Over the years, with all the path-breaking features, Microsoft has achieved such a position that it has given the foundation to several educational institutions.
The series of Microsoft A1, A3 and A5 is dedicated to educational institutions. The versions have become advanced gradually to be helpful for the students and teachers too.
Key Takeaways
- Microsoft A3 and A5 are subscription plans under the Microsoft 365 Education suite, with A5 offering more advanced features than A3.
- A5 includes advanced security features, analytics tools, and voice capabilities, which are unavailable in the A3 plan.
- Although both plans provide essential productivity tools, A5 is designed for institutions that require more comprehensive security, communication, and collaboration features.
Microsoft A3 vs Microsoft A5
A3 is a subscription plan offered by Microsoft. It offers basic functions like email, calendaring, Office 365 ProPlus and more. A5 is a subscription plan with more advanced functionality, including everything in A3, access to Microsoft Intune, and Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection, etc.
Microsoft A3 is a revised version of A1. It comes with a lot more added features. You will get full access to the Office desktop applications if you opt for this.
Management and security tools will also get added to the package.
You will find all the features of Microsoft A3 in A5, and not to mention you will get more others. The security management features are better here.
Microsoft intelligence will keep you safe from threats. The analytics systems also get more comprehensible here.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Microsoft A3 | Microsoft A5 |
|---|---|---|
| Advancement | It has all the features of Microsoft A1 and more. | It has all the features of Microsoft A3 and more. |
| Advanced threat protection | It does not come with advanced threat protection. | It has advanced threat protection |
| Price | The price of it is lesser compared to Microsoft A5. | Comparatively the plans for it are higher. |
| Power BI | Power BI service is not available here. | You will get power BI service here. |
| Suitability | Small and medium educational organizational licenses can use this. | Medium and large educational organizational licenses should opt for this. |
What is Microsoft A3?
Microsoft A3 is a better and more advanced version of A1. In A3, you will get more security features and management tools.
In Microsoft 365 A3, you will get Publisher, Microsoft Access and Bookings. The business-class email will hold 100 GB.
The office applications can be fully installed in this application. You will get all the basic software like Word, PowerPoint, Excel along with Outlook, OneNote and Publisher.
It can be installed on Mac, PC and even phone. Every user will get the chance to install it on 5 devices. The basic storage will be 1 TB per user.
Users can store files and share them with OneDrive storage. All the apps are cloud-based, so one can use them anywhere, anytime.
One will get to collaborate as well with the present features. As a result, it is great for working with teams and building networks.
What is Microsoft A5?
Microsoft A5 is the advanced version of A3. Everything you get in A3 is available in A5, and in addition to that, you will get analytics tools with Power BI.
The A5 license will give you full access to the Office desktop apps. Students and teachers can communicate and work together.
For organizational purposes, you will get features like OneNote. It works like a digital notebook. In addition to that, Microsoft Teams works as a digital workspace where conversations and collaborations take place.
A school can use it as a platform of engagement.
It will work on Mac and PC, and one user can log into 5 devices. The video conference is in HD quality. Being cloud-based, the workflow gets updated automatically.
It will also let you analyze to gain insights into the features of MyAnalytics.
Sharing your creation is also easy with this version. Not only easy but secure too for sharing with the enterprise. You can develop apps and do not need to write code.
Main Differences Between Microsoft A3 and A5
- Microsoft A3 comes with all the features present in Microsoft A1 with some more advanced features. On the other hand, Microsoft A5 has all the A3 elements along with a lot more advanced characteristics.
- Microsoft A3 does not have the installation of threat protection, but Microsoft A5 includes the structure of threat protection.
- The price of Microsoft A3 is lesser for both students and faculty of teachers. But comparatively, in both cases, the price of Microsoft A5 is more.
- When the aspect of security comes in, Microsoft A3 will not win the race. A5 will. It comes with much more advanced features that work efficiently against cyber threats.
- Microsoft A3 does not offer you the services of Power BI but Microsoft A5, being an advanced model, has the Power BI service available.
- If you have a small or medium educational organization, then Microsoft A3 will be a perfect fit for you. However, if you have a large educational organisation, then Microsoft A5 should be your choice.
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0268005X12000422
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1755-3768.2008.01357.x
Last Updated : 20 July, 2023
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
