Office 365: The Definition of Value

With Office 365, Microsoft has taken the suite of products you often depend on and use daily and supercharged the value your licensing delivers by leveraging the cloud. Office 365 is a Software as a Service (SaaS) offering from Microsoft that allows an organization to license communication and document management tools in a simple pay-as-you-go model.

Subscriptions for enterprise versions of Office 365 can include integral Microsoft programs, such as:

Making a one-time purchase for integral software can lock you into a costly, high-maintenance update cycle that requires proper management expertise. Instead of making a significant up-front investment that needs frequent attention, you can choose Office 365 and pay a much smaller fee to access a world of programs that require little to no maintenance. Here are 6 reasons why Office 365 is the best option when choosing a solution that will add the most value to your business.

1. Cost-efficiency

Price is a grocery store decision, while cost is a business decision. When evaluating your company's expenses, you should consider the value each option adds beyond the bottom-line dollar amount. For business solutions that help your team communicate with customers and manage operations, you need to evaluate how easily a program can be integrated without incurring short- or long-term costs that break the bank. With Office 365, you only pay for what you need and can adjust your costs, making your business more scalable and cost-efficient.

2. Speed

Once you choose a new software, your employees may race against the clock to get it wholly implemented. Office 365 deploys quickly, with the essential subscription able to be set up within a day and prepared to migrate however many users your business has, whether it's 5 or 500. Office installation drives are ready to run in a few clicks with Click-to-Run, meaning you and your team can download and run the entire Microsoft Office suite in minutes. Fast deployments increase confidence in your projects while allowing users to start using the latest and greatest versions of each program.

3. Interoperability

Increasingly, businesses find mobility and cross-compatibility paramount to enabling users to get work done anywhere, anytime. Office 365 does not always require an internet connection for specific functions, so you can continue working with Office desktop applications in places where your connectivity is terrible or nonexistent. In addition to program functionality without the internet, you can access each program through the various Office 365 web apps to work and collaborate in real-time using your device's web browser. No matter what device or operating system your business prefers, Office 365 fully supports most major platforms and manufacturers.

4. Thorough updates

Traditional IT update cycles brought new features and benefits every few years, leaving users with a slow, tedious roadmap to getting new and improved program versions that made their jobs easier. Things have changed for the better, and with Office 356, development is a frequent cadence. Continued innovation in Microsoft's classic and new programs has replaced the old update cycles and hefty expenses of updating server software. Ongoing security and performance improvements deliver value month after month without the expectation of increased costs.

5. Integrations

Many programs outside of Office 365, like Active Directory, CRM Online, and Windows Intune, can be integrated to deliver complete user and device management. Even programs and software made by companies other than Microsoft often support integrations that can help your team work and collaborate more efficiently without switching between so many apps. Another reason to integrate is the efficiency and security your business gains from using Single Sign On (SSO), which allows employees to use the same password for their domain credentials as Office 365.

6. Competitive edge

Office 365 competitors will try to entice you with low costs that prove to have hidden fees for lackluster, consumer-grade products offering no integration. Their mobility may be platform-specific and require all of an organization's users to adopt a specific device or operating system. Their support may be e-mail only with a lengthy response window, and their service level agreement is not financially backed.

The value of Office 365 is remarkable, starting with the ability to be truly mobile on any device. It also offers the freedom to work on documents and manage them online or offline. Support is included, and all Office 365 plans have a 99.9% financially backed uptime agreement and consistent online and phone support. The time and money your business saves by not having to update or manage servers is enough to be ahead of any competitor.

Get the most value from Office 365 with Bit-Wizards

While using an Office 365 subscription and leveraging these benefits can help you take advantage of the full value of Office 365 for your organization, there's still untouched potential you can access. By partnering with Managed IT Services (MITS) from Bit-Wizards, clients get guidance and support from our team of experts on top of access to Office 365 for their organization. We include Office 365 programs and features as part of our infrastructure optimizations for our clients, meaning they have the tools needed to be as resilient and effective as possible.

Ready to optimize the cost advantages and efficiency benefits of Office 365 for your business? Contact us today.