For many small businesses, Microsoft 365 has become part of the core IT infrastructure. Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint are used every day, so a licence price change is more than another line on an invoice. It is a useful opportunity to check what the business is paying for, which features employees actually use and whether user accounts are properly managed.
Microsoft announced commercial pricing and packaging changes for 2026. The effect varies by plan, market and agreement, but it can affect Microsoft 365 Business and Microsoft 365 Apps subscriptions. Looking only at the new price per user is not enough. The full licence structure should be reviewed before the next renewal.
Start with the real number of active users
Businesses often keep paying for former employees, old test accounts or shared mailboxes that do not require a full licence. Compare the current employee list with the accounts in the Microsoft 365 admin centre.
Former employee accounts need careful handling. Before removing a licence, preserve business email and files, transfer document ownership, review forwarding rules and revoke active sessions. A proper offboarding procedure reduces cost without losing company data.
The cheapest package is not always the cheapest solution
Business Basic may suit users who mainly work in a browser. Business Standard is often appropriate when employees need desktop Office applications. Moving a user to a cheaper package without checking their work can disrupt complex Excel files, Outlook archives, add-ins or business applications that open Word and Excel documents.
At the same time, every employee does not need the same premium package. Administration, sales, warehouse and management roles can have very different requirements. Matching licences to real job roles can reduce monthly cost without removing useful functionality.
Review the security settings, not only the feature list
Some package changes include additional security and administration capabilities. These controls only help when they are enabled, tested and configured for the business. Defender features, suspicious-message policies, device management and access controls do not become effective simply because they appear in a subscription.
Every business should at least review MFA for all users, separate administrator accounts, automatic email forwarding, former employee access and account recovery methods.
Calculate the real cost of Microsoft 365
The licence is only one part of the cost. Email migration, domain configuration, account security, backup, user support and troubleshooting Outlook, Teams or OneDrive also matter. A cheaper subscription can become expensive when employees lose time every day because the environment is poorly configured.
Microsoft 365 should be treated as a business system rather than a collection of Office programs. A well-managed tenant lets employees work simply while the business retains control over access, data and recurring cost.
What to do before the next renewal
Create an inventory of users, licences and shared mailboxes. Remove unnecessary subscriptions only after business data has been preserved. Review security settings and group employees by their actual requirements. With a planned review, new Microsoft 365 pricing does not have to mean uncontrolled cost growth.
NBG TEAM provides Microsoft 365 support for businesses in Belgrade, including licence reviews, email migration, account protection, Outlook troubleshooting and daily administration. The objective is not to sell the largest number of licences, but to make sure every user has the right licence and a secure working environment.
Sources and further reading
For help with your specific business environment, see our business IT support service.
