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Microsoft 365

Benefits Of Using Microsoft 365

Benefits of using Microsoft 365

 

Implementing Microsoft 365 benefits your company in myriad ways: it increases collaboration, boosts productivity, and provides seamless support for secure remote work on an affordable, user-friendly platform. Microsoft 365 brings together the power of cloud computing with an extensive set of mobile apps, making it easier for employees to remain productive when traveling, working in-house, or working remotely either using the office apps, via the web browser or mobile access via a mobile device.

The secure cloud-based productivity tools in Microsoft 365 Suite free up your employees from the office, enabling them to work on the go, on any device that has an Internet connection. This is because Microsoft Office 365, like all cloud storage-based systems, dumps their data onto the internet, so that you can access your work without having to be on-premises or using an office computer.

Microsofts Office 365 security features include data loss prevention anti spam, anti malware, malware protection and robust security, custom access restrictions which helps in managing your companies data. Microsoft Office 365 for Business is a business management system consisting of several different productivity tools and applications, including Windows 10, Office 365, along with an enterprise mobility and security suite.

These features and benefits of Office 365 for Business can provide you peace of mind that your data remains safe, even when employees are accessing it from a variety of locations and devices. Plus, by investing in Office 365 Business Premium, you get data encryption at rest and in transit, mandatory multifactor authentication for users, regions-based data persistence, and anti-phishing email protection via Outlook. One of the main benefits of having a subscription-based software such as Office 365 Business Premium is that because it is constantly updated, you will always have the latest security patches, without having to do manual updates or buy add-ons.

With Microsofts 365 suite, you will always have the latest version of the Office platform and all of the latest features that it has to offer thanks to the auto-updates, along with any new software as it is released, and the latest security patches. The big benefit to buying Microsoft 365 is the fact that automatic updates happen on a more regular basis, and it removes the need for manual installation of security patches in order to harden the servers on your system for protecting your confidential data.

The cloud-based version of Microsofts Office suite also gives you greater storage capabilities, easier access to folders and files, mobility to work across multiple devices from remote locations, and user-friendly software that improves productivity collaboration and performance. Microsoft 365 allows enterprises to remove the expensive costs and constraints of hosting and maintaining servers for running applications like SharePoint and MS-Teams, and for storing and accessing files via on-premises servers. Microsoft 365 integrates premium versions of traditional Microsoft 365 desktop applications, like Word and Excel, with cloud-based products and benefits like Teams and SharePoint, which make sure that work gets done everywhere, anytime.

Microsoft 365 provides the tools you need to make collaboration and communication effortless for everyone in your organization: Keep everyone connected, whether they are in the office, home, or around the world. By integrating these tools, Microsoft 365 allows organizations to have a scalable, collaborative environment that puts knowledge into actionable contexts and breaks the geographic barriers to productivity. For instance, real-time coauthoring capabilities within Microsoft 365 Suite makes it easier for team members to work simultaneously on the same documents from multiple locations.

SharePoint Online is an excellent platform to build your companys intranet, and Microsoft 365 helps to make that communication tool easier, without the tech overhead of managing servers and an on-premises infrastructure. This also provides easy access from anywhere in the world. With Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business, Outlook Groups, Sway, Yammer, SharePoint, and the rest of the apps in Office 365 for Business, users can connect more efficiently than ever — regardless of where they are working from or which device they are using.

Both Microsoft Teams and Yammer (Yammer is mostly reserved for larger enterprises), included with the Microsoft 365 suite, enable your organization to create various groups and utilize threaded discussions that are geared toward specific departments, lines of business, or communities of interest. The ease of use and variety of options of Microsoft Teams provides a steady foundation of optimized enterprise collaboration. Microsoft Teams is your hub for work-related collaboration, featuring telephony features, file storage, and an instant messaging system.

Microsoft Outlook provides an online workspace where you can securely share updates, collaboratively write documents, and manage your business processes. It helps you protect yourself from cyber threats, secure devices, protect customer data, and manage users and devices. Since Office 365 is hosted at a Microsoft Data Center, you only need an Internet connection, which makes it easier to get to. No matter what device you are using, you can access files, instant messaging services, and online meetings, all via the Microsoft Surface. One of the biggest benefits of using a cloud-based system is that any devices that you normally use on the job are available for remote access.

If you are able to get higher Microsoft Office 365 subscriptions, you will see a few more advanced features, like file sync to PC; others can edit your documents, stream your PowerPoint presentations, and access online libraries of documents. Office 365 plans along with low monthly plans cost and enhanced security features are specially created for enabling productivity from anywhere in the world, secure business at its highest levels, save money and have your custom solutions tailored for business needs.

While Microsofts Office 365 comes with an array of benefits, including the enhanced security features and the ability to choose between several plans, there are other cloud-based systems that offer similar features and benefits as Microsofts Office 365 — Zohos Workplace, for instance, or Googles G Suite. Microsofts Office 365 suite comes with an array of features that make for optimized collaboration in the workplace, whether you are working on a project, sharing ideas, or providing services to ensure your customers receive the best possible satisfaction.

Microsoft 365

Migrating your Business to Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is one of biggest collaboration systems in the world with a wealth of features and tools for your business, it is easy to see why it is one of the top choices for business. With its 50GB Mailboxes as standard and 25TB of Sharepoint Storage available to every business it is easy to see why it is so popular.  Hamblett Consultancy who have been a Microsoft Certified Partner since the company was formed, have done a lot of Microsoft 365 for businesses around the world and when we say a lot we mean several a week and it hasn’t slowed down. We are always perfecting our migration techniques to make sure the transition is as seamless as it can be.

 

Preparing for the Microsoft 365 Migration

Preparation is key when it comes to migrating from one system to Microsoft 365. Whether it is a straight forward migration from a company like Ionos to Microsoft 365 or a more complex legacy mail system to Microsoft 365, the process is always the same.

  1. Determine what and who is to be migrated from the current system(s) to Microsoft 365 – There is no point moving old users if they are not needed anymore. Archiving old mailboxes can be done in several different ways (Shared Mailboxes or .pst files placed in sharepoint).
  2. This is the ideal time to make sure your file structure is correct and data is in the correct place.
  3. Migrating data from several places or workstations into the centralised structure before the migration will save time on the process.
  4. Prepare the new Microsoft 365 Tenancy with the domain name and mailboxes ready for the switch over.
  5. Sending out the new Microsoft 365 Mailbox details to staff in preparation of the switchover

 

Migration Weekend

Migrations are best done over the weekend to minimise disruption and also lock the old mailboxes.

  1. First task is complete the domain name migration over to Microsoft 365 so all emails now go into the new mailboxes and they become the live system
  2. Once mail is flowing it is then time to migrate the emails from the old system to the new one. This can be done various ways, but server to server is the preferred method. If that is not possible other methods can be used to migrate the information
  3. Next is moving the data from the central location to Sharepoint. This can be from a File Server, Nas Drive, Google Drive, DropBox, etc. Depending on the amount of data and the location will determine how long it will take to migrate
  4. Once that is all going nicely its time to make sure contacts and calendars are moved. If migrating from Google Workspace then this is done automatically. All other systems would need to be done separately.

 

Post Migration

After a Migration there are still several tasks that need to be completed to make sure everything is working as it should do.

  1. Setting up the staff with their new mailboxes and the added security with MFA (Multi Factor Authentication)
  2. Adding Sharepoint to the users computers so they can access the company information
  3. Showing users how Sharepoint works and some of the quirks in file name conventions.
  4. Setup the backups for Microsoft 365 to protect the clients data.

 

Myths

So the internet is a wonderful place and is full of myths and misconceptions regarding most things. Microsoft 365 and migrations in general have myths around them.

  1. Contacts and Calendars are automatically migrated – No only Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 can do that as long as you use the official migration wizard
  2. Microsoft Backups up my data – NO Microsoft does NOT back up your data and they recommend that you use a 3rd party company to do this.

 

If after you get to the bottom of this and you are still interested in discussing the possibility of moving from your current provider to Microsoft 365 please contact us

Microsoft 365 Subscription prices to rise March 2022

Price increases of up to 20 per cent will take effect from 1st March 2022

Microsoft will be increasing prices for its suite of popular Microsoft 365 products. The increases, of up to 20%, will affect business customers and will take effect within six months from March 2022. This was first mentioned in this article in August 2021

The Microsoft 365 cloud software suite combines what was formerly known as Office 365 and Windows 10 with EMS (Enterprise Mobility + Security), Teams and its other applications.

Which 365 plans will be affected and by how much?

The basic business plan will see a rise of 20%, from $5 per user to $6, while the high-end Microsoft 365 E3 will increase by 12.5%, from $32 to $36 per user. Equivalent pound sterling currency increases apply at the same rate as well.

The following Microsoft Office 365 plans will also see an increase in price:

  • Microsoft 365 Business Premium (from $20 to $22)
  • Office 365 E1 (from $8 to $10)
  • Office 365 E3 (from $20 to $23)
  • Office 365 E5 (from $35 to $38)
  • Microsoft 365 E3 (from $32 to $36)

This increase is for 1,2 and 3 year commitments, if you want to keep on a month by month contract there is an extra 20% fee on top.

The price changes will apply globally, with local market adjustments for certain regions. As stated, the price increases will take effect from 1st March 2022 but will not include consumer or educational products.

Why is Microsoft increasing the price for 365?

Microsoft justified their decision for this increase by saying it was their first “substantive” cost change from the company since launching Office 365 over 10 years ago.

And that “this updated pricing reflects the increased value we have delivered to our customers over the past 10 years,” according to Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft 365.

Jared Spataro stated that Microsoft had added more than two dozen new apps to the suite of products since it was first introduced, including Teams, which is extremely popular, widely used by companies and which experienced a huge increase in use since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. And that use is not set to disappear either.

It was also highlighted the three key areas where Microsoft products have advanced its performance and delivery to its business customers; communication and collaboration, AI and automation and security and compliance.

What’s in the fine print for Microsoft 365 Users

There is several key bits of information that MSP’s are not telling their clients, one thing a lot of MSP’s are not telling users is that as well as a price increase, they are also locked in with their Microsoft 365 provider for the duration of the contract. The 2nd bit of information not mentioned is when in the contract term, you cannot cancel licenses. You can add more, but you cannot cancel them (unless you choose the month by month commitment).

Unfortunately it does mean that we will have to pass on any cost price increases to our customers. It’s not something that we want to do and where possible, we will do our very best to keep costs the same, dependent on the 365 plans that remain the same price from our supplier.

 

Is it time to change MSP’s

Due to the new Commitments Microsoft is imposing, it may be time that you look if your MSP is doing everything it should for your business. By now they should have given you all the facts about the Microsoft changes, so it gives you time to prepare for the changes. It is definitely time to have a Microsoft 365 license review to make sure you are running on the correct licensing and you don’t have any spare licenses just sat around in your account.

If you would like a Microsoft License review please contact us