- A
Upgrade all 50 users to Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Business Premium includes Intune for all users, making it more expensive than needed since only 20 users require Intune.
- B
Upgrade all 50 users to Microsoft 365 Business Standard and purchase Microsoft Intune standalone licenses for the 20 users.
Correct. Business Standard provides desktop apps for all users; adding Intune for the 20 users that need it is the cheapest way to meet both requirements.
- C
Upgrade 20 users to Microsoft 365 Business Premium and keep 30 users on Business Basic.
Why wrong: Incorrect. This would not provide desktop Office apps for the 30 users on Business Basic, failing the requirement for all users.
- D
Upgrade all 50 users to Microsoft 365 Business Standard and purchase Microsoft Intune standalone licenses for all 50 users.
Why wrong: Incorrect. Purchasing Intune for all 50 users is unnecessary and more expensive than only licensing the 20 who need it.
MS-900 Describe Microsoft 365 pricing and support Practice Question
This MS-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe microsoft 365 pricing and support. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company has 50 users with Microsoft 365 Business Basic licenses. They require the desktop versions of Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) for all 50 users. Additionally, 20 of those users need device management capabilities via Microsoft Intune. The company wants to minimize total licensing costs. Which licensing strategy is most cost-effective?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Upgrade all 50 users to Microsoft 365 Business Standard and purchase Microsoft Intune standalone licenses for the 20 users.
Option B is correct because Microsoft 365 Business Standard includes the desktop versions of Office apps, fulfilling the requirement for all 50 users. For the 20 users needing device management, purchasing standalone Microsoft Intune licenses is the most cost-effective approach, as it avoids the higher cost of upgrading all users to Business Premium, which includes Intune but also additional security features not required here.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Upgrade all 50 users to Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Business Premium includes Intune for all users, making it more expensive than needed since only 20 users require Intune.
- ✓
Upgrade all 50 users to Microsoft 365 Business Standard and purchase Microsoft Intune standalone licenses for the 20 users.
Why this is correct
Correct. Business Standard provides desktop apps for all users; adding Intune for the 20 users that need it is the cheapest way to meet both requirements.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Upgrade 20 users to Microsoft 365 Business Premium and keep 30 users on Business Basic.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. This would not provide desktop Office apps for the 30 users on Business Basic, failing the requirement for all users.
- ✗
Upgrade all 50 users to Microsoft 365 Business Standard and purchase Microsoft Intune standalone licenses for all 50 users.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Purchasing Intune for all 50 users is unnecessary and more expensive than only licensing the 20 who need it.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may assume Business Premium is the only way to get Intune, overlooking the option to purchase Intune standalone licenses separately, or they may forget that Business Basic does not include desktop Office apps, leading them to choose an option that fails the core requirement.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM) service that integrates with Azure Active Directory for conditional access policies. In a real-world scenario, organizations often mix licenses to balance cost and functionality, such as using Business Standard for desktop Office and adding Intune standalone for specific users who need to enroll corporate devices or enforce compliance policies. Note that Intune standalone licenses are billed per user per month and do not include the full Microsoft 365 E3/E5 security stack, making them a lean choice for basic device management needs.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this MS-900 question test?
Describe Microsoft 365 pricing and support — This question tests Describe Microsoft 365 pricing and support — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Upgrade all 50 users to Microsoft 365 Business Standard and purchase Microsoft Intune standalone licenses for the 20 users. — Option B is correct because Microsoft 365 Business Standard includes the desktop versions of Office apps, fulfilling the requirement for all 50 users. For the 20 users needing device management, purchasing standalone Microsoft Intune licenses is the most cost-effective approach, as it avoids the higher cost of upgrading all users to Business Premium, which includes Intune but also additional security features not required here.
What should I do if I get this MS-900 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This MS-900 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the MS-900 exam.
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