Microsoft 365 is undoubtedly the leading business software that other IT giants are looking to compete with. Microsoft 365 contains a variety of dynamic applications and offers practical solutions and many benefits for businesses of all sizes.

Cloud software is not your run-of-the-mill endpoint management solution. Business Premium and Enterprise E3 subscriptions cover all your business digital needs.

With Microsoft 365, you'll have more storage, easier access to folders and files, mobility to work across multiple devices from remote locations, and easy-to-use software that improves collaboration and productivity.

In this article, we'll discuss the tools Microsoft offers and the benefits of Microsoft 365.

1. Absolute flexibility

 Microsoft 365 is available in two formats; cloud subscription-based version or traditional perpetual license. The latter is an on-premise version that is limited to one user per license.

Licensed software restrictions prevent users from retrieving files from a centralized location. The software can only be installed on one PC and is not available on a mobile device.

 Multiple PCs can access files from a centralized folder stored on your network, but if two people are working on a document at the same time, there is a risk of saving two different versions.

Cloud subscriptions give you more flexibility. Purpose-built Microsoft 365 solutions in the cloud enhance your company's mobility by allowing users to access files across devices from anywhere. Up to five devices per person are allowed. This means you can work in Excel, Word or Powerpoint from a tablet, smartphone, laptop or remote PC.

Additionally, Onedrive and Sharepoint allow multiple users to simultaneously access a file and work on the same document. All corrections will be saved in one document in real time with a label identifying the author

2. Great collaboration tools

The next generation of MS 365 is designed for collaboration. While the on-premises version of Microsoft 365 isolates the user experience, Microsoft 365 simplifies team collaboration by providing centralized access to any stored files that employees are authorized to access.

One of the key benefits of Office 365 is Microsoft Teams. It allows you to create as many individual projects, groups and work streams as you need. Employees can participate in any channel by invitation only.

With Teams, users can communicate in real time, share ideas, brainstorm via video, share screens, and access files from a secure environment. It also works with iOS and Android platforms, and new members can get communication history to get up to speed

3. Improved performance

The latest updated versions of Microsoft 365 provide a package that allows distributed teams to easily collaborate in a virtual environment.

Collaboration tools include:

•  Microsoft Tems
• One drive for business
• Sharepoint
• Office 365 groups
• Outlook email
• Delve boards
• Office 365 video
• Yammer

The functionality of the new generation of tools is almost identical to previous Microsoft programs, with the exception of a few updates and a new look. This means your employees are already familiar with how the tools work and significantly reduces the time it takes to learn new tools. Plus, MS 365 Planner's sophisticated task management tool helps team leaders coordinate schedules, tasks, deadlines, and workflows to keep your team on track.

4. Advanced cloud security

With cybersecurity threats a concern for businesses, cloud servers with advanced security tools are more relevant than ever. IT security solutions are even more critical for companies implementing remote work strategies.

One of the key benefits of the latest generation of Microsoft 365 is its advanced suite of threat detection and anti-malware technologies. Comprehensive endpoint protection includes no less than three cybersecurity tools, namely Microsoft Defender, Security Center, and Secure Score.

Benefits of new Office 365 security solutions include powerful reporting capabilities that enable IT professionals to monitor business networks and identify unusual behavior and unauthorized logins.

With integrated solutions in Microsoft 365 services, IT security teams can detect spam and redirect it to secure folders, detect common cyberattacks such as malware, ransomware, viruses, phishing attempts, and malicious links, and mitigate malicious threats that Security administrators commonly face this problem.

The Microsoft Secure Score evaluates vulnerabilities and provides recommendations that give you more control over your network security measures.

 5. Improve customer service and engagement

Customer experience and interaction are critical to a company's overall success. Listening to and understanding customers and taking action based on feedback is a strategy that leads to success.

However, curating actionable customer feedback is not easy. Sure, there are some useful pieces of software, but measuring customer satisfaction often seems overly complicated.

Microsoft collects important data through easy-to-create surveys and questionnaires. Forms give you the ability to add multiple choice answers so you can host interactive quizzes.

Forms can also be distributed via email and social media and can be accessed through a web browser with one click.

6. Automatic updates

Automatic updates are another attractive benefit of Microsoft 365 over perpetual licenses. Whenever Microsoft adds new tools to the software, users get instant access to them by simply activating the latest version.

This does not apply to Microsoft licenses. Once you purchase the software, you only have access to the tools in that version. Access to any updates will only appear after license renewal.

One of the most significant benefits of MS 365 updates will be Microsoft's cybersecurity. As cybercrime becomes more widespread and sophisticated, software companies are required to continually improve their security measures.

Automatic updates eliminate the need to manually install security patches to strengthen systems and data. This means your IT department can focus on service and innovation.

 7. Affordable, scalable subscriptions

Depending on the number of users accessing MS 365, the cloud service is less expensive and allows organizations to scale.

With a subscription model, you pay a nominal fee per user per month. So for businesses that expect to add a few new users or quickly change staff, you'll likely benefit more from Microsoft 365.

If you're not sure which option is the most cost-effective, don't hesitate consult one of our specialiststo discuss effective cost reduction strategies.

 8. Custom apps

Applications are scalable APIs. This enables the programs to work with other industry-leading solutions such as Shopify, Sap, Quickbooks, IoS and Android, etc.

Plus, Microsoft 365 Power Apps gives you the power to customize apps and transform your workflows. With a range of pre-coded scripts, the software is extremely user-friendly and provides a wide range of solutions that can be used by anyone with very basic development skills.

9. Improves communication

Communication is an important aspect of any business, both internally and externally.

Microsoft editor aims to provide a quick solution to improve communication by providing users with guidance on how to write beautiful text. The editor can help users write more concisely and clearly by suggesting phrases that form a clearer sentence.

The artificial intelligence-based service also highlights spelling and basic grammatical errors. It is available on a variety of platforms, including Word and Outlook, and as standalone browser extensions for Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome.

10. Predictable costs

Firms that prefer to control their costs prefer monthly billing for MS 365.

Microsoft office perpetual licenses require an annual upfront payment

Microsoft 365 IT support

Despite all the advantages of MS 365, it is not without its disadvantages. If you are considering investing in Microsoft 365, you should decide whether it is better to deal with Microsoft directly or use the services of a CSP partner, such as fanetech.

IT support services bypass the limitations of MS 365. For example, Microsoft only offers disaster recovery service for up to 90 days. This means you could lose data without realizing it if you don't have alternative cloud backup solutions.

Another unfortunate condition is that the MS 365 packages are bundled with the subscription you purchased. However, it may be that your business doesn't need some of the services you pay for.

With a CSP partner, you can choose which applications you need and only pay for those services.

We can also help you with configurations. Not all business networks are compatible with Microsoft universal software. Although Microsoft 365 is customizable and can work with existing tools and third-party software, setting up a hybrid network correctly requires experience.

 The advantages of MS 365 allow you to get a powerful package at a relatively affordable price. It is arguably the most cost-effective solution on the market given the plethora of security applications and solutions available.