At the heart of Office 365 are two essential subscription paths a customer can go through:
Office 365 for Small Businesses and Professionals
Office 365 for Enterprises
(There is also Office 365 for education which is similar in the feature listing and plans to the enterprise offering, however it is licensed in a way not covered in this book.)
The main difference between the two subscription types is that under the small business and professionals plan, the subscription provides high value but no licensing flexibility. There are also several other limitations which are addressed further in this chapter.
There are a number of different ways to purchase these:
From a syndication partner (for example, a telecommunications provider that resells Office 365)
From a Microsoft licensing reseller (for example, an IT company that supplies Microsoft Open Business or Open Value licenses)
From a Microsoft Large Account Reseller for those with School/Campus/Select/Enterprise agreements
Navigating the Microsoft licensing maze can be challenging; most people can get quite confused by all the various plans and licensing models.
The best approach is to write down what features and functionality you want for your organization, including your people plans for the next three years. Having this information, you can then look at the Office 365 subscription plans and make the right decisions. If you're still lost, you may need to work with a Microsoft partner who specializes in Office 365 to help you make the right licensing choice.