Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 bundles professional email, Office apps, cloud storage, and team collaboration into one subscription. It is ideal for small businesses that rely on Word, Excel, and Outlook: or need advanced security and compliance features.
Getting Started in 5 Steps
Choose your Microsoft 365 plan
Visit microsoft.com/microsoft-365/business. The Business Basic plan ($6/user/month) includes web versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. Business Standard adds desktop apps.
Set up your business domain email
Add your domain in the Microsoft Admin Center and verify ownership. Create user mailboxes like you@yourcompany.com and configure Outlook on desktop and mobile.
Organize files in SharePoint and OneDrive
Store personal work files in OneDrive and team files in SharePoint. Set permissions so only the right people can access sensitive documents like payroll or contracts.
Start using Microsoft Teams
Create a Team for your business and channels for each department or project. Teams replaces group text chains with threaded, searchable conversations.
Explore Excel and Power BI for reporting
Use Excel templates for budgets, inventory, and sales tracking. Connect to Power BI for visual dashboards that update automatically from your data.
Pro Tips for Small Business Owners
- Use Microsoft Bookings to let customers schedule appointments online: integrates directly with your Outlook calendar.
- Enable Microsoft Defender for Business to protect all company devices from malware and phishing.
- Set up retention policies in the Compliance Center so emails and files are kept as long as legally required.
- Use Power Automate to create simple workflows like 'When a new lead email arrives, add them to my CRM and send a welcome message.'