The Best Business Email Solution: Why We Recommend Microsoft 365

Nextgen Experts Team
Dec 23, 2025
3 min read

When it comes to business email, there are countless options available. From basic email hosting to full-featured productivity suites, the choices can feel overwhelming. But here's the good news: you really only need to consider two platforms seriously—Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. Both are excellent choices backed by tech giants. But which one do we recommend? Let us share our perspective.

Why We Recommend Microsoft 365

At Nextgen Experts, we recommend Microsoft 365 for most of our clients. Here's why:

Familiarity matters. Most business professionals have spent years working with Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. That familiarity translates to less training time and fewer support calls. When your team already knows the tools, productivity stays high.

Desktop apps still matter. While browser-based apps have improved dramatically, the full desktop versions of Word and Excel remain more powerful for complex documents and spreadsheets. Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Premium include these desktop apps.

Better integration with business systems. Many business applications—from CRM systems to accounting software—integrate more seamlessly with Microsoft products. This compatibility can save headaches down the road.

Understanding Microsoft 365 Licensing

Microsoft offers several licensing tiers for businesses with up to 300 users. Here's a quick breakdown:

Business Basic ($6/user/month)

The entry-level option gives you web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, plus 1 TB of cloud storage per user. Good for businesses that primarily work in browsers.

Business Standard ($12.50/user/month)

Adds the full desktop versions of Office apps. This is where most small businesses start. You get the complete Microsoft Office experience you're familiar with.

Business Premium ($22/user/month) — Our Top Recommendation

If your budget allows, Business Premium offers the best value for most organizations. At $22 per user per month, you get everything in Standard plus a comprehensive security and management package that would cost significantly more to purchase separately.

What Makes Business Premium Worth It?

The jump from $12.50 to $22 per user might seem significant, but consider what you're getting:

Advanced Email Security

Safe Links scans every link in your emails in real-time. Even if a link was safe when the email arrived but becomes malicious later, Safe Links will block it when someone clicks. This protection follows your team everywhere—in Outlook, Teams, and Office documents.

Safe Attachments opens email attachments in a secure sandbox environment before delivering them. If an attachment contains hidden malware that traditional antivirus might miss, Safe Attachments catches it. This protects against zero-day threats—new attacks that haven't been seen before.

Microsoft Defender for Business

Business Premium includes Microsoft Defender for Business—an enterprise-grade antivirus and endpoint protection solution. This replaces the need for separate antivirus software. Defender provides real-time protection against viruses, ransomware, and other threats, with a centralized dashboard to monitor the security status of all company devices.

Identity and Access Protection

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and Conditional Access policies ensure only authorized users can access your company data. You can set rules like "require MFA when logging in from outside the office" or "block access from countries where we don't do business." These features significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

More Than Just Email: The Microsoft 365 Ecosystem

Here's something we've observed: once a business starts using Microsoft 365, they often discover capabilities they didn't know they needed. What starts as "we just need email" often evolves into a complete modernization of their IT infrastructure.

Teams for Collaboration: Video meetings, chat, and file sharing in one place. Many businesses have reduced travel and improved communication with remote team members.

OneDrive for Storage: Each user gets 1 TB of cloud storage. Files sync automatically between devices, accessible from anywhere.

Intune for Device Management: Business Premium includes Microsoft Intune for centralized management of company computers and mobile devices. Deploy software, enforce security policies, and remotely wipe lost devices—all from a web browser.

Azure Integration: As your business grows, Microsoft 365 provides a natural pathway to Azure cloud services. Need a virtual server? A custom application? AI-powered tools? The foundation is already in place.

The Bottom Line

Email is just the starting point. The platform you choose today becomes the foundation for your business technology for years to come.

For most businesses—especially those in healthcare, legal, accounting, and other professional services—we recommend Microsoft 365 Business Premium. The combination of familiar tools, robust security features, and growth potential makes it the best value for organizations serious about protecting their data and empowering their teams.

Need Help Getting Started?

Nextgen Experts can help your business set up and migrate to Microsoft 365. We handle the technical details—domain configuration, email migration, security settings, and user training—so you can focus on running your business.

Sources: Microsoft 365 Business Plans and Pricing (microsoft.com), Microsoft Defender for Office 365 service description (Microsoft Learn). Pricing current as of December 2025.