John F. Kennedy once said “Change is the law of life. Those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” Although only looking to the past and present can certainly limit the possibilities of the future, adapting to the future – in business or otherwise – is better achieved by those familiar with the past and present’s best ideas. Microsoft Office 365 combines user familiarity of Office with the mobility, security, cost-effectiveness and the future possibilities of the cloud.
According to the technology research firm Gartner Inc., cloud-based computing platforms will be the bulk of IT spending by 2016 with nearly half of large enterprises
utilizing cloud-based infrastructures by 2017. Microsoft Office 365 is a prime example of the past and present providing a template for the future, and businesses are quickly realizing the benefit of web-based practicality in a more mobile and connected global marketplace.
Security and Reliability
Cloud-based platforms continue to fight prejudices concerning security concerns. Microsoft Office 365 offers the same user-level security options as the Office desktop version, allowing users to set permissions. However, to ensure offsite security, specialized Microsoft data centers protect information and provide a level of security that small and medium sized businesses may not be able to afford. In fact, the data centers feature state-of-the-art disaster recovery capabilities to provide a safeguard against human error and natural disasters. The data centers are also fully redundant and geographically dispersed to ensure your data is available.
Mobility
To accommodate a more on-the-go business landscape, Microsoft Office 365 works across all supported mobile devices. An Office 365 user can begin working from their desk, switch to a phone en route to a meeting, and share documents via tablet when they arrive. Emails, calendar information and contacts are continuously available and in sync across all supportive devices. With Office 365, employees are no longer confined to their desk. Along with web-based versions of Office suite applications, Office 365 includes Exchange Online for email, Lync Online for communications and SharePoint Online for collaboration. Since the software exists in Microsoft data centers, users only need an Internet connection to collaborate with colleagues and access information.
Familiarity and Efficiency
One of the key benefits of Microsoft Office 365 is the familiarity employees have with the suites. For businesses that already use Office, Outlook and others, implementing Office 365 will not result in large learning curves. Employees benefit from a cloud-based, but familiar, user experience. Office 365 works seamlessly with tools employees already know, but with the benefit of the cloud. For users of Office 2010 or higher, employees can view if others are editing a document, synchronize documents with their desktop and share PowerPoint presentations as it is being created.
Onsite technology infrastructures are quickly becoming no longer cost-effective. Purchasing server hardware, constantly updating software, installing backups and ensuring security are costly and time-consuming responsibilities for an IT team. A cloud-based solution, such as Microsoft Office 365, alleviates these responsibilities, allowing IT departments to focus on enhancing business, rather than maintaining a platform for it.
Microsoft Office 365 eliminates the inefficient processes of the past, while continuing to use the past’s most effective tools. By implementing the future of cloud-based solutions with user familiarity, Microsoft Office 365 can help ensure a competitive edge in the present.