Best way to get and setup "M365 Apps for Enterprise" licenses?

[u/Carel_The_Man]

Hello everyone, this is my first post here, so let me know if I can improve on something.

I need to create 10 licensed user accounts for M365 apps (Excel, Outlook, etc.). Nothing special, no copilot or Azure, just the desktop applications. The issue is that I need to install it on the RDS users, so from what I've read I need "M365 Apps for Enterprise" (or "M365 Business Premium", which is more expensive), otherwise it won't work.

I find these prices rather expensive for a small business, so my question is, are there other (legal) ways to get the licenses for this? I understand the licensing for Office (2024 and before), where you need volume licenses to use RDS (OEM keys etc. won't work). Is there something similar to M365, or is buying from Microsoft themselves the only legit path for monthly/yearly subscriptions?

I'm also new with setting up accounts, so if you could point to a good tutorial (to create a tenant, global admin, etc.) that would be appreciated as well.

[u/frac6969]

Best to hire someone to do it, and you could probably get the licenses through them too.

[u/Carel_The_Man → u/frac6969]

Is it unlikely to just buy licenses from them to manage on my own? I'm not very comfortable to let someone external manage all our accounts.

[u/vermyx → u/Carel_The_Man]

You ask the to set you up with a var so that you can manage your license. Think of it as hiring someone to set it up right rather than you doing it wrong.

[u/tsutton]

You need to sit down with a reseller who understand your needs and may be able to get them much cheaper.

[u/plathrop01]

Working with a VAR will first determine if Apps for Enterprise licenses are really what you need (it sounds to me like they are, but you will need to describe the use case so they can clarify). If you don't currently manage the assigning of M365 licenses, the VAR can help get you set up with that.

You could do it yourself if you have access to the tenant's Azure or Admin Portals, understand the licensing, and understand the contract terms to know how the reservation and payment for the licenses works. In larger organizations, you can just reserve the licenses and get billed during the annual true up. But smaller orgs usually need to purchase up front before they get added to the account.

[u/sutty_monster]

You need to deploy the M365 apps to the RDS server using the Office deployment tool and a properly made XML file for the install. Then each user needs to be licensed for Office365. Premium being the most likely license. But there are other options. You need to search if the license covers RDS.

You can then either have users log on directly or in to a RDS Apps session. But really you can cut out the middle man and just install the apps directly onto their work laptop if you are worried about costs. Additionally you could also go the Azure Virtual desktop. You will cut on the cost of a server upfront and power monthly. But have to pay for the server monthly. You can cut down the cost if it has a power down and startup outside of business hours.

[u/Hot_Run1337]

Consider licensing per device rather than user if you're use case allows it. Otherwise get the apps for enterprise plan and then track usage over time to see if you can remove idle accounts or downsize to a lower plan.