Microsoft 365 Business Standard is a robust enterprise-grade productivity suite designed to empower organizations with seamless collaboration, advanced security, and scalable cloud-based solutions. Here are 10 key strengths:

Integrated Collaboration with Microsoft Teams – Teams provides a unified communication hub, enabling real-time messaging, video conferencing, and file sharing, all within a secure, encrypted environment with deep integration across the Microsoft ecosystem.

Enterprise-Grade Email via Exchange Online – Leveraging Microsoft Exchange Online, the suite delivers professional business email with 50 GB mailbox storage, advanced threat protection, and compliance features to mitigate phishing and malware risks.

Cloud-Based Productivity with Office Apps – Full access to premium web and desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook ensures seamless document creation, editing, and co-authoring with version control and autosave functionality.

OneDrive for Business (1 TB Storage) – Secure cloud storage with ransomware detection, file recovery, and granular sharing permissions enhances data accessibility while maintaining strict security protocols.

Advanced Security & Compliance – Multi-layered security includes Azure Active Directory integration, conditional access policies, data loss prevention (DLP), and Microsoft Defender for Office 365 to safeguard against sophisticated cyber threats.

Scalable Cloud Infrastructure – Built on Microsoft Azure, the platform ensures high availability, automatic updates, and global data redundancy, minimizing downtime and optimizing performance.

Comprehensive Compliance Standards – Adherence to GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 certifications ensures regulatory compliance, with advanced eDiscovery and audit logging for legal and governance requirements.

Automated Workflows with Power Automate – Streamline repetitive tasks through low-code automation, integrating with third-party apps and Microsoft services to enhance operational efficiency.

Centralized Admin Console – The Microsoft 365 Admin Center provides granular control over user management, license allocation, and security policies, simplifying IT administration.

Flexible Licensing & Cross-Platform Support – Subscription-based licensing allows cost-effective scalability, while support for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android ensures seamless productivity across all devices.

By combining these features, Microsoft 365 Business Standard delivers a powerful, secure, and future-ready solution for modern businesses seeking optimized workflows and enterprise-grade collaboration.

Let us go through two popular PowerShell scripts commonly used to manage Microsoft 365 Business Standard, helping administrators automate user provisioning, license assignment, and security configurations with efficiency.

1. Bulk User Creation & License Assignment
This script automates the onboarding of multiple users from a CSV file and assigns Microsoft 365 Business Standard licenses.

# Import the Microsoft Graph module (if not installed, run: Install-
Module Microsoft.Graph -Scope CurrentUser)
Import-Module Microsoft.Graph.Users
Import-Module Microsoft.Graph.Identity.DirectoryManagement

# Connect to Microsoft Graph with required permissions
Connect-MgGraph -Scopes "User.ReadWrite.All", "Organization.Read.All"

# Define CSV path (columns: DisplayName, UserPrincipalName, Password, Department)
$Users = Import-Csv -Path "C:\Temp\NewUsers.csv"

# License SKU for Microsoft 365 Business Standard (get with: Get-MgSubscribedSku)
$LicenseSku = Get-MgSubscribedSku | Where-Object { $_.SkuPartNumber -eq "O365_BUSINESS_STANDARD" }
$License = @{
SkuId = $LicenseSku.SkuId
}

foreach ($User in $Users) {
# Create user with basic details
$PasswordProfile = @{
Password = $User.Password
ForceChangePasswordNextSignIn = $true
}

New-MgUser -DisplayName $User.DisplayName `
           -UserPrincipalName $User.UserPrincipalName `
           -PasswordProfile $PasswordProfile `
           -AccountEnabled `
           -MailNickname ($User.UserPrincipalName.Split('@')[0]) `
           -Department $User.Department

_# Assign license_
Set-MgUserLicense -UserId $User.UserPrincipalName -AddLicenses $License -RemoveLicenses @()

}

Write-Host "Users created and licenses assigned successfully." -ForegroundColor Green
Disconnect-MgGraph

2. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for All Users
This script enforces MFA via Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) for enhanced security compliance.

# Install required module if not present: Install-Module Microsoft.Graph.Identity.SignIns
Import-Module Microsoft.Graph.Identity.SignIns

# Authenticate with Graph (admin permissions required)
Connect-MgGraph -Scopes "User.ReadWrite.All", "Policy.ReadWrite.ConditionalAccess"

# Get all licensed users (Business Standard)
$Users = Get-MgUser -Filter "assignedLicenses/any(s:s/skuId eq '$((Get-MgSubscribedSku | Where-Object { $_.SkuPartNumber -eq "O365_BUSINESS_STANDARD" }).SkuId)')"

# Configure MFA state per user (enforced)
foreach ($User in $Users) {
$MFAParams = @{
UserPrincipalName = $User.UserPrincipalName
StrongAuthenticationRequirements = @(
@{
State = "Enabled"
}
)
}
Update-MgUser -UserId $User.Id -StrongAuthenticationRequirements $MFAParams.StrongAuthenticationRequirements
}

# Optional: Create Conditional Access Policy (requires Azure AD Premium P1)
$CAPolicy = @{
DisplayName = "Enforce MFA for Business Standard Users"
State = "Enabled"
Conditions = @{
Applications = @{
IncludeApplications = "All"
}
Users = @{
IncludeUsers = "All"
}
}
GrantControls = @{
Operator = "OR"
BuiltInControls = "mfa"
}
}

New-MgIdentityConditionalAccessPolicy -BodyParameter $CAPolicy

Write-Host "MFA enforced for all users." -ForegroundColor Green
Disconnect-MgGraph