Microsoft 365 Business lands in Australia, XCentral rolls out one of Australia's first implementations

Microsoft has released its productivity and operating system bundle for small to medium businesses in Australia.

Microsoft 365 Business combines some of the vendor's most popular software products – Office 365 Business Premium, Windows 10 and Enterprise Mobility + Security – into a single subscription package aimed at businesses with up to 300 users.

Microsoft 365 is also available in the Enterprise stream for businesses with more than 300 seats, and includes Office 365 Enterprise and Windows 10 Enterprise instead. Microsoft 365 Enterprise launched on 1 August.

General manager for digital workplace and collaboration Ian Heard said customers would also be able to tailor security capabilities to protect their data with Microsoft 365 Business.

“Small business owners are excellent operators, often dealing with tight margins and even tighter timelines. As such, Microsoft 365 Business is a practical answer to a growing demand for digital excellence in the workplace, without the need for an expert IT manager to support it,” Heard said.

Microsoft 365 Business is also available through channel partners starting today, though the company said customers can sign up and receive support from the flagship Microsoft Store in Sydney.

The company said that "numerous" customers have already signed up, revealing Basketball Australia as one of the first local organisations to jump on board.

The software suite was rolled out by award-winning Microsoft partner and SMB specialist XCentral, which will continue to be Basketball Australia's managed service provider going forward.

XCentral implemented Microsoft 365 for 50 seats split between Basketball Australia's Victorian, ACT and remote locations.

Basketball Australia chief executive Anthony Moore said the organisation was looking to meet the demands of travelling teams needing to access information in real-time.

“Microsoft 365 Business will allow us to standardise our processes so Windows 10 and Office 365 are accessible on all devices, providing a sophisticated communication platform for coaches, stakeholders and internal business managers to communicate both internally and externally,” he said.

XCentral director of business development Angus Manfield said: "The constant travel and the separation of the offices means that they want the benefits of Microsoft 365 Business ASAP.

"From a cultural perspective, it has been fantastic. We align on what we see as important, and they have been great at driving their side of the project. They are very progressive, making all discussions very positive and forward-thinking."