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    COST GUIDE

    What does Microsoft 365 cost for an SME?

    The honest answer: there are four cost blocks — per-user licences, a one-time setup, optionally ongoing operations and optionally additional protection. And unlike most guides, we only use prices we publish ourselves: no market averages, no estimates, no hidden items.

    Only our own published pricesWorked example for 10 peopleOptional items clearly marked optional
    WHAT MAKES UP THE COSTS

    Four blocks — two of them optional

    Licences

    from CHF 6.60 per user/month

    Business Basic, Business Standard or Business Premium — per employee per month, excl. VAT. We procure the licences through the Microsoft CSP programme; they are cancellable monthly. Our recommended baseline is Business Premium: the only Business plan with Intune and Defender for Business.

    Setup

    one-time · written fixed-price quote

    Tenant, email and data migration, device and Teams configuration, a security baseline and an onboarding session. The effort depends on team size and starting point — which is why we don't publish a flat rate. After the free 30-minute intro call you receive a written fixed-price quote, before the project starts.

    Operations (optional)

    individually quoted after scoping

    The Managed Service combines ongoing Microsoft 365 operations, the included Support Agent and human escalation from Zurich. Because responsibilities, service windows, access and response commitments vary, we calculate it after scoping — you receive a binding monthly offer. Without the Managed Service you run M365 yourself; projects and individual tasks remain bookable on a time-and-materials basis.

    Protection (optional)

    from CHF 2.– per identity/month

    Two items with published prices: Microsoft 365 backup from CHF 6.90 to CHF 10.90 per user and month (depending on term and team size), and Managed Security with ITDR at CHF 2.– per protected identity and EDR at CHF 5.– per monitored device, each per month and excl. VAT. Onboarding, monitoring and reporting by Theia are included.

    Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Studio are licensed separately — we walk you through the licence costs transparently in the intro call.

    WORKED EXAMPLE

    What a 10-person SME actually pays

    Assumptions: 10 employees, one managed device each, Business Premium as the baseline (our recommendation). Optional items are marked as optional — you only pay for what you order. All amounts excl. VAT.

    Business Premium licences
    10 × CHF 20.74
    CHF 207.40 / month
    Setup (one-time)
    Written fixed-price quote after the free intro call
    one-time
    Managed Serviceoptional
    Individually quoted after scoping — binding monthly offer
    on request
    Microsoft 365 backupoptional
    10 × CHF 6.90 (5-year term; the lower rate applies from 5 users)
    CHF 69.– / month
    Managed Securityoptional
    ITDR 10 × CHF 2.– + EDR 10 × CHF 5.–
    CHF 70.– / month

    Monthly, licences only: CHF 207.40 · Monthly incl. both optional protection items: CHF 346.40 · Plus the one-time setup (fixed-price quote) and optionally the Managed Service (monthly offer after scoping).

    Different team size? The quote calculator uses the same prices — for your number of employees.

    Calculate a quote with your numbers
    WHERE SMES OVERPAY

    The three most common cost traps

    The wrong licence tier

    Business Standard looks cheaper, but includes neither Intune nor Defender for Business. If you need device management and baseline protection — and most SMEs do — you end up closing the gap later with add-on products. That's why we recommend Business Premium as the baseline.

    Unused and double-assigned licences

    Licences for departed employees, mis-assigned plans and double licensing quietly keep running. A licence audit makes this visible: we analyse your Microsoft tenant read-only within 1–2 weeks and deliver a concrete list of reassignment suggestions plus the savings potential in CHF per year.

    The highest tier for everyone by default

    The reverse trap: not every employee needs Premium. For individual roles a lower tier in the mix is often enough — the Premium recommendation applies to the baseline, not as a mandate for every seat.

    Microsoft licence optimisation
    KEEP READING

    The costs around it: support, setup, the full picture

    What does IT support cost?

    The sibling guide with sourced market figures: hourly rates, managed models and hidden costs in IT offers.

    Read the IT support cost guide

    Microsoft 365 at Theia

    The product page with current licence prices and everything the setup includes.

    See the Microsoft 365 page

    Have it set up

    How the one-time setup works — from tenant configuration to the onboarding session.

    How the setup works
    FAQ

    Common questions about Microsoft 365 costs

    Four blocks: per-user monthly licences, a one-time setup, optionally ongoing operations as a managed service, and optionally additional protection such as backup and managed security. Only the licences are mandatory — you order operations and protection only if you want them.

    That depends on the plan: Business Basic, Business Standard or Business Premium, each per employee per month, excl. VAT. The current CHF prices are on our Microsoft 365 page and in the quote calculator. We procure the licences through the Microsoft CSP programme, cancellable monthly. Our recommended baseline is Business Premium — the only Business plan with Intune and Defender for Business.

    The setup — tenant, email and data migration, device and Teams configuration, a security baseline and an onboarding session — is quoted individually, because the effort depends on team size and starting point. After the free 30-minute intro call you receive a written fixed-price quote, before the project starts — no surprises after that.

    We calculate the Managed Service individually based on operating scope, service windows, access rights, security requirements and response commitments. After scoping you receive a binding monthly offer; the Support Agent is included, licences are billed separately. Operations are optional — you can also run Microsoft 365 yourself and bring us in per project.

    Both are optional and publicly priced: the Microsoft 365 backup costs CHF 6.90 to 10.90 per user and month depending on term and team size, with the lower rate from 5 users. Managed Security costs CHF 2 per protected identity (ITDR) and CHF 5 per monitored device (EDR), each per month. All prices excl. VAT; onboarding, monitoring and reporting by Theia are included.

    Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Studio are licensed separately, on top of the Business plans. We walk you through the licence costs transparently in the intro call — including which employees Copilot actually pays off for, instead of equipping everyone by default.

    All prices on this page are our own published prices (excl. VAT): licences on /microsoft-365 and in the quote calculator, backup on /microsoft-365-backup, security on /managed-security. Setup and Managed Service are quoted individually and in writing. Market figures for IT support are in the sibling guide /it-support-kosten.

    YOUR NUMBERS

    Run the numbers for your team — or let us do it.

    The quote calculator shows you the licence costs for your team size in one minute — using the same prices as this page. And in the free 30-minute intro call you get the written fixed-price quote for the setup on top.

    Calculate a quoteor book an intro call

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