Large companies have been moving their systems to Microsoft Office 365 from Google apps in record numbers. And now small businesses are making the transition, too.
Office 365 is an enterprise-grade, subscription-based service hosted at Microsoft’s data centers. Rather than purchasing standard Microsoft software, companies gain internet-based access to the complete Microsoft software suite, including Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and more), Exchange Online, SharePoint® Online, and Lync™ Online.
There are several reasons why companies are making the switch to Office 365. Here are the top 10 reasons, according to Microsoft.
- Privacy. Office 365 keeps customers’ data safe in secure state-of-the-art data centers. Compnaies know where their data resides, who can access it, and what Microsoft does with it.
- Security. Office 365 is designed to meet enterprise security requirements by using strong governance and security-aware engineering. Microsoft ensures that security best practices are followed at every stage of service development and delivery.
- Access. Office 365 allows businesses to stay productive no matter where they are by delivering a consistent and optimized experience across PCs, mobile devices, and browsers. Archived emails and documents are accessible to employees, allowing them to work efficiently without Internet connectivity. This means that users can get work done even when they are offline.
- Capabilities. Office 365 includes industry-leading email powered by Exchange Online, one-click voice and video conferencing with Lync Online, and flexible and powerful team collaboration with SharePoint Online.
- Training. Office 365’s mobile, online, and desktop applications share a consistent experience with the familiar Office applications, giving users instant productivity.
- Flexibility. With Office 365, companies can choose between a pure cloud environment, an on-premises solution, or a hybrid environment that integrates cloud services into an on-premises IT infrastructure. This enables customers to move to the cloud at a pace that makes sense for their business.
- Strategy. Businesses cannot be hampered by the sudden disappearance or inconsistent delivery of new features. With Office 365, customers have advance notification of significant changes.
- Compliance. Office 365 is the first major cloud-based productivity service to employ security frameworks based on International Standards Organization (ISO) standards. It’s also ISO 27001 certified by independent auditors. Office 365 is also contractually committed to the EU Model Clauses and HIPAA Business Associate Agreements.
- Guarantee. Because of its commitment to businesses, Microsoft is one of the few cloud services providers that offer a financially backed service level agreement (SLA) when any Office 365 service drops below 99.9 percent availability.
- Support. Office 365 enterprise plans deliver multilingual 24/7 phone support for even single-user outages. Office 365 is there to help from licensing to deployment and daily use, and has more than 42,000 partners ready to help evaluate or deploy Office 365.
Do you need help making the leap to Microsoft Office 365 in your business? Gulf South Technology Solutions has the expertise to help you make the switch quickly and effortlessly.