Whether it's using online versions of the products or taking advantage of additional features and services, there are multiple ways to use Microsoft Office 365 to enhance your productivity. This article identifies 10 benefits of using Office 365 for small and medium businesses.
As an alternative to purchasing both Windows-based hardware and a full-featured version of Microsoft Office, SMBs with fewer than 50 employees can lighten their computing load by signing up for any one of a number of cloud-based services that allow users greater flexibility in how they consume software applications. With prices ranging from $5 per user per month to $12, depending on which specific plan an organization selects, Office 365 subscriptions are significantly less expensive than either buying desktop software or running it on your own infrastructure.
The ability to collaborate is critical in today's business world because successful collaboration helps people work more effectively as a team. This can be very difficult if everyone isn't operating from the same version of a particular program, but for Office 365 users, every member of the working group has access to the most up-to-date versions of Word, PowerPoint and Excel. When changes occur in one location, they're automatically reflected everywhere else.
Need to send an important file to someone who's not physically located within your company's walls? Whether it's a Word document, PowerPoint presentation or Excel spreadsheet, Office 365 enables you to share files over the Internet without worrying about how they'll be rendered in the recipient's application. In addition, if your employees take advantage of the product as a cloud-based solution rather than installing it on their own computers, they can access documents from any location that has an adequate internet connection.
Because most people have at least one smart phone and many people now use laptops for tasks that once required desktop computers, saving time is more critical than ever before. By storing all of your company's files online and then accessing those same resources from multiple devices, you'll save time because there won't be any need to transfer files from one program to another. In addition, because you won't need to install updates, you'll be able to work efficiently without worrying about losing time while your computer closes down and restarts.
As cloud-based services continue to evolve, it becomes easier and more cost-effective for organizations of all sizes to eliminate hard drives from their computers. Instead of loading servers with terabytes of data that's accessed infrequently, organizations can shift programs onto virtual machines in the cloud where they're hosted on massive clusters of high-end hardware connected by fiber optic cable. If necessary, this can help bring storage costs down dramatically over time since there won't be any need to purchase new hard drives every few years.
If you use a traditional version of Microsoft Office, protecting your data can be difficult because users are expected to back up their documents on their own. Using Office 365 as a cloud-based service can help eliminate the headache that comes with having to constantly maintain local backups of important financial documents or presentations being used in ongoing negotiations. When you have redundancy at multiple locations, there's no chance of losing valuable files even if something goes wrong with one or more virtual machines.
No matter how much you trust one another within your organization, it's always possible for sensitive information to fall into the wrong hands. Even if it doesn't happen on purpose, sensitive data can be exposed via a laptop that's lost or stolen, an employee who mistakenly emails a file to someone outside your company and many other potential scenarios. With Office 365, you won't need to worry about this because all files are accessible only to people who are authorized by the account holder.
Businesses of all sizes must comply with various regulations in order to stay out of trouble with government agencies like the SEC or FTC or tax authorities such as the IRS. In some cases, these rules change from year-to-year so it can be difficult to stay on top of everything while also continuing to generate profits for your company. Businesses that want to remain in compliance with these regulations should choose Office 365 as a cloud-based solution since it can help eliminate any potential violations without requiring users to perform regular audits on their own.
When you rely upon an Internet service such as Amazon, Google or Microsoft for hosting your data, the odds are good that multiple copies of every file will be retained at locations all over the world. At least once a day, files are automatically backed up and stored in multiple places so it's virtually impossible for them to be lost due to disaster or theft. This is especially important for small businesses since they often have fewer resources than large corporations do when it comes time to recover from a severe natural or man-made disaster.
The costs of purchasing storage equipment can be quite significant for businesses that are trying to expand their operations in new locations, especially if they need to find a facility on short notice and pay above-market prices because they don't have time to shop around. All too often, these expenses can end up exceeding the cost of cloud hosting services by billions of dollars. With Office 365, you won't need to worry about this since access is provided for free through a premium membership. This means there's no risk of spending money unnecessarily while also boosting profits as soon as accounting adjustments are accounted for in your spreadsheets.
With all 10 benefits considered, it's easy to see why businesses should choose Office 365 in order to increase profitability and expand the bottom line.
Office 365 is the perfect solution for small and medium businesses
It can help you protect your data, share files with outsiders and vendors without risk of sensitive information being exposed, meet compliance requirements, safeguard critical data, and spend less money on storage equipment.
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