From Pilot to Production

Written By Rob Short

Why Microsoft 365 E7 is a Wake-Up Call for Enterprise IT

This week Microsoft announced the release of the next tier in M365 Enterprise licensing: the oft-speculated and rumoured M365 E7. For a number of years, Microsoft’s E5 sat at the top of the tree, offering the pinnacle of Enterprise cloud productivity suites. It combined all their greatest classics (SharePoint, Exchange, and Office) and a few of their modern hits (Teams, Viva) with a generous layer of Security and Governance features to wrap it all together.

Then came Copilot for M365.

When Copilot was launched inside M365, the idea of having Microsoft’s AI solution threaded through all those familiar apps was extremely appealing. Organisations began focusing on how AI could save time and generate revenue, but often missed the bigger picture. Bringing in this technology not only surfaces overexposed content faster than ever, but it also allows users to generate numerous Copilot agents and introduces new attack vectors.

So where does the E7 license come into this?

Image taken from Microsoft

Microsoft’s E7, also known as The Frontier Suite, combines the E5, full Entra Suite, and Copilot licenses into a single option. However, for me, the jewel in the crown is the new Agent 365 functionality. While all of these are available as separate licenses, E7 is being pitched as a cost-effective way to securely deploy AI at scale across your tenant.

The Financial Reality of Upgrading

Depending on where you are on your M365 journey, the jump from E5 to E7 could be a significant financial commitment:

  • If you already have E5, Entra Suite, and Copilot deployed: Moving to E7 offers a small cost efficiency and introduces the added benefits of Agent 365.

  • If you are purely on E5: Upgrading to E7 to bring Copilot under one umbrella will require serious consideration.

Is Your Data Ready for E7?

So if the E7 is so fully featured, why does it need consideration, and what is the impact for those of us focused on Enterprise IT?

Put simply, having shiny new tools to benefit the users and the business is always exciting, and a Copilot-enabled M365 can introduce a quantifiable ROI. But unless you have a solid data foundation already in place, bringing in Copilot for M365, either as a standalone license or via the E7, is simply going to magnify your data and governance flaws. It will highlight all those files and folders which your users shouldn’t have access to.

My advice comes down to your data governance:

  • Mature Data Foundation: If you have a strong data foundation, including comprehensive data classification policies and an ironclad security stance, making the jump to E7 is ideal.

  • Immature Data Structure: If your data structure is less mature, however tempting jumping to Copilot for M365 might be, take a moment. Consider if your business reputation is ready for potential breaches.

If you’re looking to conduct a data review or want to discuss your options, don’t hesitate to reach out via the contact form.

Rob Short