A Guide To Getting The Most Out of Microsoft 365

Put simply, Microsoft 365 (formerly known as Office 365) is a subscription-based platform that offers a suite of online productivity services and tools necessary to get work done efficiently in the modern work environment. Microsoft 365’s series of cloud services and desktop apps can be extremely beneficial for businesses of all sizes. With the rapidly changing nature of remote work, businesses need an easier way to work and serve customers from anywhere. Furthermore, small to medium-sized businesses are targets for cyberattacks, especially those with remote teams. Microsoft 365 is an ideal way to strengthen security and protect sensitive information. Microsoft 365 does not limit your company’s growth. In fact, Microsoft’s solutions can be extended easily and affordably with various packages offered to best-suit different sized companies. 

It’s likely that most people are already familiar with Microsoft’s suite of premium office applications that have been trusted and constantly evolving since the 1980s. Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook have all become vital tools used in everyday business practices for decades. We’re going to take a deeper look at Microsoft 365’s newer offerings, the cloud services apps which enable users to collaborate effectively and increase overall productivity as well as the cyber threat protection and device management apps. 

Cloud Services

• Microsoft Exchange is a business-class email that every Microsoft subscriber can take advantage of. It features a 50GB mailbox which can be accessed on a web browser or using the Outlook app. 
• Microsoft Teams is a collaborative platform offering unified communications for your whole remote team. It allows for instant messaging for Microsoft subscribers within an organization and HD video conferencing.
• Microsoft OneDrive is an essential part of the Microsoft suite, providing users with up to 1TB of cloud-based storage. 
• Microsoft SharePoint is a sleek document management and storage system interface, allowing Microsoft subscribers to easily share files and sync information. 

Cyberthreat Protection & Device Management

• Microsoft InTune is a mobile-device-management and mobile-application-management tool used to help organizations control how and what devices are being used for work. The cloud-based service configures specific policies to control applications. InTune also ensures organization data is protected when employees are working on personal devices, isolating organization data from personal data. 
• Microsoft Azure helps organizations better protect sensitive information. The cloud-based data classification, tracking, protection and encryption service enables secure email, documents and sensitive data to be shared outside of the company. 

Microsoft 365 features three unique plans with various levels of pricing and different sets of productivity applications to best satisfy businesses ranging in size and needs. 

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic: this is the basic plan for businesses who desire easy remote solutions and cloud storage. Experience Microsoft Exchange, Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint with this Business Basic. 
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard: this plan is for businesses that require full remote work and collaboration tools. Experience Microsoft Exchange, Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint, plus premium office applications (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Publisher, Access) across all devices with Business Standard.
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium: the most advanced package available is best for businesses that require remote working solutions with everything that comes in the Standard plan, but also includes cyber threat protection and device management.