Microsoft Launches New Microsoft 365 Basic Subscription Plan

Microsoft is launching a new subscription package. (photo: doc. Pixabay)

JAKARTA - Microsoft introduced its Microsoft 365 subscription package offer. Priced at just US$1.99 (IDR 30,000) per month, Microsoft 365 Basic is designed to replace the 100GB OneDrive storage option with some additional features that fall between the free option and the Personal subscription for US$6.99 (IDR 108,000) per month.

Microsoft 365 Basic will be available worldwide on January 30 with 100GB of cloud storage, ad-free Outlook web, and mobile experiences, and enhanced security features. These security features include data encryption for Outlook mailboxes, checking for suspicious links, and scanning for viruses or malware for attachments. Existing OneDrive 100 GB storage customers will be automatically upgraded to Microsoft 365 Basic at the same monthly rate of US$1.99.

“Later this year, we'll have a lot going for it with OneDrive's advanced security that will also be available, which includes Personal Vault, expired and password-protected links, ransomware detection, and recovery, and bulk file recovery,” said Gareth Oystryk, director of product marketing for Microsoft 365, in an interview with The Verge.

Microsoft 365 Basic will also include access to Microsoft technical support, which includes assistance by phone or via online chat for Microsoft 365 applications and Windows 11.

The main difference between the $6.99 Personal subscription and the new $1.99 Basic subscription besides the amount of cloud storage, is that Microsoft 365 Basic doesn't include access to the desktop versions of the Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps. Basic plan subscribers should use the web or mobile version instead.

“We know a lot of people are using our services right now, but some of them are running out of storage or want the extra benefits you don't get with the free Microsoft 365 experience,” said Oystryk. “We also designed this specifically with Windows users in mind.”

The Microsoft 365 Basic plan is aimed at Windows users who need extra storage, but it also feels like the way Microsoft is getting people used to their productivity plan subscriptions.

Microsoft is also renaming its Office apps on mobile and Windows to Microsoft 365 later this month. This mirrors the rebrand Microsoft announced last year, where Microsoft Office will mostly be referred to as Microsoft 365 for the foreseeable future.

“Is the Office brand going to disappear altogether? No,” said Oystryk. “We've really invested heavily in Microsoft 365 and it's really become our flagship productivity suite, so Office doesn't play as much of a role because our focus is there. You'll still see Office appear in certain contexts. It's more of a shift in focus where we're doubling down on Microsoft 365 as our productivity suite, and we want people, when they think about productivity, they think about Microsoft 365 and not Office.”

Akhir bulan ini juga akan menandai 10 tahun sejak Microsoft pertama kali memperkenalkan paket langganan konsumen untuk Office. Dikenal saat itu sebagai Office 365 Home Premium, paket tersebut mencakup akses ke aplikasi desktop Office dan penyimpanan cloud sebesar 20 GB. Paket itu juga telah ditingkatkan menjadi 1TB penyimpanan cloud akhir-akhir ini, bersama dengan banyak fitur yang ditambahkan ke langganan.

“Satu hal yang tidak berubah selama 10 tahun terakhir adalah harga,” tulis wakil presiden Microsoft, Liat Ben-Zur dalam posting blog. “Microsoft 365 Personal dan Family masing-masing masih berharga hanya 6,99 dan 9,99 dolar AS per bulan.”

Sementara inflasi dan biaya telah mendorong layanan langganan lainnya selama dekade terakhir, Microsoft mengatakan tidak memiliki rencana segera untuk menaikkan harga Microsoft 365, tetapi Oystryk tidak mengesampingkannya untuk masa depan.