Microsoft 365 has become the default productivity stack for Nigerian businesses, largely because email on your own domain is non-negotiable and Exchange Online comes bundled. The trap is buying the most expensive tier because it sounds safest, then paying for features nobody uses while leaving the ones that matter badly configured.
Start from what you actually use
List the applications your team genuinely opens in a week. If that list is Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams and SharePoint, a mid-tier business licence is the honest starting point. Reserve higher tiers for specific needs: Intune for device management, Defender for Endpoint for managed security, or Power BI Pro for self-service reporting.
The three configurations that matter more than the tier
1. Multi-factor authentication
This is the single highest-value configuration change available to a Microsoft 365 tenant, and it is included in every tier. If your tenant does not enforce MFA for staff, that is the first thing to fix — before licence optimisation.
2. Backup
Microsoft's own retention is not a backup plan. Shared mailboxes and OneDrive need independent, off-tenant backup with tested restores, particularly if your business runs on email history.
3. Device management
Without device management, MFA can be bypassed on unmanaged machines. Intune or an equivalent third-party tool closes that gap.
Where migration costs more than licence costs
File migration, permission clean-up, shared mailbox design and tenant-to-tenant migration are where budget overruns happen. Plan that work explicitly rather than expecting it to be absorbed.
Advice we give clients
Buy the tier that matches usage, enforce MFA everywhere, configure backup outside the tenant, and revisit licensing annually as headcount and needs change. Ask us for a review if you are unsure which tier you should be on — we will tell you if you are overpaying.