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Microsoft Office 365: Business Benefits & Strategic Value

In 2011, Microsoft completely revamped its subscription-based office suite, rebranding it as Office 365. Four years later, Microsoft Office 365 has evolved from a cloud-based Office subscription to something that provides businesses a great deal of value. Below, you’ll find everything you need to know about Office 365, and how your business can squeeze maximum value from it.

Office 365 Basics

For a monthly subscription, Office 365 gives your employees everything they need to get business done. Here are some of the things you can expect from Office 365:
  • Desktop and online versions of powerful Office applications like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Publisher, and OneNote on up-to 5 devices
  • Mobile office capability on tablets and mobile phones
  • Powerful file sharing with 1TB of storage for each user
  • Outlook access for each user that includes email, calendar, contacts, and 50GB storage.
  • Powerful voice and video conferencing capabilities
  • Access to Yammer, Microsoft’s business-oriented social media tool that allows your team to quickly communicate and share information internally
Depending on your specific plan, certain perks like offline Office apps and email may not be included. All plans include integration with Windows and Mac.

Business Benefits of Office 365

The convenience of Office 365 is worth the price of admission alone. Many organizations enjoy a great deal of ancillary benefits from this suite, however. Office 365 greatly reduces the strain on your internal IT staff. Your IT staff will be able to spend their time on more valuable activities rather than toiling away with menial tasks like email server maintenance, securing data and pushing out software updates Your non-IT staff will become more productive, too, as Office 365 emphasizes efficiency. Easy access from any device lets employees check their email from home or quickly edit a spreadsheet on their phone on the train. Using Office applications in the cloud allows users to collaborate on files at the same time. They’ll never have to waste their time emailing a file around a dozen times again. Finally, Office 365 offers security and peace of mind that’s impossible to have if you’re stuck storing your own data. Important data stored in Microsoft’s cloud can never be lost. More importantly, it will never be stolen. Office 365 complies with the most rigid security standards, including HIPAA and FISMA. If you need custom security solutions, your IT staff will be able to tailor your organization’s options using a simple administration tool.

Using Office 365 Strategically

To get the most value out of Office 365, you need to use it strategically. Here are some of the ways you can leverage Office 365 to its fullest:

Use it as a launch-point for your mobile workforce

If you’re like any other business, you’re stretching throughout multiple offices to manage a national (or international) audience and struggling to manage an increasingly mobile workforce. Microsoft Office 365 is the perfect application to help you hit the ground running, as you continue to expand. Employees can access applications anywhere, collaborate from hundreds of miles away, and jump into video conferences with the touch of a button. Working remotely has never been easier.

Save money on your IT department

Microsoft Office 365 is a solution so simple that it practically runs itself. If you combine Office 365 with a team of expert IT consultants, you might be able to forgo a traditional IT department altogether.

Leverage 365 to start building better relationships

Office 365 isn’t all about collaborating with your internal staff, it’s also about connecting you with your prospects and clients. You’ll be able to share documents and collaborate with them at the same time, as well. If you’re working on a pre-sale document with a potential client, you’ll differentiate yourself long before you ever start a conference call and pitch them. Are you curious about how Office 365 fits into your business model and can provide your specific organization value? Make sure to contact our team of business experts to find out how we can get you set-up on Microsoft Office 365 to start enjoying these benefits immediately!
Envision Consulting

Envision Consulting

We started Envision Consulting for businesses that share our passion for building long- term and healthy relationships. While we might be technology experts, we’ve always known that trust, reliability and looking after a client’s best interest are paramount to succeeding in business. But in 2001 and to this day, there were few managed IT providers available that embodied our customer-centric values. There were countless support companies more interested in reacting to issues than paving the road forward for clients, making it far too difficult to build long-term relationships. We felt a strong pull to make something different, and we did.