10 Key Reasons for Using Microsoft 365

At this point, you've probably heard of Office 365 before, but are you aware of all the ways that it can improve your company's workflows, collaboration, and overall efficiency?  Let's get into some of the key features of Microsoft's flagship subscription product. There are reasons why it's become the de facto solution for every sized business, from the one person army to the largest Fortune 500 behemoth.

While there are many benefits to using Microsoft's Productivity Suite, here are 10 top reasons you should be aware of if you're considering using Office 365 as your business communications solution.

1.It's Already Enabled for your Remote and Hybrid Workforces

Now more than ever, businesses are adopting remote work policies, so it's critical that you can provide your virtual teams with access to the tools  they need to work effectively while at home or on the road. 70% of modern professionals work remotely at least one day a week. 53% do so at least half of the week, and we can expect those numbers to increase.

A major perk of Office 365 is the fact that it allows users to work from any location that has an Internet connection. All the popular Office programs can all be accessed from anywhere, on any device thanks to 365's cloud-based architecture.  This is especially useful for companies with a large number of employees who work from home or travel frequently. When every company was forced to work from home during the pandemic, our clients embraced Office 365. They were able to continue working without any major adjustments.

2. Subscription-based model for scalability

Office 365 by it's very nature can scale to grow with your business.

A good place to start is by mixing and matching different business apps to create a solution that is tailored to the specific requirements of each user or department within your organization

You can also have flexibility add or remove users by simply adding or removing licenses with Office 365's subscription-based model.

In this way, if one of your employees quits, you won't have to keep paying for an account that is no longer in use.

Besides, you don't have to change the entire system if you hire a new employee.

Your company can grow in a more efficient and cost-effective manner without having to make a long-term commitment to a software license for each employee.

3. Collaboration Difficulty

With your workforce spread out, it can be difficult to collaborate effectively.

Office 365's collaboration tools will be necessary for your employees if they don't have access to face-to-face interaction.

For instance, Microsoft Teams, the company's all-in-one collaboration hub, is available to your employees as part of their Office 365 Business subscriptions.

Work on and edit online documents at the same time, share notes and go over edits in real time, join audio or video conferences to discuss changes or give approvals—even if all the team members involved aren't physically present.

4. Fully Cloud-Based

17 percent of remote workers in Buffer's Annual State of Remote Work Report say communication and collaboration are the biggest struggles of working remotely.

In other words, providing your remote workers with the tools they need to communicate effectively with their teams can be the difference between engaged, successful teams and isolated, unhappy employees.

Office 365 features and benefits are designed to be taken advantage of from anywhere with an Internet connection. Mostly everyone is familiar with Microsoft Office Apps and they are still highly popular. However, the web-based tools are just as capable and a substitute when the full suite is not installed.

5. Reduced Software Costs

Being subscription based, you're only paying for what you're actually using. You can also mix and match plans, depending on your staff's needs.

While some of your C-Suite employees will need some more enterprise grade security and storage features, other staff will find the more basic pans sufficient.  Regardless of your needs, you're never paying for software you're not using.

6. Enhanced security

Data security is paramount these days, and Office 365's built in security goes a long way towards ensuring that.

With your subscription, you'll always have access to the latest, most secure versions of the full office suite.  You also get a slew of security features such as data encryption, multi-factor authentication, spam filtering, and more.  There are also a slew of 3 party tools for enhanced security, compliance, and backup and replication.

7. Office 365 Email

With 365, you've got access to all your email, calendar, and contact synchronized across any device you sign into and via the Outlook on the web.

At the point, Microsoft Exchange server has been the de facto corporate email standard for decades now and has the reliability and features to show for it.  Your business needs a robust, reliable, feature-rich email system and 365 is the preferred recommendation for environments of any size.

8. SharePoint and OneDrive

Your organization has data to share and collaborate upon, and using Office 365 email, it's a small increase to include file storage as well using that one login.

Subscriptions include OneDrive for your personal storage and SharePoint for team access.  Each can be shared easily within your company, and extended to provide access to outside participants as well.  Just like the email, you can access your shared files from anywhere with an Internet connection as well.

9. Microsoft Analytics

Analytics can give you quite a great deal of insight on how your team, customers, and vendors are interacting and collaborating.  Utilizing analytics you'll be able to develop metrics and finding new areas to gain efficiency.

10. 24-7 Support

Microsoft 365 include round the clock support for any issues you may need help with.  As an IT Service provider, we handle any sort of questions our clients have related to 365. However, it's still good to know that we've round-the-clock support from Microsofts global team.

So there you have it, the top 10 reasons why Office 365 could be the right choice for your business.  We'd love to help you get started with or better managing 365 for your organization. Feel free to book an appointment with us here at STG IT Consulting Group. We're here to help!

Click here to schedule a free 15-minute meeting with Stan Kats, our Founder and Chief Technologist.

STG IT Consulting Group proudly provides IT Service in Greater Los Angeles and the surrounding areas for all of your IT needs.

We look forward to meeting with you!