Technology has become a huge asset to running a business. Since technology is constantly improving, it becomes challenging to keep all software and hardware up to date. It can also be a headache to sift through all the available applications to find options that offer your employees the tools they need to be proficient at their jobs. If you are struggling with technology decisions and costs, Office 365 may be a good solution for your business.
What is Office 365?
Microsoft® Office 365 solutions offer cloud applications and productivity services. Office 365 provides businesses with applications for email, intranet, file storage and sharing, real-time document editing, video conferencing, instant messaging, reporting and more. Office 365 is essentially a one-stop-shop for applications geared towards employee collaboration and efficiency.
Save Effort and Money
Since Office 365 offers businesses a multitude of applications, there is no need to pay for licensing from several different software providers in order to get the same services. Instead, you will just pay a monthly subscription for Office 365 licensing. The licensing is based on the number of users, and that number can easily be changed on the fly. Also, gone are the days of paying for the latest and greatest software version since Office 365 comes with automatic updates.
In addition, if you have an on-premise Exchange server for email, you can move it to Office 365’s Exchange Online. Once email is migrated to Exchange Online, you no longer have to worry about the costs and time associated with the maintenance, support and necessary upgrades of an on-premise server. Also, with Exchange Online, you will receive the following:
- Data security
- Compliance with HIPAA and 9 other compliance standards
- Protection against spam and viruses
- Guaranteed 99.9% uptime
Access Anywhere
If an employee has access to the internet, then they will have access to Office 365. Remote employees will have the same access to Office 365 email, files and software applications as their in-office counterparts. Through Office 365, your employees are offered the freedom of mobility and the ability to perform their work from anywhere on any device.
Microsoft Teams – The Ultimate Collaboration Tool
Office 365 comes with numerous applications, and Microsoft Teams brings them all together in one place. Microsoft Teams, which was released in 2017, allows your employees to communicate and share their work instantly with each other in one central place. Employees can create teams to include all members working on a specific project. All members of the team will then be able to do the following:
- Store and share files
- Edit documents at the same time
- Collaborate on presentations and reports
- Communicate instantly through chats
- Host online HD video, VoIP and dial-in audio meetings that are recorded and transcribed
- View each other’s desktops
- Easily search and find anything saved under the team
- And much more!
Microsoft Teams is a valuable platform for both centralizing and organizing the tools employees need to be efficient and successful in their shared work.
Office 365 provides businesses and their employees with the power of productivity, collaboration and mobility. If you are interested in learning more about how an Office 365 solution can benefit your business, please contact an Anders advisor or learn more about Anders Technology Services.
Jason N. Gotway, VSP5, VMTSP, VCP550, VCP6 was a contributor to this post.
