Effective May 2, 2025, Business Premium is no longer an eligible license prerequisite for Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance.
License Prerequisites of Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance
The following licenses give the right to purchase Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance licenses:
| License prerequisite for Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance | Eligibility |
| Microsoft 365 E3 / A3 / G3 | ✅ Eligible |
| Office 365 E3 / A3 / G3 and Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) E3 / A3 / G3 | ✅ Eligible (must be combined) |
| Microsoft 365 Business Premium | ❌ No longer eligible |
Are there other options for licensing the features of Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance?
Yes. All of the Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance features are included with Microsoft 365 E5. Subsets of the features are available through the Microsoft 365 E5 Information Protection and Governance, Microsoft 365 E5 insider risk management, and Microsoft 365 E5 eDiscovery and Audit offers.
How to save on Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance?
For a limited time, Microsoft is offering a 50% discount on Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance for all customers with Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses. Find out more here: https://www.schneider.im/microsoft-365-e5-compliance-promotion/.
What happens if I don’t change my license?
You may lose access to Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance features if your base license (Microsoft 365 Business Premium) is no longer eligible after your next renewal or audit. Consider upgrading to Microsoft 365 E3 or combining Office 365 E3 with EMS E3 to maintain eligibility. You can also upgrade to Microsoft 365 E5 suites, in which all features of Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance are included at no additional cost.
What is Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance?
Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance is an advanced compliance and risk management solution designed to help organizations meet complex regulatory, legal, and privacy requirements. It builds on Microsoft 365’s core security and compliance capabilities by adding tools for information protection, insider risk management, eDiscovery, and more.
It includes:
- Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention
- Microsoft Purview Information Protection
- Microsoft Purview Data Lifecycle Management
- Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management
- Microsoft Purview Communication Compliance
- Microsoft Purview eDiscovery (Premium)
- Microsoft Purview Audit (Premium)
- Microsoft Purview Compliance Manager
- Microsoft Purview Customer Lockbox
- Microsoft Purview Customer Key
- Microsoft Purview Message Encryption
- Microsoft Purview Information Barriers
- Microsoft Purview Privileged Access Management
- Microsoft Purview compliance portal
What should I do now?
To adapt to this change:
- Review your current licensing: Identify if any users are leveraging Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance with Business Premium as the base license.
- Plan your transition: Consider upgrading to Microsoft 365 E3 or combining Office 365 E3 with EMS E3 to maintain eligibility.
- Contact SCHNEIDER IT MANAGEMENT: Our licensing experts are ready to help you evaluate your current setup and recommend the most cost-effective and compliant path forward.
