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What is Microsoft 365?
Microsoft Office is a product that most will recognise as Excel, Word and PowerPoint all bundled together. Thirty years after Microsoft Office's release, Microsoft 365 was launched and is the latest iteration of Microsoft Office, but goes way beyond the usual perimeters of a Microsoft Office program.
Features
Microsoft 365's primary function is to bring together all Microsoft Office and other Microsoft products and features under one cloud offering, giving Microsoft 365 customers access to Microsoft Office 365 support, apps, storage and cloud-based computing solutions.
Online Access
Before cloud applications, one license would be installed on one PC- limiting users access to the software, storage would be limited to the size of the hard drive, and backup was often achieved via an external hardware device.
Microsoft 365 overcomes these hurdles with a modern, real-world solution. Simply put, Microsoft 365 is a cloud computer that you can access from any device in any time zone. All you need is an Internet connection. Microsoft Office 365 gives users the potential to work from any location, a point certainly not lost on many businesses during and post-Covid.
Personal, Business & Educational Applications
Microsoft 365 Business, Personal and Educational potentials open it up to a wide variety of users. Microsoft has set up dedicated Microsoft 365 enterprise, business, family and individual plans, meaning users get the features they need. Being a cloud solution, Microsoft 365 is wherever it is needed.
Notably, one of the most significant changes 365 offers from its predecessors is that it is sold as a subscription - billed monthly or yearly. Gone are the days where you could outright purchase a license with a one-time payment. It may seem unusual to pay for software on a subscription basis, so what is the point, and what are the advantages?
Advantages of a subscription model
One of the main advantages of Microsoft 365 being a subscription billed cloud service is that new features released that are released are added directly to your monthly plan. New features could be stock images for PowerPoint, a money feature for Excel or a new calling or conferencing feature for Teams.
Rather than waiting years for a new release with upgrades and fresh features, Microsoft 365 delivers these advantages from the very next month. Microsoft 365 actively improves itself and creates real value for money. Spreading the cost monthly also has some cash flow benefits for small businesses and doesn't tie them in for extended term contracts.
Cloud Scalability
Another significant gain is that previously all the IT infrastructure required to run Microsoft Office applications would have to be sized, secured and supported effectively, either in-house or by an external IT specialist. Microsoft 365 stores all of your applications in the cloud, so if you don't want to have local stores for files and applications, you don't have to. Just leave it all to Microsoft.
Secure & Backed Up
Similarly, with Microsoft Office 365 being cloud-based, it is updated regularly with security updates without you even noticing. In the modern age of cloud computing, this is essential for any Microsoft 365 user- whether you are a Business, Personal or Educational user. Having a Microsoft Office 365 backup option means your data is always saved and secure and synced from any location, which in the event of hardware failure can be lifesaving to a project or business.
Why use Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 is a very well established MS product, so should your business be using it? The obvious answer is yes, especially if you value productivity! Expanding on this, here are 15 reasons your company needs to use Office 365:
Better Planning
365 offers advanced collaboration between users. For example, the calendar requests feature allows users to schedule and plan meetings simply. The net effect is enhanced efficiency in the office.
Improved Collaboration
Microsoft 365 gives users the ability to share files through Outlook and Teams, which users can work on simultaneously. 365 takes the Skype acquisition and fully integrates it into a single platform with Teams. Add SharePoint and teamworking collaborative projects are easily managed through the cloud. You can create shared documents, spaces and have team calls – at the same time – while in different locations.
Share Point allows file-sharing of Word, Excel and Powerpoint files via One drive. This makes it really easy for users to share work they have been independently working on with their colleagues. Importantly SharePoint and Exchange Online have security features that the admin can control to prevent sensitive information from being shared outside of the organisation.
Automatic Updates
Microsoft Office 365 is automatically updated. Word, Excel, Powerpoint no longer require software updates and security patches. Users no longer have to wait for and install updates, and your business remains protected from threats and vulnerabilities.
Cloud Backup & Service Availability
The Microsoft cloud service allows users to securely store data online without paying for or maintaining a physical server. Files can be backed up securely to OneDrive, meaning they are accessible from any device.
All Microsoft 365 Business subscribers get 1TB of OneDrive for Business storage. If users require more than 1TB, the administrator can allocate more storage from the shared storage pool.
The Azure environment is highly available, meaning outages have become a thing of the past.
Work Anywhere
Access to Microsoft 365 can be via browser, mobile, desktop or tablet. Access is available online and offline. Now your workers can be productive working on the move, at customer sites, from home, and in the office. Workers can work from literally anywhere, regardless of your office location.
Exchange Online
Exchange Online gives Microsoft 365 subscribers in an organisation a business-class email mailbox with a capacity of 50GB to 100GB. This has security features such as Malware and Office 365 spam filters built-in and can be accessed via the Outlook app or any web browser. Emails are backed up, and essential communication losses are a thing of the past with this kind of capacity.
Leading Applications
Your workers will continually be accessing bang up to date versions of PowerPoint, Word and Excel with Microsoft 365. Innovative features are being continually added to aid worker's productivity and work quality. Take Editor, for example, which is Microsoft's version of Grammarly. Instead of having to buy Grammarly, you get Editor built-in and included in the price. Meaning users have a feature-rich application suite with integrated features prepared to go from the start.
Microsoft Teams function helps improve businesses communication. Conversations are managed all under one platform. You can chat using the Instant Messaging (IM) process. It is possible to arrange ad-hoc or scheduled audio/video conferences, deliver web seminars or share and store documents. The applications help workers work collaboratively with team members or external parties, regardless of their time zone.
Save Money
Microsoft 365 is amazing value for money when you add up the cost of procuring a similar suite of applications individually. The monthly subscriptions are way less than buying individual applications, storage is included, and the applications are tightly integrated together. The requirement for servers and high spec devices is eradicated too.
High Availability
MS 365 is hosted within the Microsoft Azure datacentre environment. This highly available platform stays up 99.999% of the time. You get access to a multi-million-pound cloud datacentre infrastructure to run your data applications, all for a small subscription fee every month.
Brilliant Scalability
Microsoft 365 is hosted in a highly scalable elastic environment. This means your data will never outgrow the platform. Gone are the days of resilient servers and load-balancers. Your business will remain fully accessible, no matter how fast it grows, without the need for expensive hardware upgrades.
Easy-Of-Use
Microsoft applications are very familiar and highly intuitive. Nearly all IT users are familiar with the MS suite of applications. New apps like Teams and Dynamics are very easy to pick up and use too.
Increased Security
The online backup of files, email and messages provide businesses, not just with a safety net for workers, it also keeps an audit trail of usage. In addition, Microsoft Defender keeps users safe from online threats and viruses. The safeguarding features within Microsoft 365 maintain a highly secure and auditable environment.
No In-House IT Team Required
The whole purpose of Office 365 is to provide businesses with a platform they can work from without needing an in-house IT team to manage everything. Microsoft does all the server management, freeing up your time to improve efficiency and run a more profitable business. Microsoft 365 is either automated or requires minimal action, simplifying working, communicating, and sharing.
If you're looking for an application suite that makes your business more productive, improves your business' performance, and can easily be scaled, then Microsoft 365 could be the perfect choice for your business.
What is the difference between Office 365 and Microsoft 365?
With the same '365' label, it would be easy to mistake both Microsoft and Office as being synonyms for the same product. However, Office 365 is a set of cloud-based applications consisting of Exchange, Office, SharePoint and OneDrive. Office 365 is part of the application suite Microsoft 365.
Applications Included
Microsoft 365 consists of Office 365, Teams, Windows 10 (OS), and the Microsoft security and management applications known as the Enterprise Mobility Suite. So Microsoft 365 is a wider online suite of existing Microsoft products under one license, marketed towards businesses.
Rebranding
The main reason for the confusion between Office 365 and Microsoft 365 stems from rebranding. In March 2020, MS announced that Office 365 would officially become Microsoft 365 effective April 21. Office 365 subscriptions for small- and medium-sized businesses and the enterprise-level Office 365 ProPlus were renamed. These packages have now become the Microsoft 365 enterprise products, including Microsoft 365 E3 and Microsoft 365 E5.
Simpler Licensing
Microsoft 365 was created in response to the need for a more dynamic package for workplace productivity. Previously, businesses looking to get Microsoft Office 365 would require Windows 10 Pro. Companies would require a separate security package in addition to the subscription. Microsoft 365 negates this stumbling block, streamlining the process for the customer. Having access to the entire Microsoft application suite also means more straightforward usage for the end-user. The simplification of the licensing process has made Microsoft 365 more straightforward and more cost-effective to procure.
What is included in Microsoft 365 business?
Microsoft 365 Business plans include the latest versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Subscribers can connect with customers and co-workers using Outlook, Exchange and Teams. 1 TB cloud storage is provided per user as standard. Business Premium offers protection from cyber threats, sophisticated phishing and ransomware protection.
Here's what's included in each Microsoft 365 Business plan for small companies.
Microsoft 365 Apps for Business (Formerly Office 365 Business)
This budget plan is best suited to Companies with fewer than 300 employees that don't need desktop applications, can work in the cloud and don't need email hosting.
- Online only versions of Office: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint
- OneDrive storage with 1 Terabyte capacity
- 24/7 online and phone support
- Limited to a maximum of 300 users
Microsoft 365 Business Basic (Formerly Office 365 Business Essentials)
This plan is best suited to businesses with less than 300 users that don't need desktop applications and can work online in the cloud.
- 50 GB email box
- Custom domain email addresses
- Online only versions of Office: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint
- OneDrive storage with 1 Terabyte capacity
- SharePoint intranet and team sites for collaboration
- Microsoft Teams for video conferencing limited to 250 people
- Microsoft chat environment for instant messaging
- Microsoft Planner to organise internal and external projects
- Yammer social network that integrates with Office and Teams
- 24/7 online and phone support
- Limited to a maximum of 300 users
Microsoft 365 Business Standard (Formerly Office 365 Business Premium)
This plan is best suited to businesses that primarily need desktop client versions of Office applications. It is also suitable for businesses that rely on Microsoft Bookings for customer bookings and features such as Mile IQ mobile mileage reporting for staff.
- 50 GB email box
- Custom domain email addresses
- Online and desktop versions of Office: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint
- OneDrive storage with 1 Terabyte capacity
- SharePoint intranet and team sites for collaboration
- Microsoft Teams for video conferencing limited to 250 people
- Microsoft chat environment for instant messaging
- Microsoft Planner to organise internal and external projects
- Yammer social network that integrates with Office and Teams
- 24/7 online and phone support
- Limited to a maximum of 300 users
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
If your business needs the full suite of desktop and online versions of office and you also need added security and threat protection, then this is your plan. Zero days protection, ransomware, Malware and Intune data protection are all included in this version. Document control as well as archiving of data is included too.
- 50 GB email box
- Custom domain email addresses
- Online and desktop versions of Office: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint
- OneDrive storage with 1 Terabyte capacity
- SharePoint intranet and team sites for collaboration
- Microsoft Teams for video conferencing limited to 250 people
- Microsoft chat environment for instant messaging
- Microsoft Planner to organise internal and external projects
- Yammer social network that integrates with Office and Teams
- Advanced Threat Protection
- Intune Selective Wipe
- Application Protection for Office Mobile Apps
- Information Rights Management
- Windows Defender Exploit Guard
- Windows Defender
- Exchange Online Archiving
- 24/7 online and phone support
- Limited to a maximum of 300 users
When comparing Microsoft 365 Business to Enterprise and Education packages (which are comprised of various tiers for various individual needs), the packages are relatively straightforward and provide a wide range of tools and applications.
How can Microsoft 365 benefit your business?
Microsoft 365 for Business has many functions and programs, but what value do they add, and how are they used in practice?
Improved Productivity
In a report about the economic impact of Microsoft 365, employee productivity was proven to improve through the use of 365. On average, a small business can reduce the time spent on decision making by 17%. The productivity gains are achieved through sharing and managing critical organisational documents in a reliable, central location in the cloud. The report demonstrates just how much more efficient a business can perform when using Microsoft Office 365.
Microsoft Exchange Online
Microsoft Exchange Online is a cloud-based, hosted messaging solution that gives Microsoft 365 subscribers a business-class email mailbox with a capacity of 50GB to 100GB. Security features such as Malware and Office 365 spam filters are built-in and can be accessed via the Outlook app or any web browser.
OneDrive
All Microsoft 365 Business subscribers get 1TB of OneDrive for Business storage. The Files on Demand feature allows users to view and manage cloud-based storage using File Explorer. Administrators of Enterprise plans can upgrade users to unlimited storage if a terabyte is not enough.
Sharepoint
Share Point is a web-based collaborative platform that integrates with Microsoft Office 365. Sharepoint allows file sharing on the desktop using OneDrive for Business. Both SharePoint and Exchange Online include administrative controls to restrict users from sharing confidential information outside the organisation.
Teams
Microsoft Teams helps businesses call, virtually meet and message one another all under one platform. You can chat using the Instant Messaging (IM) function. Arrange ad-hoc or scheduled audio/video conferences. Deliver web seminars and share and store documents in a way that allows you to work collaboratively with team members or external parties, regardless of where they are or their time zone.
Teams are made up of channels organised by topic, department, or any other purpose you may need. Channels are where most of the work happens. In Channels, you can host meetings, chat, share and work on projects or files. Once the Channel is established and participants added, collaborating can all be done with the touch of one button. There are many benefits to being able to work on a file with your team simultaneously, but the main benefits include being able to share thoughts and make live creative decisions and see what your team is working on in real-time.
Microsoft Teams has many functions, but that doesn't mean users can't use it in tandem with other programs. Being a central part of the Microsoft 365 Cloud environment, Teams can sync with all Office programmes but has a particularly close relationship with Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive and OneNote.
The Outlook calendar and contacts are synced with Teams, enabling you to plan and schedule meetings from either Outlook or Teams. Having all your contacts synced powerfully allows you to bring anyone into an ongoing conference at any time, increasing the capability of any organisation to make decisions or call in advice instantly.
Groups
Microsoft Office 365 Groups goes further, allowing you to select a group of individuals that you wish to collaborate with and then share your team resources across the group. Resources that can be shared include inboxes, calendars or documents for co-workers collaborating. Permissions across the group are easily managed and, in some cases, are automatically assigned by job role.
Plan Specific Functionality
Some Microsoft 365 plans incorporate specific functionality for some types of workers. Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Business Premium plans, for example, include specific SME functionality such as Microsoft Bookings, which allows external clients and prospects to schedule and manage appointments. MileIQ is a very helpful employee milage claiming application, so all company motor expenses can be tracked and claimed. , All Enterprise plans feature Yammer, the social network for businesses, as well as Power Apps to build forums, Power Flow for workflows and Power BI to perform business intelligence reports.
Microsoft 365 Enterprise For Larger Businesses
Microsoft 365 Enterprise for larger organisations is designed with more extensive business needs in mind, such as more robust security and device management functionality.