Hey You, Get Off the Public Cloud
November 22, 2020
Microsoft Office365 has positioned itself to become ubiquitous in 2017, and it’s doing a great job of meeting almost every business need from home office to enterprise. Office 365 is a cloud-based productivity suite, combining their signature collection of office software with powerful collaborative attributes, allowing your team to work from anywhere, and on any device.Your company will benefit from business-class professional tools like email, messaging and video conferencing, fully integrated across your network. Enjoy a range of collaborative tools such as calendars, cloud storage and full Skype for Business (S4B) integration – not to mention enhanced security features that give you access to the latest in tech safety.
With no up-front costs, it’s an easy decision to make. You’ve got no software to update or maintain, because your apps are backed up and updated automatically as new versions become available. The savings operational efficiency alone would make the ROI worthwhile, not to mention the ability to reduce or eliminate your server load by hosting applications and storing data in the cloud. Deployment is easy and can be accomplished across your entire system without engaging IT support.
Being able to scale at a moment’s notice is another benefit of Microsoft Office365. Licences are billed per user/per month, and each user can connect up to five devices. If you experience a sudden growth spurt, you have the ability to add users with a few simple clicks.Office365 will also help you minimize the time you spend training new hires, as they will likely already be comfortable with the Microsoft environment, allowing them to get to work right away.
✓ Improved employee productivity and engagement:o Being able to work from any location frees up your workforce to go where inspiration will find them. Think of what they might accomplish if they weren’t tied to the same old desk all day long!o Enhanced connectivity through video conferencing, messaging, corporate social networking and integration with various apps and CRMso File sharing and other collaborative toolso Synched access to calendar, email and contacts across all devices✓ Better business continuityo Work within one integrated platformo 99.9% uptime guaranteeo Business-class email hostingo Conduct on-line meetings from wherever you areo Enhanced security features to defend against the latest threatso Disaster recovery supporto Reduces IT support costs
Office 365 Groups was introduced in 2016 to enhance productivity for workgroups. Originally developed for educational institutions and other large, collaborative workgroups, it offers integrations with apps that are designed to help you get your work done faster and more efficiently. While Skype for Business might represent the most high-profile connection in Groups, apps like Delve, Yammer, Planner, Power BI, Office Graph and Dynamics CRM add layers of functionality that add even more benefits.Office 365 Groups is all about collaboration. Within the public or private group that you create, Office Graphs tracks and compiles information related to a specific user for easy access, as does Delve. Delve and Graphs work together to present this compiled content in an intuitive manner, providing personalized and organizational insights that can help your team be as productive as it can possibly be. Yammer is Microsoft Office 365’s private social platform, helping connect your team more effectively.
In addition to the range of cyber threats you know about, there are a world of perils that you haven’t yet imagined. From ransomware to social engineering tactics, on-line thieves are becoming more and more sophisticated about how they access your systems, and nobody, not even the small business owner or solopreneur, is free from risk. One of the ways cyber thieves can access your system is through vulnerabilities in outdated software. Microsoft Office365 is self-updating, so you can sleep peacefully, knowing that your systems are always protected with the latest security patches. This feature is yet another contributor to your ROI, as you will never have to count on contracted IT support (or a random member of your staff) to keep your software and systems up to date.
Microsoft Office365 is a key player in your disaster recovery plan. Since applications and shared files are all stored in the cloud, your location could burn to the ground but your data would still be safe and secure, your applications running as usual. Your customers would not notice a thing, and your workforce could pick up where they left off on another device at another location.
New features that rolled out this January prove that Microsoft is committed to being the only productivity solution for businesses of any size. If you are thinking about moving to a Microsoft Office365 environment and would like to speak to one of Greenlight ITCs Microsoft IT support specialists, call today. We would love to speak to you about the benefits of Office365, and demonstrate more completely what it can help you accomplish.
