The 30 checks I run in every Microsoft 365 SMB tenant: identity, email, devices, data, monitoring and governance — with evidence pack and quarterly cadence.

Microsoft 365 licensing is not hard because there are no options. It is hard because too many options look similar until you need one specific feature. This guide gives you an interactive decision builder, a feature matrix mapped to licence tiers, persona-based licensing models, security and compliance licensing tables, Copilot readiness guidance, an add-ons vs E5 decision framework, and the practical advice you need to stop guessing and start making licensing decisions you can defend.

Intune compliance policies check device health. Conditional Access enforces access decisions based on that health. Without Conditional Access, compliance is monitoring. Without compliance, Conditional Access is guessing. This article covers the full device pillar implementation: compliance policies for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, Defender for Endpoint risk score integration, Conditional Access grant controls that require compliant devices, app protection policies for BYOD (MAM-WE), the "Require approved client app" retirement (June 30, 2026) and the OR transition pattern to "Require app protection policy," and a phased rollout approach that avoids the day-one lockout mistake.