans. E3 and E5 nonprofit pricing is available on request. Nonprofit prices shown are for an annual commitment.

Eligibility and seat rules differ from Google for Nonprofits. Microsoft validates your organization. Grants are limited to paid staff and unpaid executive leadership. Discounts can cover more staff and volunteers. Beneficiaries, donors and members are usually not eligible seats. Ask us before you budget.

See current nonprofit prices at Microsoft 365 nonprofit plans and pricing (Canada).

Which plan we’d steer you toward

Short version: go with Business Premium if you want real control over devices and sign-ins.

Business Basic

Email, Teams and web apps. Fine for light roles.

Business Standard

Desktop Office and Teams. Light security defaults only.

Business Premium

Adds Conditional Access, Intune and Defender for Business.

For most small offices we start with Business Premium. E3 and E5 are for larger or regulated teams.

Basic suits light, browser-only roles. Standard adds desktop Office but keeps light security. Premium adds Conditional Access, Intune and Defender for Business. E3 and E5 are for larger or regulated teams.

Security, in plain words

Multi-factor sign in

A password alone is not enough.

Conditional Access

Who signs in, from where, on what device. Premium and up.

Device management

Intune on Premium and up to manage laptops and phones.

Device protection

Defender for Business on Premium. Stronger on E3 and E5.

Basic and Standard get only light security defaults. Premium is where real control starts.

Backups for Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is not backed up for you the way most people assume. Recycle bins help for a short while. After they empty, data can be gone for good.

3 copies

Your live data and two backups.

1 copy offsite

Encrypted cold storage in Vancouver BC.

1 copy locked

Locked for 30 days so ransomware and mistakes cannot wipe it.

Recycle bins are short. A backup is only real once a test restore works.

Curious why? Why a locked backup copy matters and why sign in needs a second check, in plain words.

We back up Microsoft 365 through Veeam, with immutable copies locked for 30 days. Offsite backup data is kept in Vancouver BC. We size it and test restores with you.

What Microsoft does

Runs the service. Your data is yours to protect.

What’s on you

Who can delete it, how long it’s kept, and getting it back.

What we recommend

An independent backup with restores we actually test.

How we set it up

Plan

People, devices and what you cannot afford to lose.

Set up

Domain, mail, sign-in rules and shared spaces.

Move

Mail and files in a quiet cutover window.

Support

We stay on the line after go-live.

You get a written plan before we touch DNS.

How we work with Microsoft

We’re a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP), both direct and indirect. We sell licences and look after them. We’re technology agnostic: if Google fits better, we’ll say so.

Prefer Google? See our Google Workspace page.

Let’s help you get started

Book a free consult with Tony. No pressure, no jargon. Call (604) 813-7881 or send us a note. Hours Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm MT. Emergencies 24/7, answered by a person.

(604) 813-7881

24/7 emergency line
Mon to Fri, 7am to 5pm MT. Emergency support 24/7 at (604) 813-7881, always answered by a person.

Or send us a note