If you’re like most business owners, you’re always looking for ways to improve your productivity and efficiency. You may have heard about the Microsoft 365 suite, but you’re unsure if it’s the right solution for your business.
After all, you don’t want to invest in business office tools that won’t help you grow.
In this guide, we’ll discuss the benefits of Microsoft 365 and how it can help your business take the next step!
A quick note, Office 365 and Microsoft 365 are the same packages. Microsoft rebranded the Office 365 package into the Microsoft one back in 2020, so you may see the two terms used interchangeably!
What are the key benefits of the Microsoft 365 package?
First, let’s take a detailed look at the key benefits of Office 365 and how its set-up and business premium platform can help you.
Access to Microsoft’s extensive toolkit
At the time of writing, the Microsoft 365 Suite includes the following;
- Access to all Office apps, including Word, Powerpoint, Outlook, Excel, and more
- The ability to cross-install on PCs, Macs, and mobile apps
- A massive 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage
- All upgrades and technical integrations
This is an incredibly comprehensive package that gives you an app to handle pretty much any business task you want to undertake. And with over 345 million paying users worldwide, it’s evident that the 365 suite has its purpose.
Improved collaboration tools
Office 365 comes with a ton of streamlined business collaboration features, whether you’re working on a project, sharing ideas, or providing a service for the best customer satisfaction possible.
With the Office suite, you can easily share documents, presentations, and spreadsheets with anyone in your organisation. You can also chat with coworkers in real-time via video calls, email via the Microsoft Outlook email suite, and create virtual meetings and conference calls to stay connected to other employees through Microsoft Teams.
And, since this is cloud-based software, you can work with multiple people in multiple locations, sharing documents and editing files in real-time, and enjoy state-of-the-art sharing capabilities like never before.
Leading security and compliance
When you use Microsoft 365, you can rest assured that your data is secure. The software comes with built-in security features, such as two-factor authentication and advanced malware protection. This means you can keep your business data safe from cyber threats.
And these advanced security features are surprisingly good.
Built into the toolkit, you’ll find advanced threat analytics that tirelessly works to keep your company’s data safe. It constantly scans everything for malicious links and potential threats, as well as offering advanced message encryption, sensitive information protection, and the ability to restrict access to user accounts if they do become compromised.
And to make sure you’re never stuck, data loss prevention comes as standard, and if you need special protection or access, you have the ability to create custom scripts if required.
Access everything, everywhere, anytime
With Microsoft Office 365, you can access your documents and files from anywhere, at any time. Whatever device you’re using, as long as you have internet connectivity, you can access files, instant messaging services, and online meetings, all through the Microsoft surface.
If you’re working with remote employees, multiple users, or even customers and clients, all you need is permitted access to your workspace, and you’re good to go!
Nearly every modern mobile device is supported, so it doesn’t matter what your employees mobile devices are; they can access everything you want. But don’t worry, this is still secure. Using the admin tools, you can easily manage device security policies and completely control your mobile device management procedures.
It’s one of the best security measures that keep your data safe while ensuring maximum productivity!
Easy budgeting
Office 365 is available via a cost-effective, subscription based service, where you pay on a per-user monthly fee basis. This makes budgeting your business effortless because you know exactly what you’re paying for when you’re paying it and how much it will cost.
As your business grows and tackles the journey of growth, you can add or remove users as needed, meaning you only pay for what you use. There are no upfront costs, and you can cancel your subscription anytime.
From a cash flow perspective, it’s precisely how you want a business tool to be, especially since you can reduce software expenses by not paying for all these applications separately.
Automatic updates
With Microsoft 365, you’ll always have the latest version of the Office platform and all the latest features it has to offer thanks to the automatic updates, as well as any new software when it’s released and the latest security patches.
Whenever the latest versions of the suite are released, you’ll have automatic upgrades as part of your subscription based model, with no extra costs. You just get access to everything, all the time, all automatically!
As you can see, Microsoft 365 has a lot to offer businesses of all sizes. If you’re looking for a way to improve your productivity and efficiency, Microsoft 365 is the perfect solution.
See a Product Demo below by Microsoft:
What are the benefits of Microsoft Office 365 to a business?
So, zeroing in on the advantages of these benefits, how can all this come together to help your business succeed in the best possible way?
Increased productivity
The cloud-based productivity tools within Office 365 liberate your employees from their desks, allowing them to work on the go from any device with an internet connection. This increased flexibility and freedom often leads to improved employee satisfaction and motivation, as well as increased productivity.
In the modern, post-COVID world, this is essential, and as an organisation looking to hire the top talent from around the world, it’s necessary for your business’s success.
Better collaboration
Another big advantage of using Office 365 for business is its improved collaboration between employees. For example, the real-time co-authoring feature in Office Online makes it easy for team members to work on the same document simultaneously from different locations. And with SharePoint online and OneDrive, sharing files and documents internally within your organisation or externally with clients and partners is effortless.
Improved security
All businesses must take data security seriously, and so Office 365 includes several features to help keep your business data safe.
For example, multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of protection to user accounts, while built-in malware and spam filters help protect email inboxes from malicious content.
This is vital these days when it’s your business’s responsibility to look after your customer’s data, and you could be liable for hefty fines if you lose it.
Flexible and scalable
One of the great things about Office 365 is that it’s a flexible and scalable solution that can grow your business. As your business evolves, you can easily add or remove people as needed, and you only pay for the features and users you need.
If you ever need it, Microsoft even allows you to create your own custom solution, so you build your office suite in the way that best suits you.
Is Microsoft 365 good for small businesses?
Yes, Microsoft 365 is an excellent solution for small businesses.
It offers all the benefits of Microsoft Office, such as the ability to stay connected and collaborate more easily, but is subscription-based, so you only pay for what you need when you need it.
This means whether you’re working independently as a freelancer, have a small team of 5-10 employees, or are scaling up to a global enterprise, the 365 platform can precisely scale with you the entire time.
There are additional Microsoft suite products that we recommend such as Microsoft Defender for Business which we have written an in-depth article on.
Optimized Communication with Microsoft Teams
Integrating Microsoft Teams within the Microsoft 365 suite elevates the communication and collaboration capabilities of businesses. Microsoft Teams acts as a hub for teamwork, allowing seamless communication through chat, calls, and video conferencing, thus eliminating the barriers posed by geographical locations and different time zones. It enables the sharing of live documents, co-authoring, and customization of workspaces, enhancing the overall collaborative experience.
The integration of Microsoft Teams within Microsoft 365 ensures that all the essential tools are under one platform, making it easier for businesses to manage and share information efficiently. This synergy between Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365 not only streamlines work but also saves time, making it an indispensable asset for businesses aiming for higher productivity and more meaningful connections.
Is Microsoft 365 worth it?
It depends on your business needs.
If you’re looking for a way to improve your productivity and efficiency, then Microsoft 365 is likely a good investment. However, if you only need access to the basic Microsoft Office suite, such as basic word processing or basic email, then Microsoft 365 may not be worth the extra cost.
That being said, Microsoft 365 is a very functional toolkit. If you’re an independent contractor or freelancer, then it’s probably best to look into free options, like Google Workspace, since this is just as capable.
However, if you’re a larger business, working worldwide, and you’re growing rapidly, then Microsoft 365 is well worth considering. Having access to all these tools in one place and having everything so seamlessly integrated into each other is just a phenomenal advantage that can help your business grow dramatically.
And don’t worry.
Although the Microsoft 365 Suite looks like it offers a lot of tech, and this could be incredibly confusing to set up and get started with, help is at hand. By outsourcing your Office 365 management, you can save even more time and take all the stress out of the technical side of running such a workspace.
Instead, you can use your time wisely to focus on other areas of your business, thus having the unique opportunity to take your business to the next level. Contact Microbyte today to discuss setting up Microsoft 365 for your business.
