March 7, 2022

Attract a wider range of customers with the Teams Essentials standalone app

Microsoft 365 SMB Security Fundamentals

As SMBs expand their IT infrastructure, comprehensive security is more important than ever. Make sure your SMB customers have the tools and resources they need to protect their users, apps, data, devices, and infrastructure—both on-premises and in the cloud.

It’s been almost two years since the business world was forced to adapt, quickly and without warning, to a new way of working. Now, as SMBs transition from remote to hybrid work, they need the right tools to keep their employees connected and business thriving. That’s why Microsoft recently introduced its first standalone offering of Microsoft Teams designed specifically for small businesses: Microsoft Teams Essentials.

Teams Essentials delivers the full Teams experience—meetings, chat, storage, collaboration, and more—for organizations with up to 300 people. At a cost of only $4 per user per month, Teams Essentials is the most affordable all-in-one solution for meetings and collaboration currently in the market.

What are the benefits to you?

Teams Essentials benefits your SMB customers by helping them grow their businesses easily and cost-effectively. It allows SMB teams to stay connected, organized, and to keep projects moving forward from wherever they are. But what are the benefits to you?

As a Microsoft partner, Teams Essentials allows you to acquire new customers that can then be upsold to more premium offerings within the Microsoft 365 portfolio.

Suggested target customers for Teams Essentials:

SMB customers using Microsoft Office on-premises or Hosted Exchange
SMB customers interested in standalone meetings and calling solutions who already use a competitor solution
SMB customers interested in expanding their coverage to Frontline Workers who may not need desktop-installed Office but do need the ability to collaborate and communicate with Teams

Teams Essentials is available to partners through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program. It provides the same enterprise-grade meetings, chat, channels, and file collaboration that comes with Teams as part of the Microsoft 365 suite, without needing to fully deploy Microsoft 365. Partners have full manageability and can easily transition customers into more advanced Microsoft 365 for business suites as their needs grow.

Help your customer choose the right solution

The first step is to find out which SMB customers to target for Teams Essentials versus which customers would benefit more from other available Microsoft 365 services. Go here to find the right solution for your customer’s needs.

Use these selling resources and customer-ready materials to help you position the service that best addresses your customer’s needs. At the same time, you’ll help your customers feel confident that they have the right product in place to facilitate collaboration, be productive, and stay secure in the cyberworld.