Microsoft 365 Security & Compliance Product Changes

Effective Date: 1 October 2025

Executive Summary

Microsoft has renamed its security and compliance product portfolio, replacing the "Microsoft 365 E5/F5/G5 Security" and "Microsoft 365 E5/F5/G5 Compliance" naming with simplified "Defender Suite" and "Purview Suite" branding. Additionally, three new Business Premium add-on products have been introduced.

CRITICAL FINDING: The current Microsoft Product Terms document contains inconsistent naming across different sections:

• Availability table: Uses NEW names (Defender Suite, Purview Suite)

• Prerequisites section: Uses OLD names (Microsoft 365 E5/F5 Security/Compliance)

• Product Conditions: Uses OLD names (Microsoft 365 F5 Security/Compliance)

Be vigilant as the old product names appear as prerequisites but are no longer purchasable products. Clarify with Microsoft or your reseller which product names to use when ordering.

1. Main Suite Product Renames

Security Suites (E5/F5 → Defender Suite)

Note: No G5 Security product existed; therefore no Defender Suite Gov variant.

Compliance Suites (E5/F5/G5 → Purview Suite)

Combined Suites

Key Pattern: "Microsoft 365" prefix and tier indicators (E5/F5/G5) have been dropped. New products use:

• Defender Suite for security

• Purview Suite for compliance

• FLW suffix for Frontline Worker

• Gov suffix for Government

2. New Business Premium Add-On Products

Three NEW products have been introduced in the Prerequisites section:

These let Business Premium customers add advanced security and compliance capabilities.

3. Component Products (UNCHANGED)

The following component products retain their original names with Microsoft 365 E5/F5/G5 prefixes:

Note: These individual components are still available as standalone SKUs and have NOT been renamed.

4. Inferred Bundle Composition (UNVERIFIED)

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The Product Terms documents do not specify what components are included in Defender Suite or Purview Suite. The information below is inferred based on what was historically included in Microsoft 365 E5 Security and E5 Compliance. This has not been verified by Microsoft documentation. Contact Microsoft or your reseller for definitive bundle composition details.

Microsoft Defender Suite (Inferred Components)

Based on the historical Microsoft 365 E5 Security bundle, Defender Suite likely includes:

• Endpoint Protection:

  • Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plan 2

  • Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management

• Email & Collaboration Security:

  • Microsoft Defender for Office 365 Plan 2

  • Safe Attachments

  • Safe Links

• Identity Protection:

  • Microsoft Defender for Identity

  • Azure Active Directory Identity Protection

• Cloud App Security: Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps

• Governance: App Governance add-on for Defender for Cloud Apps

Microsoft Purview Suite (Inferred Components)

Based on the historical Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance bundle, Purview Suite likely includes:

• Information Protection:

  • Microsoft Purview Information Protection

  • Sensitivity labels and policies

  • Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

• Risk & Compliance Management:

  • Microsoft Purview Insider Risk Management

  • Microsoft Purview Communication Compliance

  • Microsoft Purview Information Barriers

• Data Governance:

  • Microsoft Purview Data Lifecycle Management (formerly Information Governance)

  • Microsoft Purview Records Management

  • Retention policies and labels

• eDiscovery & Audit:

  • Microsoft Purview eDiscovery (Standard)

  • Microsoft Purview eDiscovery (Premium)

  • Microsoft Purview Audit (Standard)

  • Microsoft Purview Audit (Premium)

• Privacy Management: Microsoft Priva Subject Rights Requests (may require separate licensing)

Microsoft Defender + Purview Suite FLW (Inferred Components)

This combined Frontline Worker suite likely includes:

• All components from Defender Suite FLW

• All components from Purview Suite FLW

• Potentially with feature limitations appropriate for Frontline Worker scenarios

5. Documentation Inconsistency - CRITICAL ISSUE

The current Microsoft 365 Product Terms document (as of 2 October 2025) contains inconsistencies in product naming across different sections:

Where NEW Names Appear

✓ Availability Table (Section: "Availability") - correctly shows:

• Microsoft Defender Suite (User SL)

• Microsoft Defender Suite FLW (User SL)

• Microsoft Purview Suite (User SL)

• Microsoft Purview Suite FLW (User SL)

• Microsoft Purview Suite Gov (User SL)

Where OLD Names Still Appear

Prerequisites Section (Section: "License Prerequisites")

The Prerequisites section still lists the old, removed product names. Below is what products currently show as prerequisites vs. what they likely should show:

Products with Security Suite Prerequisites:

Products with Compliance Suite Prerequisites:

Note: The "Expected Prerequisite" column represents what the prerequisites should logically be based on the product renames in the Availability table. However, Microsoft has not officially published these updated prerequisite names yet. Expect that to be corrected in the next Product Terms update.

Product Conditions - Frontline Worker Licenses Section

The Frontline Worker Licenses list still shows old names:

• Microsoft 365 F5 Security (should be: Microsoft Defender Suite FLW)

• Microsoft 365 F5 Compliance (should be: Microsoft Purview Suite FLW)

• Microsoft 365 F5 Security + Compliance (should be: Microsoft Defender + Purview Suite FLW)

Service Specific Terms Section

The "Microsoft Defender for IoT – Enterprise IoT (EIoT) capabilities" section still references "Microsoft 365 E5 Security" instead of "Microsoft Defender Suite".

Impact on Customers

This inconsistency creates serious operational issues:

1. Ordering Confusion: Customers don't know which product names to use when placing orders

2. Prerequisite Ambiguity: Unclear whether old names are still valid for meeting prerequisites

3. Documentation Unreliability: Customers cannot trust the official product terms

4. Procurement Delays: Purchase orders may be rejected due to invalid product names

5. Licensing Compliance Risk: Uncertainty about whether prerequisites are properly met

Recommended Actions

1. Contact Microsoft or your reseller to confirm which product names are valid for ordering

2. Assume both old and new names may be acceptable during transition period

3. Document your interpretation of requirements for audit purposes

4. Request written clarification from Microsoft for major purchases

5. When ordering products with prerequisites, specify both old and new product names to avoid confusion

Enterprise Agreement renewals just got more complicated.

🖐 Gain clarity and avoid costly mistakes in licensing transitions. Learn more: Microsoft Audit Defense.

5. Implications for Organisations

Procurement & Licensing

• Update procurement systems with new SKU names

• Ensure vendor quotations use correct product names

• Verify licensing agreements reflect new naming

Documentation & Training

• Revise internal documentation and knowledge base articles

• Update training materials and certification content

• Brief IT teams and licence administrators

Technical & Operational

• Review automated licensing workflows

• Update monitoring and reporting dashboards

• Verify API integrations using product names

Communication

• Inform stakeholders about naming changes

• Clarify that functionality remains unchanged

• Emphasise this is a naming update, not a feature change

🖐 Secure the right terms in your renewals. Discover how: Microsoft Enterprise Agreement Negotiation.

Source: Microsoft Product Terms, September 15, 2025 vs 2 October 2025 Document URL: https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/terms/productoffering/Microsoft365/EAEAS Official Summary: https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/terms