- A
Upgrade all users to Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Business Premium includes desktop Office apps, email, and adds advanced security (Defender for Business) and device management (Intune) at a lower per-user cost than enterprise plans.
- B
Purchase Microsoft 365 E3 licenses for all users
Why wrong: E3 is an enterprise plan that includes desktop Office apps and basic security, but not Defender for Business or Intune. It is more expensive than Business Premium and would require additional add-ons for the needed features.
- C
Keep Business Standard and add Microsoft 365 Business Security add-on
Why wrong: There is no standalone 'Business Security add-on'. Defender for Business and Intune are available only as part of Business Premium or through enterprise plans.
- D
Keep Business Standard and purchase Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance add-on
Why wrong: The E5 Compliance add-on provides compliance features, not security (Defender) or device management (Intune). It is designed for enterprise E3 users and does not apply to Business Standard.
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 currently uses Microsoft 365 Business Standard for all 50 users. They now need to add advanced security features like Microsoft Defender for Business and device management capabilities via Microsoft Intune. They want to minimize additional costs while retaining existing features. What is the most cost-effective licensing strategy?
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 users to Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes all the features of Business Standard plus advanced security (Microsoft Defender for Business) and device management (Microsoft Intune) at a lower per-user cost than purchasing E3 licenses or adding separate add-ons. This minimizes additional costs while retaining existing Office apps and services, making it the most cost-effective strategy.
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 users to Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Why this is correct
Business Premium includes desktop Office apps, email, and adds advanced security (Defender for Business) and device management (Intune) at a lower per-user cost than enterprise plans.
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.
- ✗
Purchase Microsoft 365 E3 licenses for all users
Why it's wrong here
E3 is an enterprise plan that includes desktop Office apps and basic security, but not Defender for Business or Intune. It is more expensive than Business Premium and would require additional add-ons for the needed features.
- ✗
Keep Business Standard and add Microsoft 365 Business Security add-on
Why it's wrong here
There is no standalone 'Business Security add-on'. Defender for Business and Intune are available only as part of Business Premium or through enterprise plans.
- ✗
Keep Business Standard and purchase Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance add-on
Why it's wrong here
The E5 Compliance add-on provides compliance features, not security (Defender) or device management (Intune). It is designed for enterprise E3 users and does not apply to Business Standard.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the 'Microsoft 365 Business Security add-on' as a real SKU, when in fact Microsoft 365 Business Premium is the only bundle that adds Defender for Business and Intune to Business Standard features at a lower cost than E3 or E5 add-ons.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Microsoft 365 Business Premium bundles Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, Defender for Business, and Intune into a single per-user license, leveraging the same underlying Azure AD and Microsoft 365 services. Under the hood, Defender for Business uses endpoint detection and response (EDR) and automated investigation capabilities, while Intune enables mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM) via policies synced with Azure AD. In a real-world scenario, a company with 50 users upgrading from Business Standard to Business Premium would gain unified security and management without needing separate compliance add-ons, which are designed for regulatory-heavy environments.
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 users to Microsoft 365 Business Premium — Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes all the features of Business Standard plus advanced security (Microsoft Defender for Business) and device management (Microsoft Intune) at a lower per-user cost than purchasing E3 licenses or adding separate add-ons. This minimizes additional costs while retaining existing Office apps and services, making it the most cost-effective strategy.
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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