Article originally published on 26th August 2021.

On Thursday 19th August, Microsoft announced an update to its commercial pricing for Microsoft 365, the first substantive update since Office 365 was released in June 2011. Microsoft have stated that this change will come into effect on 1st March 2022 – meaning customers have just over half a year to prepare for these changes.

In a blog released last week, Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft 365 states:

“On March 1, 2022, we will update our list pricing for the following commercial products: Microsoft 365 Business Basic (from $5 to $6 per user), Microsoft 365 Business Premium (from $20 to $22), Office 365 E1 (from $8 to $10), Office 365 E3 (from $20 to $23), Office 365 E5 (from $35 to $38), and Microsoft 365 E3 (from $32 to $36). These increases will apply globally with local market adjustments for certain regions. There are no changes to pricing for education and consumer products at this time”.

According to Microsoft, this updated pricing reflects the increased value they have delivered to our customers over the past 10 years.

Along with the price change; Microsoft have also announced the extension of unlimited dial-in across the paid Enterprise, Business, Frontline, and Government suites, enabling users to dial-in and join a Teams’ meeting from virtually any device.

Windows 11 available from 5th October

Microsoft has announced that Windows 11 will start to become available on 5th October 2021. On this day, the free upgrade to Windows 11 will begin rolling out to eligible Windows 10 PCs and PCs that come pre-loaded with Windows 11 will start to become available for purchase.

Microsoft and Trustmarque

We are in ongoing discussions with Microsoft to understand how these changes will affect our customers and we will be providing further communications and guidance as these changes are confirmed. Please contact your Trustmarque Account Manager to discuss this announcement further and how we can support you during these changes.

Learn more about the modern pricing changes on the Microsoft blog.