Office 365
The movement toward an even more digital world occurs daily. Between coworking office spaces, bring your own device (BYOD) policies, and an increase in individuals working remotely, most organizations face an urgent need for tools and services that yield effective collaboration and communication.
An overwhelming amount of technological resources and tools now exist to assist individuals and organizations increase productivity with the ultimate goal of driving revenue. Determining which tools are most appropriate for the tasks at hand is not an easy endeavor. Many organizations forfeit new technology altogether and are content with using outdated tools and resources. Noticeable or not, this approach to staying in the past can cause significant losses for businesses. Rarely is there a one-size-fits-all platform for anything, let alone something business related. Office 365 is arguably one of the only all-inclusive platforms that include numerous applications and services with plans that can be tailored to individual wants and needs.
Office 365 consists of subscription plans that function to increase productivity, communication, and collaboration with individuals and organizations. Office 365 accommodates users with a variety of applications and cloud-based services to boost professionalism, productivity, and communication within the workplace.
Office 365 Apps:
Office 365 Services:
Microsoft Exchange service provides customers with business-class email and calendaring. This service also includes anti-spam filtering and data-loss prevention capabilities. It is the gold-standard for business-class e-mail. It allows users excellent control over e-mail, contacts, calendars, etc. while also providing excellent security to business. Where on-premise Exchange was more difficult to manage, Exchange for Office 365 simplifies the process.
OneDrive on its own is a personal cloud space that individuals can use to store data and files. OneDrive for Business is a step up from OneDrive, and it works in collaboration with SharePoint. OneDrive for Business is included in most business subscription plans that also include SharePoint services. OneDrive for Business allows different individuals within an organization to store, share, and work on files across different devices. One major upside to using OneDrive for Business for many organizations is that this service is approved for storage of restricted data and is compliant with both HIPAA and FERPA.
SharePoint in Office 365 is a cloud-based service that allows users to share files, collaborate on projects, and protect and manage data. SharePoint can also be used to automate work tasks, discover relevant people and content in an organization, and prevent data loss with its data-loss prevention (DLP) capabilities. Many organizations use SharePoint as the core of their employee intranet. SharePoint is simply one of the best ways to manage and distribute information in an organization. It can also be used as a central knowledge repository that is secured and searchable as well as a project management tool to keep everyone on the same page.
Currently, Microsoft is transitioning Skype for Business to Microsoft Teams in order to equip organizations with the ultimate communication platform. Features of Microsoft Teams include instant messaging, audio and video conferencing, scheduling assistance, content and screen sharing, and live broadcast. In the coming months, Microsoft Teams will continue to expand and offer users more features to further improve digital communications.
Benefits of Office 365
- Up to date applications and services—All applications are regularly updated, and everyone in the organization will receive updates at the same time.
- 24/7 support—Office 365 subscriptions come with IT web support, 24/7 phone support, and mobile device management.
- Server support & management—Office 365 eliminates the need for local servers with enhanced server deployment of the Microsoft cloud. Microsoft provides the server resources, along with regular updates, server management, and backups, saving organizations the expense of maintaining the infrastructure for these services. This allows organizations to integrate Office 365 with existing directory services with the installation of an Exchange server, Skype for Business server, or SharePoint server.
- Email—Most Office 365 subscription plans provide users with business-class email. With this email, organizations have the means to personalize user emails with the company name, building both trust and recognition among customers and clients. Exchange email also equips users with 50GB of mailbox storage, which eliminates the stress of mailbox size.
- Security & Reliability—Office 365 includes end-to-end security for every subscription plan, which includes each app and service. Users connected to business Office 365 plans have access to the security & compliance center, threat management, and anti-malware.
- Accessibility & Connection—Users have access to Office 365 apps and services whenever, wherever, and from practically any device. Data and content from Office 365 applications are synced across all devices to permit user access to contacts, calendars, files, and emails when on the go. Office 365 is available in many countries and languages, providing many organizations with the proper tools for success. Meetings and working away from the office are made simple and painless with the digital platforms provided by Office 365.
- FREE for most non-profit organizations—Microsoft offers Office 365 business and enterprise subscriptions for many non-profit organizations on a donation basis or for a hefty discount. These subscriptions are available for small to large non-profit organizations. Contact us, and we can help determine your organization’s eligibility.
- Cloud storage—Office 365 comes with 1TB of OneDrive storage per user for most subscriptions. As mentioned earlier, OneDrive for Business supplies organizations with data storage that is compliant with restricted data laws, including HIPAA and FERPA
- Flexible billing—Microsoft accommodates Office 365 customers with different billing options, depending on the individual or organization’s needs and wants. Flexible payment options include monthly or annual billing, as well as non-contract month-to-month billing.
- Elimination of Licenses—Under an Office 365 subscription plan, no software licenses are needed. All license for apps and services are incorporated into the chosen plan. This eliminates the necessity for individual licenses for each product and service.
- Personalization—Numerous plans, both business and enterprise, are available for organizations to select a plan that works best for their wants and needs.
- Communication tools & collaboration opportunities—The versatile apps and services provided through Office 365 provide users with a wide range of tools to communicate with other individuals in and out of the organization. Services including email, Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint allow users within an organization to communicate and collaborate through sharing data and calendars, scheduling and holding digital meetings, and working on projects across a digital platform. The opportunities for collaboration with Office 365 are limitless.
It comes as no surprise that our world operates more digitally now than it ever has before. As technology progresses, so should our business operations. Office 365 allows organizations to communicate and collaborate in an effective manner to yield professionalism, productivity, and growth. Microsoft offers a variety of plans to tailor to each organization’s wants and needs. Contact us today, so that we can help you find the plan that works best for you and your organization!
“Office 365,” “Word,” “OneNote,” “Excel,” “Publisher,” “Outlook,” “PowerPoint,” “Access,” “SharePoint,” “OneDrive,” “Exchange,” “Skype for Business,” and “Microsoft Teams” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.