The SharePoint Advanced Management Plan 1 add-on is a premium Microsoft 365 license. Unfortunately, most of the users don’t know about this. But you don’t need to worry, as I’m here to guide you on everything about this add-on.
Here, you will know:
What is the SharePoint Advanced Management Plan 1 Add-on?
The SharePoint Advanced Management Plan 1 Add-on is a Microsoft 365 paid license that enhances the SharePoint Online experience. It’s commonly used by enterprises that need more advanced administrative, compliance, and access controls.
This add-on automates many governance tasks and provides robust security features, making it a top choice for organisations that manage sensitive content.
This add-on will work on top of SharePoint Online plans like Microsoft 365 E3/E5 or SharePoint Online Plan 1/2. Additionally, if you’re in the middle of SharePoint Tenant to Tenant migration, this add-on can simplify access between environments.
Key Features I Found in SAM Plan 1
Here are some features offered by this add-on, which I found valuable for enterprises or large businesses:
#1. Site Lifecycle Management
If you are creating and managing several SharePoint sites with no cleanup or archival. So, it’s going to be a hassle in future to manage those sites. But, with SAM Plan 1, you can archive SharePoint site, and automate:
- Site expiration policies
- Site lifecycle workflows like reminders before deletion
- Post-project cleanup processes
This feature alone helps reduce content sprawl and maintain data cleanliness.
#2. Advanced Access Policies
When needed to collaborating with external users, clients, or vendors, it is risky. That’s why opting for the SharePoint advanced management plan 1 add-on gives you the ability to:
- Block or allow external sharing per site collection using Access Policies
- Enforce sensitivity labels or Data Loss Prevention rules
- Apply granular conditional access rules to SharePoint content
So, leveraging this helps you to collaborate with external users without any fear of losing or leaking confidential organization data.
#3. Site Access Reviews
One of my favourite features is the ability to schedule periodic access reviews. This ensures only the right users can access the site.
Admins or site owners can confirm whether users, external or internal, still need access. This aligns with Zero Trust principles.
This feature is necessary for the admins who need to verify access on multiple SharePoint sites.
#4. Restricted Access Control
It can prevent access to SharePoint content unless certain Microsoft Entra Conditional Access policies are met. For example:
- Block access from unmanaged or non-compliant devices
- Require Multi-Factor Authentication for specific content
#5. Advanced Sharing Insights
This feature gives detailed logs and insight into how links are shared, who accessed them, and when.
Now, I’m able to track usage at the individual file and site level, which was not previously possible with default M365 auditing.
Licensing & Prerequisites
Prerequisite Plans
To use the SAM Plan 1 add-on, your users must already have:
- Microsoft 365 E3/E5, or
- SharePoint Online Plan 1 or Plan 2
Cost
As mentioned in Microsoft’s SharePoint plans guide, the SharePoint advanced management plan 1 add-on is available as a per-user, per-month license. Microsoft hasn’t listed an exact price publicly, but it’s included in Microsoft Syntex seat-based licenses or available as a standalone add-on via CSP/volume licensing.
How to Enable SAM Plan 1
Enabling it is a quick task. The steps below will help you in this:
- Purchase the license from the Microsoft Admin Center or partner portal.
- Assign the add-on to the specific users who need it.
- Open SharePoint Admin Center, then click on Policies > Access Control.
- Use the new options under:
- Site lifecycle policies
- Advanced access rules
- Sharing insights dashboards
- Integrate with Microsoft Purview and Entra ID for advanced conditional access setup.
That’s all! Within seconds, you can enable and use it.
What are the Limitations of the SharePoint Advanced Management Plan 1 Add-on?
Despite SAM Plan 1 features and benefits, it comes with some consequences also including:
- Additional cost
- Requires M365 Admin expertise
- Not all features are needed for every org
- Some policies may conflict with legacy workflows
How to Cancel the SAM Plan 1 Add-on Subscription?
If you decide not to use it in the future, then you can cancel your subscription from the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. But before cancelling the plan backup SharePoint Online to local storage, as you can’t access data once you stop the subscription.
- Open Microsoft 365 Admin Center, and sign in using your global administrator credentials.
- Click on Billing.
- Then select Your products or Licenses.
- Find the SharePoint Advanced Management Plan 1 under the list of active products or subscriptions.
- Click on the subscription to open its details.
- Choose Cancel subscription or Manage > Cancel subscription.
- Click Confirm cancellation to proceed.
Microsoft may keep the service active until the end of the billing cycle, and access for the active user, so you have to remove assigned licenses also. For the same:
- Open Users > Active users.
- Select any user assigned this add-on.
- Click Licenses and Apps, uncheck SharePoint Advanced Management Plan 1, then click Save changes.
Author’s Verdict
If you’re running a medium-to-large enterprise, I believe the SharePoint advanced management plan 1 add-on is worth evaluating. I’m using it for 2 years for data security, and more control over external users’ access. If you’re confused about whether to take it or not, then I suggest that if you’re handling large and confidential data, then give it a chance.