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Bikesh Ghimire
Bikesh Ghimire

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A Complete Guide to Microsoft 365 Business Premium for IT Administrators (2025)

#microsoft #365 #business #premium

As businesses adapt to hybrid and remote work, securing productivity tools and data across devices has become essential. Microsoft 365 Business Premium provides a complete package designed specifically for small to mid-sized businesses that require robust security, device management, and collaboration tools—without the complexity of the enterprise-grade E5 tier.

Microsoft 365 Business Premium

In this guide, we’ll explore Microsoft 365 Business Premium from an IT administrator’s point of view: what it includes, why it matters, how to deploy it, and what scripts and tools can help with management and automation.

What is Microsoft 365 Business Premium?

Microsoft 365 Business Premium combines:

  1. - Office 365 Apps (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access)
  2. - Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Teams
  3. - Microsoft Defender for Business
  4. - Intune for device and application management
  5. - Azure AD Premium P1
  6. - Windows 11 Pro upgrade rights

It’s designed for companies with up to 300 users, offering enterprise-grade features without enterprise pricing.

Key Benefits for Admins

Feature Description

  • Device Management: Manage Windows, iOS, Android, macOS through Microsoft Intune
  • Advanced Security: Includes Defender for Business, ransomware protection, conditional access
  • Simplified Identity Management: Azure AD Premium P1 allows SSO, MFA, Conditional Access
  • Remote Wipe: Wipe company data from lost or stolen devices
  • Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Control how data is shared via email and Teams
  • Autopilot & BitLocker Automate provisioning and enforce encryption policies

Step-by-Step Setup Guide for Admins

  1. Assign Licenses to Users You can assign licenses via the Microsoft 365 Admin Center or use PowerShell for bulk actions:

powershell

# Connect to Microsoft 365
Connect-MsolService

# Assign Business Premium license to a user
Set-MsolUserLicense -UserPrincipalName [email protected] -AddLicenses "domain:BUSINESS_PREMIUM"
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To bulk assign licenses from a CSV:

powershell

# CSV should have a column 'UserPrincipalName'
Import-Csv "C:\users.csv" | ForEach-Object {
    Set-MsolUserLicense -UserPrincipalName $_.UserPrincipalName -AddLicenses "domain:BUSINESS_PREMIUM"
}
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  1. Configure MFA and Conditional Access Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is included with Azure AD Premium P1.

Enable MFA via Conditional Access:

Go to Azure AD > Security > Conditional Access

Create a new policy:

Users: All users (exclude break-glass accounts)

Cloud apps: All cloud apps

Conditions: Location > Exclude trusted locations

Access controls: Require MFA

PowerShell:

powershell

# Use MS Graph PowerShell SDK
Connect-MgGraph -Scopes "Policy.ReadWrite.ConditionalAccess"

# Example to list policies
Get-MgConditionalAccessPolicy
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  1. Enroll Devices in Intune Admins can enforce device enrollment using Automatic Enrollment:

Go to Intune Admin Center > Devices > Enroll devices > Automatic enrollment

Ensure MDM is set to "Some" or "All"

Assign a group for enrollment

To manually enroll a device:

On Windows: Go to Settings > Accounts > Access work or school > Connect

Enter work email and password

To check enrollment:

powershell

# Requires Intune PowerShell SDK
Get-IntuneManagedDevice
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  1. Configure Device Compliance Policies Compliance policies determine if a device is compliant with security standards:

Go to Intune > Devices > Compliance policies

Create policies for:

Minimum OS version

BitLocker encryption

Password complexity

PowerShell example to get compliance policies:

powershell

Get-IntuneDeviceCompliancePolicy
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  1. Deploy Office 365 Apps You can deploy Office apps using Intune:

Go to Apps > Windows > Add

Select Microsoft 365 Apps for Windows 10/11

Configure update channels (Monthly, Semi-Annual)

You can also script installations using the Office Deployment Tool (ODT):

Configuration XML:

xml

<Configuration>
  <Add OfficeClientEdition="64" Channel="MonthlyEnterprise">
    <Product ID="O365BusinessRetail">
      <Language ID="en-us" />
    </Product>
  </Add>
  <Updates Enabled="TRUE" />
  <Display Level="None" AcceptEULA="TRUE" />
</Configuration>
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Deploy via command:

powershell

setup.exe /configure config.xml
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  1. Enable Defender for Business Defender for Business is pre-included in the license.

Go to Microsoft 365 Defender portal

Onboard devices via Intune, GPO, or script

Onboarding via Intune:

Go to Endpoint Security > Onboarding

Choose Platform (e.g., Windows 10)

Download the script

Assign to device groups

PowerShell onboarding (if using script):

powershell

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "<defender_script_url>" -OutFile "onboard.ps1"
.\onboard.ps1
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  1. Enable Windows Autopilot for Zero-Touch Deployment Autopilot simplifies setting up new devices:

Get the hardware hash:

powershell

md c:\HWID
Set-Location c:\HWID
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://aka.ms/Get-WindowsAutopilotInfo" -OutFile "Get-WindowsAutoPilotInfo.ps1"
.\Get-WindowsAutoPilotInfo.ps1 -OutputFile AutoPilotHWID.csv
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Upload the CSV to Intune > Devices > Windows enrollment > Devices

Assign a deployment profile (e.g., standard user, kiosk mode)

  1. Configure DLP Policies DLP policies prevent sensitive info from leaving your org:

Go to Microsoft Purview > Data loss prevention

Create a policy:

Locations: Exchange, SharePoint, Teams

Conditions: e.g., Credit Card Numbers

Actions: Notify user, block message, report to admin

  1. Setup Safe Links & Safe Attachments Go to Microsoft Defender > Policies > Safe Attachments

Enable for all messages

Enable Dynamic Delivery (for quick preview before scan)

For Safe Links:

Enable URL rewriting

Track user clicks

Apply to Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint

  1. Automate with PowerShell & Graph API Common tasks:

Export user list:

powershell

Get-MsolUser | Export-Csv "C:\UsersList.csv" -NoTypeInformation
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Get device compliance:

powershell

Get-IntuneManagedDevice | Select-Object deviceName, complianceState
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List licenses:

powershell

Get-MsolAccountSku
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Best Practices for Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Task

  • MFA: Always enforce MFA, especially for admins
  • Admin Accounts: Use separate accounts for admin work; limit global admins
  • User Training: Regular phishing simulations and awareness
  • Device Management: Enforce compliance before granting access
  • Backup: Use third-party backups for SharePoint and Exchange Online
  • Auditing: Enable audit logs in Purview for traceability

Common Use Cases

  1. Remote Worker Setup
  2. Autopilot + Intune + Office Apps pre-installed
  3. BYOD
  4. App Protection Policies for mobile users
  5. Contractor Access
  6. Conditional Access with time limits and restricted apps

Final Thoughts
Microsoft 365 Business Premium is ideal for IT administrators managing growing organizations that need enterprise-grade features without enterprise overhead. With integrated security, centralized management, and powerful automation, it sets the foundation for secure productivity in the modern workplace.

As an admin, mastering the tools—Intune, PowerShell, Defender, and Conditional Access—is key to maximizing the platform's potential.

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