Microsoft kills standalone SharePoint and OneDrive plans, because they’re not suite enough
Blames ‘unintended or nonstandard usage’ and the cost of keeping them alive
Microsoft has slipped out news that it’s killing some standalone SharePoint and OneDrive plans.
The software giant delivered the news in a note for its partners, which explains it is “evolving its cloud storage and collaboration offerings and is retiring the standalone SharePoint Online (SPO) plan 1 and plan 2 and OneDrive for Business (ODB) plan 1 and plan 2 SKUs.”
SharePoint Online is a web-based version of Microsoft’s collaborationware suite. Plan 1 costs $5 per user per month and includes 1TB of cloud storage. Plan 2 doubles the cost and adds unlimited cloud storage and more advanced features.
OneDrive for Business Plan 1 offers a terabyte of cloud storage at $5 per user per month. Plan 2 includes up to 5TB of storage, adds tools including data loss prevention, and can extend to provide 25TB of storage for users who are part of a team.
Microsoft says its decision to kill the services “reflects low customer demand for standalone offerings, increased instances of unintended or nonstandard usage, and higher operational costs associated with maintaining these plans.”
The Register fancies the phrase “unintended or nonstandard usage” refers to users who sign up for these products just to access cheap cloud storage, a theory we advance as Microsoft users of our acquaintance have told us these services offer more capacity, for less cost, than some of Redmond’s other storage offerings.
Which could be why Microsoft’s announcement also mentions “higher operational costs associated with maintaining these plans.”
The software behemoth points out that its Microsoft 365 suites “remain the primary way customers access SharePoint and OneDrive capabilities.” The suites are also more expensive than the plans Microsoft intends to snuff.
The post for partners urges them to steer customers to Microsoft 365 Business or E3/E5 suites.
Thankfully, partners and users alike won’t need to rush to sort this out, because service will continue until December 2029. Sales will cease on May 31st, 2026, and Microsoft won’t renew contracts for the services as of January 2027.
“We recommend that partners proactively identify impacted customers, communicate key dates early, and guide customers toward the most appropriate Microsoft 365 suite or storage alternative to ensure continuity and a smooth experience,” the post states. ®