“Identity and Threat Protection” and “Information Protection and Compliance” are designed for Office 365 E3 customers. They are already available for Microsoft 365 E5 subscribers but will not come to E3 users. Microsoft says the features will be available to purchase separately from Feb. 1, 2019. Through Identity and Threat Protection, customers receive a bundle that combines Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) services. In the bundle are Threat Protection, Cloud App Security, and Azure Active Directory services. Advanced Threat Protection is a bundle within a bundle, offering Windows Defender ATP, Azure ATP, and Office 365 ATP. Microsoft says the Identity and Threat Protection component will cost $12 per month for companies running the Office 365 E3 plan. The new Information Protection and Compliance bundle is also landing next month. This package pulls together Office 365 Advance Compliance service and Azure Information Protection service. Microsoft says this will cost $10 per month on the E3 subscription.
Time to Upgrade?
While Microsoft is expanding the E3 plans, these features could also serve as a push for organizations to upgrade to Microsoft 365 E5. Both Identity and Threat Protection and Protection and Compliance are already available on the suite. The math also adds up when considering a move to E5. It costs $35 per user per month, with the caveat that an organization must have over 300 users. E3 costs $20 per user per month, so adding the two new components would push the price to $42 per user per month.
