Microsoft 365 is a cloud-based version of MS Office — and more. It includes several additional apps and tools to help businesses perform tasks faster and more efficiently.
In the past, Microsoft sold the Office package as box software. Users would pay once upfront for a preferred version (2010, 2013, or 2016) and perpetually have the software in their machines. However, in 2011, Microsoft introduced MS 365 — a subscription-based version of Office hosted in the Cloud.
The truth is that Microsoft 365 is not just MS Office moved to the cloud; it has several useful features and functionalities that are not included in the standard version. Since its introduction in 2011, the platform has received a tremendously positive reception, with over 200 million active users every month.
Check out our latest video to learn more on some of the benefits of using Microsoft 365:
What Are The 7 Biggest Microsoft 365 Benefits For Your Business?
- Mobility Of Services: Microsoft 365 is hosted in the cloud, enabling you and your colleagues to access your data, documents, and all the productivity tools you need from any device with an internet connection. Are you working on a project on the Office desktop and realized you’re running late? Don’t worry — you can save and sort it out using your home tablet or on the subway as you’re rushing home.
- Collaborate More & Better: The greatest takeaway from the COVID-19 pandemic is organizations’ need to invest more in online collaboration platforms. Your staff should stay connected and work as a team even if they’re miles apart. MS 365 helps you achieve just that. Additional apps like SharePoint and Teams enable your employees to work on files simultaneously while seeing colleagues’ edits in real-time. MS Teams allows you to easily switch between calls, chats, and video conferences to share notes and make adjustments as a group.
- Additional Apps: MS Office includes four core apps — Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel — and just a handful of other services. Microsoft 365 also comes with these applications; and more. From MS Teams to Yammer, OneDrive, Planner, Forms, SharePoint, Stream, Power BI, etc. These additional tools seek to address workplace challenges, and Office loopholes Microsoft has identified over the years, making MS 365 superior and more productive.
- Enhanced Security: Security is at the forefront of every business owner’s mind as we witness a disturbing surge in data breaches and hacks. Fortunately, MS 365 has an in-built award-winning security system to give your files and data the best protection in the cloud. Some of its notable features include MFA, Mobile Device Management (MDM), Advanced Threat Protection, Azure Identity Protection, Email Encryption, and Data Loss Prevention.
- Better Licensing & Ease Of Scalability: The traditional way of buying Office as a box software always left businesses with underused or overstretched tools whenever they scaled up or down. With MS 365, you only acquire licenses for users or devices on necessity. Subscription is user-based or per month, giving you the flexibility to pick or drop apps/services as your needs change.
- Automatic Updates: Manually monitoring updates and installing them using system configuration managers and policies is probably one of the most laborious IT personnel tasks. That’s why MS 365 offers users the option of automatically receiving software upgrades and security fixes. All you have to do is set the intervals for the automated installs and let Microsoft do the rest. What’s more — these updates are included in the subscription fees, saving you any additional charges.
- Reduced Risks: Microsoft 365 offers a high level of availability with redundant internet and power connections and as well as hardware failures as options to pick from. This means local internet service disruptions do not affect online access to data and apps. All these features limit disruptions and increase business continuity.
Most of these useful MS 365 apps need to be activated and maintained by experienced experts to work effectively. If you’re already using Microsoft Office, this should be a no-brainer.
You can always reach out to In The Cloud Technologies for further clarifications or help to maximize the windfalls of MS 365. Call us now at 857 321 8458, and let’s discuss how you can take full advantage of Microsoft solutions and grow your business.
