The biggest drag on a cost-effective remote work setup with Microsoft tools in mid-2026 is not hardware or bandwidth. It is the licensing decision most teams still get wrong after the July 1 price changes. Business Basic sits at $7, Standard at $14, and Premium at $22 per user per month on annual commitment. The $8 gap between Standard and Premium now buys Intune device and app management, Defender for Business, Entra ID P1, and Conditional Acce