Microsoft 365 for Business: 10 Features Worth Checking in Your Plan

Most businesses treat their Microsoft 365 subscription as an expensive way to access Word, Excel, and an Outlook inbox. If that is all your team uses it for, you may not be getting the most out of it.

Microsoft 365 business plans include many applications, and exactly which ones depends on the plan. During our IT advisory sessions, we sometimes find companies paying for third-party software (like Zoom, Calendly, or Dropbox) for jobs that a Microsoft licence they already have may cover. Always check which plan includes a feature before you rely on it.

Let's explore the 10 hidden features inside your Microsoft 365 ecosystem that can streamline your operations, enhance your cybersecurity, and, where it makes sense, reduce software costs. Replace another tool only if the Microsoft alternative meets your requirements.

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Check Where You May Be Paying for Overlapping Software

1. SharePoint Online (Your Central Intranet)

Stop saving company documents to personal desktops or paying for unnecessary third-party cloud storage. With appropriate IT support, SharePoint can act as a central intranet for your organisation. Document libraries and access controls can restrict HR and financial records to authorised groups, subject to correct configuration and ongoing review.

2. Microsoft Bookings

Still playing email ping-pong to find a meeting time? Microsoft Bookings is a direct alternative to tools like Calendly. It integrates natively with your Outlook calendar, allowing clients to select available time slots and automatically generating a Teams meeting link for the appointment. Plan: available in Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard and Premium (Microsoft Learn: Bookings FAQ)

3. Power Automate (Business Process Automation)

If your team is manually moving email attachments to folders, or manually notifying a Teams channel when a new lead fills out a form, you need Power Automate. It allows you to build workflow automations that connect Microsoft apps together and reduce repetitive tasks. Plan: Microsoft 365 licences include Power Automate use rights, but premium connectors require a separate Power Automate licence (Microsoft Learn: Power Platform licensing FAQ)

4. Teams Phone System

Microsoft Teams isn't just for internal video calls. Teams Phone lets your staff make and receive external calls from Teams, including IVR menus (press 1 for Sales, 2 for Support). It requires a separate licence and a calling solution; with Direct Routing that means a telephony operator and a compatible SBC device or SBC service. Plan: not part of the standard Business Standard or Premium bundle; it needs a separate Teams Phone licence and calling solution (Microsoft: Teams Phone pricing)

5. Microsoft Defender for Business

If you are on the Business Premium tier, you have access to enterprise-grade Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR). Defender for Business actively protects against ransomware and zero-day threats. Whether it can replace your current third-party antivirus depends on your requirements: replace another tool only if the alternative meets them. Plan: included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium; also available as a standalone subscription for eligible organisations of up to 300 users (Microsoft Learn: Defender for Business)

6. Microsoft Planner

Need to track a project? Microsoft Planner offers Kanban-style boards identical to Trello or Asana. You can assign tasks, set deadlines, and attach files. Because it is part of M365, you can manage these tasks directly inside your Teams channels.

7. Microsoft Forms

Whether you need to collect customer feedback, run an internal employee satisfaction survey, or create an onboarding questionnaire, Microsoft Forms handles it effortlessly. Responses are automatically compiled into an Excel spreadsheet for easy analysis.

8. Intune (Mobile Device Management)

With remote work becoming the norm, protecting company data on personal devices is critical. Microsoft Intune (an Intune licence is required for each user or device) allows you to enforce security policies. If an employee loses their phone, you can remotely wipe the company data (like Outlook and Teams) without touching their personal photos or messages. Plan: needs an Intune licence for each user or device that uses the service (Microsoft Learn: Intune licensing)

9. Conditional Access Policies

Passwords are no longer enough. Conditional Access allows you to set intelligent rules. For example, you can block any login attempt to your Microsoft 365 environment if the user is located physically outside of the UK, drastically reducing the risk of a foreign cyber attack. Plan: requires Microsoft Entra ID P1; Microsoft 365 Business Premium customers can also use Conditional Access features (Microsoft Learn: Conditional Access)

10. Microsoft Loop

A direct competitor to Notion, Microsoft Loop provides flexible, collaborative workspaces. Loop components (like tables, task lists, or paragraphs) can be embedded directly into a Teams chat or an Outlook email, and they stay synchronized in real-time across all platforms.

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The Business Impact of Proper M365 Management

A proper managed IT service provider doesn't just sell you licenses; they configure the environment to match your workflows perfectly. By utilizing these hidden features, UK businesses routinely experience:

• ✓ Reduced SaaS Sprawl: Reviewing overlapping subscriptions can help you keep software spend under control.
• ✓ Bulletproof Security: Keeping data within one unified ecosystem reduces vulnerabilities and shadow IT.
• ✓ Higher Productivity: No more context-switching between 10 different apps to get a simple job done.

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Frequently Asked Questions