Chances are you run your business in a Windows environment. Even companies that primarily use Macs tend to use Microsoft Office applications! So you’ve probably heard of Office 365 and its popular suite of productivity apps, such as Word, Excel, SharePoint, OneDrive for Business and Skype for Business.
Office 365 is the cloud version of Microsoft Office, with a few fantastic extras thrown in. Some of those extras, of course, allow you to download the applications to your desktop or mobile device so you don’t have to be connected to the Internet to use them. That said, Office 365 differs from the traditional Microsoft Office applications in one huge way - rather than purchasing perpetual licenses of the suite of applications, Office 365 is available on a monthly, per user subscription basis.
Are you wondering what the benefits of paying monthly versus one-time are? We don’t blame you - and we’re here to explain why your organization should jump on the Office 365 bandwagon.
Since the applications are purchased via subscription, rather than by a single perpetual license, they’re also automatically updated and patched as new versions are rolled out. This is huge when you compare it to the perpetual license versions of Microsoft Office that require you to buy the new version with each update (and usually results in companies skipping a couple versions until it becomes critical to update).
Additionally, since everything with Office 365 is cloud based, the updates that are pushed out are more than just functional - they include all of the periodic security patches that are issued by Microsoft for each product.
Office 365 is very much a “you get what you pay for” type of product - but not in the traditional sense. Regardless of the price you pay, the product is a good one. It’s Microsoft Office, for crying out loud. What you get, however, is exactly as much as you need, when you need it, with the ability to upgrade when and if necessary.
Is your company just starting out and only has a few users? With Office 365, you can buy what you need. As your organization grows, simply add more users to your plan and have your Office 365 administrator configure them to your organization’s settings. With the perpetual licenses of Microsoft Office, it can get expensive to buy a new license for every single user, especially as new versions come out, but with Office 365 you simply add users to your monthly or annual subscription and it’s all set.
One of the biggest benefits of Office 365 is that it’s incredibly flexible. Depending on the edition you purchase you can use web apps, desktop apps, mobile apps, or a combination of the three.
Many organizations choose to invest in the plan that allows all three options, which means their employees can work anytime, anywhere. Have to make a quick edit while on public transportation? Your mobile apps are ready for you. Sitting at your desk working on a massive project? You can enjoy your desktop apps. Checking in on something from a device you don’t usually use? Simply login to your Office 365 account securely and access everything you need right in the cloud.
Finally, the unsung hero of Office 365 is Microsoft OneDrive and the 1TB of storage that’s included with each subscription plan. 1TB is a ton of storage, and Microsoft just gives it to you! And, of course, you can upgrade to a larger storage plan if your organization requires it. But more importantly, this is cloud storage - meaning everything that makes your company tick can be migrated to the cloud, and off-site, for the utmost security.
Are you considering migrating to Office 365 but aren’t sure if it’s right for your organization? Schedule your FREE IT assessment today.