When it comes to a productivity suite that can improve your business workflow, communication, and efficiency, Microsoft 365 is one of the best options available out there. The recent name change from Office 365 to Microsoft 365 reflects the company’s efforts to make this suite an integrated set of apps and services, including AI and other cutting-edge innovations.
Microsoft Office dates back nearly three decades, with early versions essentially combining Word, Excel, and PowerPoint into a discounted bundle. Microsoft 365, which has been available since 2011, differs from that old-fashioned bundle in two respects: First, it’s sold as a subscription (billed monthly or yearly), rather than as a perpetual license with a fixed one-time payment. Second, it combines a suite of online services, including business-class email, cloud file storage, and secure communication tools along with the traditional desktop apps.
Here are 7 ways Microsoft 365 helps small businesses:
1. Choose the Right Subscription: Streamlined Productivity and Reduced Costs
Microsoft has many different subscription options that you can choose from. The choice you make depends on the structure of your organisation, or the number of employees.
A dedicated support team not only knows how to help you choose, but will also know when it’s more efficient and cost-effective to change subscriptions as your company grows and changes.
For small businesses, a Microsoft 365 Business subscription might be the right choice. For enterprises with hundreds to thousands of employees that need more cloud services and applications to enjoy seamless collaboration within their team, there are the E1, E3 or E5 subscriptions.
There are also add-on services to consider such as Visio, Teams, or Project. An MSP can help you choose from a range of plans to find the right subscription for your business – and ensure you won’t pay more than is necessary.
2. Reduced Support Costs: A Hassle-Free, No-Hidden Costs Partnership
With a dedicated MSP partner, your organisation can drastically reduce the costs of support – and the hassle of dealing with technical issues, and losing employee productivity because of costs associated with downtime
The best MSP company will have a fixed subscription pricing model without any hidden costs. They are able to support you whenever you need it and you can also rest assured that your technology is up to date – and protected from cyber attacks.
3. Exchange Online
This business-class email offering gives every Microsoft 365 subscriber in your organization a mailbox with a maximum capacity of 50 GB or 100 GB, with the ability to access email through a web browser or using the Outlook app on Windows, on a Mac, or on mobile devices. Malware and spam filtering are built in, as are basic features like shared mailboxes and (for some Microsoft 365 subscriptions) advanced features like eDiscovery.
4. OneDrive for Business
Every Microsoft 365 business subscriber gets 1 TB of personal OneDrive for Business storage, with sync clients available for every desktop and mobile platform. The Windows 10 client uses the same sync client as the consumer OneDrive service, keeping data in a separate location. The Files on Demand feature allows users to view and manage cloud-based storage using File Explorer. Administrators of Enterprise plans can upgrade users to unlimited storage if a terabyte is not enough.
5. Improved Communication
Office 365 gives users tools to keep communication centralised and straightforward across Skype and Outlook. Skype for Business lets you hold conference calls and meetings with staff and external agencies anywhere in the world, so you can always collaborate and communicate regardless of distance or time difference. Teams provides an instant messaging function where comments can be added and files uploaded at the same time, which is useful for cross-department collaboration and when co-authoring documents. You can also ‘at’ people on Teams so they receive a notification that a comment is aimed directly at them. All these features mean you can be in constant and immediate contact with teams and individuals wherever they are located and at any time.
6. Data Recovery: Nothing Lost When Things Go Amiss
Mistakes happen as much as technical errors. Making sure your data is backed up is essential to data recovery. And one thing that you should know about Microsoft 365 is that it doesn’t automatically backs up your data. So it’s essential to back up your data to a separate server, and have a recovery plan in case of data loss.
A support company can help with a backup plan and cloud disaster recovery – so if anything goes wrong, you can rest assured that your data is safe and easily retrievable.
7. Business Continuity
With files stored in the cloud and regularly backed up, your organisation continue to operate as normal in the case of a disaster at the office. No matter what happens to your physical devices, your email, files and data are safely stored in the cloud. Exchange also has recovery features which mean individual emails or even entire inboxes can be restored if needed. No matter the situation, it can be business as usual if you’re using Office 365.
Conclusion
Microsoft 365 offers online versions of the most popular tools such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote. For any business, the range of features provided by Microsoft 365 is unmatched. The monthly subscription model offered for Microsoft 365 makes it easier for companies to buy a plan that is suitable for their size and number of users, and continue to operate as usual.
If you’re looking for a Microsoft 365 distributor all across Australia, Softvire AU has a wide range of discounted Microsoft for business products, that you can buy individually or in discounted bundles. Contact us today!
