Cloud computing has helped a lot of businesses in many ways since it first came out. Technology is now more affordable and accessible to professionals and business owners than ever before. Considering the recent changes in the Office 365 plans, you might want to consider migrating to Office 365—especially once you find out how much value Microsoft’s subscription-based platform can offer your company.
To get the ball rolling, here are five compelling reasons why you should switch to Office 365 now:
Accessibility
Office 365 is a cloud-based platform. This means that you and your colleagues no longer need to stay chained to your desks and clunky PCs in order to stay productive. You can access the entire platform and programs using different tablets, laptops, and other mobile devices, even while on the go. All you need is your Office 365 account and a stable connection.
Office 365 also guarantees incredible security. Despite being on the cloud, your data is backed up by Microsoft’s comprehensive security measures, which means it’s invulnerable to attacks.
Yammer
In case you haven’t heard, Microsoft bought Yammer in way back in 2012 for roughly $1.2 billion. They chose to include this Enterprise Social Network in their platform due to the crucial role it now plays in team communication. First described as a “freemium” ESN, Yammer allows for Facebook-style communication, talent acquisition, and succinct email/messaging, and overall smoother in-office interactions.
Delve
Delve gives you a taste of the future of computers. With the use of Machine Learning, Delve is essentially a virtual personal secretary. This application has knowledge of all your current projects, your schedule, your followers on Yammer, and your priorities for a given timeframe. This marvel is even capable of offering suggestions to help users work smarter and be more efficient.
Low Upfront Cost for a Plan
Several Office 365 plans are available depending on your needs. For instances, small businesses are able to subscribe to Office 365 plan for a monthly fee, rather than an annual one, with the option to simply upgrade or downgrade their access—depending on their current needs. It’s much better than setting aside funds for hefty investments like software licenses, new hardware servers, CALs, and more.
The subscription plans have a monthly fee that can go as low as $4 for companies that only need hosted email. Under the Office 365 Business Premium plan, small businesses can also buy subscription-based access to the Office 2013 desktop version for $12.50 per month.
Office Web App
The goal of Office 365 is to make your workflows more collaborative and more streamlined than ever before. Included in the stack is the full MS Office Productivity Suite, which anyone in your organization can fully access online. This means you and your team can make edits, improvements, and comments on documents in real time. There’s also no need to download each and every document since everything is web-based, making this an effective space-saver.
Quick Updates
Once you start your Office 365 plan, you’ll realize that you have escaped the endless cycle of waiting for years just to get the next product release. Instead, you’ll get access to bug fixes and updates as soon as they are out.
Over the years, Microsoft Office 365 continues to prove that it’s a highly effective collaboration solution for small to midsized businesses. Of course, migrating to office 365 and getting everyone in your team on board will take a lot of work. But with the right tools and a proper plan, you’ll realize that it will immediately pay off.
