With the continued advancement of cloud services, Microsoft offers a convenient and comprehensive solution for businesses looking to access their most important business applications and email services from anywhere at any time in the form of Office 365. These subscription-based plans offer greater accessibility and affordability than ever before. Techlocity offers all Office 365 plans as well as email migration and deployment services. Learn more about Office 365 from the cloud experts and see if it is the right step for your business.
What is Office 365?
Office 365 is a cloud-based (Internet-dependent) option for customers needing to access Microsoft’s business applications (from Exchange to the entire Office suite) from anywhere. With your email and password alone, you can access your mailbox as well as web versions of your favorite Office applications.
The shift towards cloud-based applications is a must for many software companies, as consumers continue to demand accessible and Internet-based software. (Vendors like Adobe are now offering their Creative Suite as an online, cloud-based application with the option to install desktop versions.)
Desktop vs. Web Versions
Whether or not you can install a “desktop version” of your favorite application is dependent on the plan you are willing to buy (which plans feature desktop vs. web-based versions are discussed later in this article). A desktop version of Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint is considered beneficial to business professionals who prefer advanced features and familiarity, while the web-based Office suite has been reviewed by others as “stripped down and simplified” (“A Free Microsoft Office: Is Office Online Worth Using?”) However, Office Online offers increased collaboration features that are valued by companies with remote users or satellite offices.
(View of Excel Online through Office 365)
Which Plan is Right for Your Business?
Microsoft offers 3 different types of Office 365 Business Plans: Business Essentials, Business and Business Premium. (Enterprise plans are also available for large companies that do not want limits for maximum amount of users).
See the plan breakdown here:
https://products.office.com/en-us/business/compare-more-office-365-for-business-plans
Costs are based on the number of users and billed on a monthly basis. Committing to a 1 year (annual) plan will result in lower monthly rates, however month-to-month plans will allow you greater flexibility if you decide Office 365 isn’t the right solution for you.
An important piece of information to note is that Business & Business Premium plans are the only options that allow for full desktop installs of Microsoft business applications. Additionally, the Business plan does NOT include Exchange, so your email is not included (while Business Essentials & Business Premium includes a 50GB email mailbox).
Business Essentials is perfect for users looking for business-class email and web-based Office applications. If your company has already invested in Microsoft Office licensing, it may be the best option for your IT environment. The majority of our customers who have implemented an Office 365 solution have opted for the Business Essentials plan due to its affordability and long list of features.
Office 365 Advantages
- No large upfront costs: Unlike Microsoft’s traditional licensing program, there are no large initial investments for licensing. Your company pays monthly per user, resulting in large savings, especially in the short-run.
- Free upgrades: Microsoft offers monthly “security upgrades and features releases” (“Office 365”). This means that you no longer have to pay for software assurance or an upgrade license to receive the latest versions of Office applications.
- Tailored: Microsoft Office 365 plans are built to meet your business’s specific needs. If you are looking for a plan that supports mainly email, Business Essentials would be the right move for you. If you are looking for the complete Office suite along with email capability, Business Premium may be the best option. Depending on your requirements (and budget), Microsoft offers plans tailored to you.
- Large mailbox limits: A unique advantage of cloud solutions is the amount of storage space available to the end user. Business Essentials & Business Premium plans offer 50GB mailboxes per user; this large storage threshold means that you won’t have to worry about mailboxes reaching their storage limit.
- Desktop Integration: Regardless of your plan, Office 365 can integrate into your current desktop versions of your business applications. For example, if you already have Outlook on your desktop, Office 365 will integrate with Outlook 2007 licenses or higher. Office 365 plans allow you the option to access your business applications online, through your desktop, or both.
Microsoft’s Office 365 Business Plans offer something for any business. Give us a call at 317-288-5474 to receive a quote for an Office 365 deployment plan that’s best for your business.
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