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Identity profile

Information / knowledge worker (end user)

Office, Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint user on a desktop or laptop. Two short questions → exact E3 / E3+Copilot / E5 / E7 recommendation.

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  • Entry node q_iw_platform
  • Reachable results 8
  • Premium buckets covered 6 / 9
  • Profile tone primary

What this profile is

Office, Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint user on a desktop or laptop. Two short questions → exact E3 / E3+Copilot / E5 / E7 recommendation.

First question · Knowledge worker tier

Does this user's organization want Microsoft to ALSO license Windows 11 Enterprise + Microsoft Intune device management + Microsoft Entra ID P1 (Conditional Access, group-based licensing, MFA enforcement via CA, SSPR, password protection) under the SAME per-user SKU as Office?

This is the canonical Microsoft 365 vs Office 365 fork. M365 E-series = Office + Windows + EMS (Intune + Entra ID P1/P2) bundled. O365 E-series = Office cloud productivity ONLY (Exchange / Teams / SharePoint / OneDrive / desktop Office) — no Windows licence, no Intune, no Entra ID P1 included. O365 is roughly $11–$22 / user / month cheaper than the matching M365 tier and is the right base when the org licenses Windows + Intune + EMS separately (e.g. BYOD, Mac / Linux fleets, third-party MDM, existing EMS-only enrolment, or Windows Volume Licensing handled by procurement). Microsoft Product Terms allow EMS E3 / EMS E5 to be added per-user on top of any O365 base.

Premium capabilities this profile can land on

Each chip is a premium Microsoft 365 capability bucket the information / knowledge worker (end user) decision path can recommend. Click through to the matching reference entry.

Recommendations on this path (8)

Every result your decision path can reach is listed below. Click any badge to open the full reference entry with all bullets and Microsoft source citations.

  1. Microsoft 365 E3

    Microsoft 365 E3

    Baseline knowledge-worker SKU — desktop Office, Exchange P2, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Intune, Entra ID P1, Defender for Office P1, AIP P1.

    License: Microsoft 365 E3, per user

    Why this lands here: You picked Information / knowledge worker, declined E5-tier security/compliance/identity, and don't need Copilot. M365 E3 is the smallest Enterprise SKU that includes desktop Office + Exchange + Teams + Intune + Entra ID P1 — the right baseline.

    • Includes desktop Office (Word/Excel/PowerPoint/Outlook), Exchange Online Plan 2 (100 GB mailbox), Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive (1 TB+).
    • Includes Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Entra ID P1 (Conditional Access, MFA), Defender for Office 365 P1, AIP P1.
    • Add Microsoft 365 Copilot per user if Copilot need emerges later — no base-plan change required.
    • Step up to M365 E5 when you need Defender XDR / Purview E5 / Entra ID P2 for the same user.
  2. M365 E3 + Copilot

    Microsoft 365 E3 + Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on

    E3 baseline with the Copilot add-on layered per user — no base-plan upgrade required.

    License: Microsoft 365 E3 per user PLUS the Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on per Copilot user

    Why this lands here: You picked Information / knowledge worker, declined E5-tier security/compliance/identity, but need Copilot. M365 E3 + Copilot add-on is cheaper than jumping to M365 E5 or E7 — and only the users who actually use Copilot need the add-on.

    • E3 covers the desktop Office + Exchange + Teams + Intune + Entra ID P1 baseline.
    • Copilot add-on per user enables Copilot in Word/Excel/PowerPoint/Outlook/Teams + Copilot Studio grounded in tenant data + Microsoft 365 Chat.
    • Only license the users that will actually use Copilot — license assignment is what gates access.
    • If the user later needs E5-tier security/compliance/identity, swap E3 → E5 (keep the Copilot add-on); or move to E7 (bundles E5 + Copilot + Entra Suite + Agent 365).
  3. Microsoft 365 E5

    Microsoft 365 E5

    Single bundled SKU that covers Defender Suite + Purview E5 + Entra ID P2 + Power BI Pro + Teams Phone.

    License: Microsoft 365 E5, per user — includes Defender Suite + Purview E5 + Entra ID P2

    Why this lands here: You picked Information / knowledge worker AND need E5-tier security / compliance / identity. M365 E5 is the single SKU that covers Defender XDR + Purview E5 + Entra ID P2 — usually cheaper than E3 + E5 Compliance + Defender Suite + P2 add-ons.

    • Includes Microsoft Defender Suite (Defender XDR + Endpoint P2 + Identity + Cloud Apps + Office P2), Microsoft Purview E5 (IRM, eDiscovery Premium, Audit Premium, Customer Lockbox, etc.), Microsoft Entra ID P2 (PIM, Identity Protection).
    • Also includes Power BI Pro and Teams Phone Standard.
    • Add Microsoft 365 Copilot per user if Copilot need emerges (or move to M365 E7).
    • For Entra Suite features (Internet/Private Access, Verified ID) — buy Entra Suite add-on or move to E7.
  4. M365 E7 (Frontier Suite)

    Microsoft 365 E7 (Frontier Suite)

    Single bundled SKU that includes E5 + Copilot + Entra Suite + Agent 365.

    License: Microsoft 365 E7 (Frontier Suite), per user — bundles E5, Copilot, Entra Suite, and Agent 365

    Why this lands here: You picked Information / knowledge worker AND need E5-tier security AND Copilot + Entra Suite + Agent 365 in a single bundle. E7 (GA 2026-05-01) bundles all of those — typically cheaper than E5 + Copilot + Entra Suite + Agent 365 priced individually.

    • Bundles Microsoft 365 E5 + Microsoft 365 Copilot + Microsoft Entra Suite + Agent 365 in one license.
    • Covers Defender Suite + Purview E5 + Entra ID P2 + Internet/Private Access + Verified ID + Copilot + Agent governance — the most comprehensive M365 SKU.
    • Security Copilot capacity included at no extra cost.
    • Confirm pricing vs. E5 + Copilot + Entra Suite stacked individually with your Microsoft account team — E7 is normally cheaper when all three are needed.
  5. M365 Apps for Enterprise

    Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise

    Installed Office desktop apps as a per-user SKU — NO Exchange, Teams, SharePoint, or OneDrive cloud services.

    License: Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise, per user (~$12 / user / month)

    Why this lands here: You picked Information / knowledge worker, declined the full M365 bundle, AND said the user only needs the installed Office apps (no Microsoft cloud email / Teams / SharePoint). M365 Apps for Enterprise is the apps-only SKU — meaningfully cheaper than any Office 365 E-tier when the user gets mail / chat / file-share from a third-party service.

    • Installed Office desktop apps (Word / Excel / PowerPoint / Outlook / OneNote / Access / Publisher on Windows; Word / Excel / PowerPoint / Outlook on Mac) on up to 5 PCs/Macs + 5 tablets + 5 phones per user.
    • Includes 1 TB OneDrive for Business storage for the user — this is the ONE cloud service bundled.
    • Does NOT include Exchange Online (no mailbox), Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, Loop, or Forms cloud services. Mail and collaboration must come from a third party (Google Workspace, on-prem Exchange, IBM Notes, etc.) or be added as standalone SKUs.
    • Does NOT include Windows licence, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Entra ID P1, or any Defender / Purview features.
  6. Office 365 E1

    Office 365 E1

    Cheapest Enterprise O365 tier — cloud collab (Exchange 50 GB + Teams + SharePoint + OneDrive) with Office for the web / mobile only. NO installed desktop Office apps.

    License: Office 365 E1, per user (~$10 / user / month)

    Why this lands here: You picked Information / knowledge worker, declined the full M365 bundle, picked O365 cloud collab over apps-only, declined O5-tier premium services, AND said installed desktop Office apps are not required. Office 365 E1 is the cheapest O365 SKU that includes cloud collab — the user lives in the browser + mobile apps.

    • Exchange Online Plan 1 (50 GB mailbox), Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business (1 TB), Office for the web (Word / Excel / PowerPoint / Outlook / OneNote in the browser).
    • Office mobile apps with commercial-use rights on devices with a screen ≤ 10.9 inches — iPhones and most Android phones qualify; iPads and Surface tablets generally do NOT (Microsoft's service description rule).
    • NO installed desktop Office apps (no installed Outlook / Word / Excel / PowerPoint on Windows or Mac). If installed apps are needed, step up to Office 365 E3.
    • NO Windows licence, NO Microsoft Intune, NO Microsoft Entra ID P1. Add EMS E3 (~$10.60 / user / month) or buy Entra ID P1 standalone if Conditional Access / Intune is needed.
  7. Office 365 E3

    Office 365 E3

    Office cloud productivity — Exchange 100 GB + Teams + SharePoint + OneDrive + installed desktop Office apps. NO Windows / Intune / Entra ID P1.

    License: Office 365 E3, per user (~$23 / user / month) — about $13 / user / month less than Microsoft 365 E3

    Why this lands here: You picked Information / knowledge worker, declined the full M365 bundle, picked O365 cloud collab, declined O5-tier premium services, AND said installed desktop Office apps ARE needed. Office 365 E3 is the workhorse O365 tier — same Office productivity as M365 E3 minus the Windows + Intune + Entra P1 bundle.

    • Installed Office desktop apps (Word / Excel / PowerPoint / Outlook / OneNote / Access / Publisher) on up to 5 PCs / Macs + 5 tablets + 5 phones per user.
    • Exchange Online Plan 2 (100 GB mailbox + unlimited online archive), Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive (1 TB+, expandable).
    • Includes Microsoft Purview baseline (manual sensitivity labels, basic eDiscovery, baseline DLP, Office Message Encryption), Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 (Safe Links / Safe Attachments / anti-phish basic), Azure Information Protection P1.
    • NO Windows licence, NO Microsoft Intune, NO Microsoft Entra ID P1 — add EMS E3 (~$10.60 / user / month) if Intune + Conditional Access are needed (Office 365 E3 + EMS E3 ≈ Microsoft 365 E3 in features but you pay for them as two separate line items).
  8. Office 365 E5

    Office 365 E5

    O5 = O3 + Defender for Office 365 P2 + Microsoft Purview E5 + Power BI Pro + Teams Phone Standard. Still NO Windows / Intune / Entra ID P2.

    License: Office 365 E5, per user (~$38 / user / month) — about $20 / user / month less than Microsoft 365 E5

    Why this lands here: You picked Information / knowledge worker, declined the full M365 bundle, picked O365 cloud collab, AND need O5-tier premium services. Office 365 E5 bundles DfO P2 + Purview E5 + Power BI Pro + Teams Phone — cheaper than buying O3 + those four as add-ons, and meaningfully cheaper than M365 E5 if Windows / Intune / Entra P2 are licensed separately.

    • Everything in Office 365 E3 (installed Office apps + 100 GB Exchange + Teams + SharePoint + OneDrive + DfO P1 + AIP P1).
    • Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 2 — Safe Links / Safe Attachments / anti-phish impersonation + Threat Explorer + Automated Investigation and Response (AIR) + Attack Simulation Training.
    • Microsoft Purview E5 — Insider Risk Management, Communication Compliance, eDiscovery Premium (custodian / hold / review), Audit Premium (1-year retention + MailItemsAccessed crucial events), Customer Lockbox, Customer Key (HSM-backed), Information Barriers, Privileged Access Management for Office, automatic labelling.
    • Power BI Pro per user — publish / share / consume Pro workspaces and reports.

Microsoft sources behind this profile

Combined citation list from the entry question and every reachable result, deduped by URL (22 links).

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