Every business needs additional services to improve productivity and the quality of its work. Nowadays, the best choice is Microsoft Office 365. One of the leading service providers worldwide, it’s used by more than a million companies and at least 345 million people. Big players like IKEA, L’Oreal, and PayPal use these services, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t as well.

Let’s look at the reasons why Microsoft Office 365 Services are behind the success of some of the biggest companies worldwide.

Microsoft Office 365 – Definition and Apps

Microsoft Office 365 was first introduced in 2017. This caused some confusion. Clients already using the existing Office 365 package thought they might be missing out on essential features. However, Microsoft 365 included the aforementioned Office 365, together with Windows 10 Enterprise, Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS), and machine learning. Eventually, the two merged in April 2020, and those already subscribed to Office 365 could freely enjoy all the services available in Microsoft 365.

The current version of Microsoft Office 365 includes some of the services that everyone has encountered before, such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. If you’re planning to use Microsoft Office 365 for your business, there’s a variety of plans to choose from. You can try them for free for a whole month to see which plan best fits your business:

  • Microsoft 365 Business Basic
  • Microsoft 365 Business Standard
  • Microsoft 365 Business Premium
  • Microsoft 365 Apps for business

Depending on your chosen subscription plan, Microsoft Office 365 offers some of the following apps:

  • Apps for Chat and Communication (Skype for Business, Teams, Yammer, Newsfeed, Groups, Kaizala)
  • Outlook Apps (Mail, Calendar)
  • Apps for Presentation (Stream, Sway)
  • File Storage Apps(OneDrive for Business, SharePoint Online)
  • Project, Work & Resource Management Apps (Planner, Dynamics 365, Project Online, To-Do)
  • Apps for Employee Profiles (People, Delve)
  • Apps for Small Businesses (StaffHub, Bookings)
  • Power Platform Apps (Power BI, Flow, PowerApps)
  • Apps for Polls (Forms)
  • Office Online Apps (PowerPoint Online, Word Online, Excel Online, OneNote Online, Visio Online)

Why Use Microsoft Office 365?

There are a number of benefits associated with using Microsoft Office 365 for your business.

1. Work on the Go

Firstly, it allows you to stay connected with your team no matter where you are. Whether you’re working from home or onsite, Microsoft Office 365 Services allow you to communicate by chat or host online meetings for as many as 300 people using Microsoft Teams. You can also use Audio Conferencing to talk with your team members on the go. Furthermore, you can share team chats, meetings, and documents on the cloud and create team sites to share other content by using SharePoint.

Apart from these features, Microsoft Office 365 gives you 50 GB of storage in your mailbox, and with the Exchange app, you can email on mobile phones, tablets, desktops, and the web. Additionally, Exchange Online Archiving enables cloud archiving and preservation policies.

Microsoft Office 365 Services also help you manage your calendar, schedule meetings, and respond to invitations by using shared calendars.

2. Secure Your Business

Microsoft Office 365 allows you to secure your business with built-in security features. It helps you identify threats in email attachments and links and protects you against phishing attacks. Moreover, it prevents unauthorized copying and saving of the company’s data and controls who has access to it. The overall improvement of your company’s cybersecurity makes your devices and customer data more secure. It also helps you manage users and devices. You can easily delete your company’s data from lost or stolen devices with Intune.

3. Reduce Costs and Save Time

Using Microsoft Office 365 is a great way to digitally transform your business and save money. It helps you save on automation and IT costs by simplifying management by as much as 40%. By strengthening your business’s cybersecurity, Microsoft Office 365 Services automatically reduce the cost of security risks. Furthermore, you can consolidate the money spent on services.

Since time is money, having all your apps in one place saves the precious time that you might spend switching between different apps and platforms. Learning how different tools from different manufacturers work can also be time-consuming in the long run.

4. Other Benefits

In addition to all the points highlighted above, using Microsoft Office 365 gives you the opportunity to use web, mobile, and desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. The services are always up-to-date, and you can use them on up to five mobile phones or tablets or five PCs or Macs. For desktop versions, Outlook is also available, and for PC, only Access and Publisher apps.

As for the storage concerns, you don’t have to worry. You’re given a generous 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage for storing and sharing files. Rest assured that all your work will automatically be stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, and the changes will be synced across your PC, Mac, or mobile phone.

Microsoft Office 365 also provides apps that manage your business directly. You can get feedback from your customers and employees with Microsoft Forms, or manage and schedule appointments with Microsoft Bookings. Microsoft Lists is a great app to track information and work that’s the primary concern of your team.

Equip Your Business With the Right Services

Microsoft Office 365 Services are a great way to make your business flourish, improve productivity and security, and reduce unnecessary expenditure. Considering all the above, it’s worth exploring all the different plans offered for businesses and finding one that suits your business the best.

If you need someone to guide you through a quick Office 365 setup, ensure that your company’s information is secure, or if you require consulting services, Optimized IT is here to help. Check out the list of Microsoft Office 365 Services Optimized IT provides and contact for more information for businesses in Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, and Mansfield areas.