Microsoft 365

After almost two years of adjusting to the new Hybrid Work Model, 2022 will see many companies still struggle with haphazardly thrown together technologies to support the growth of the remote workforce. In the rush to provide for the ‘work from home’ environment, much has been done badly – ‘jerry-rigged’ solutions that have never been brought up speed in terms of reliability and Cybersecurity.

As a Managed IT Services firm, we at IT Support LA have come to the rescue (more than just a few times) of businesses that have suffered breakdowns and data breaches due to shoddy work. The disappointing fact is: Not every company in the IT Support Los Angeles Community knows what they’re doing, and businesses that went the ‘cheap route’ (which isn’t cheap at all) by hiring hourly-rate, garden variety ‘IT services guys’ are paying the price now.

Now is the time for permanent solutions.

Over the last two years, there has been a massive surge of companies moving to some type of cloud services specifically to allow for better data and work flow with their remote workers.

BUT: There are many different ways and degrees of moving to the cloud. For years, the most used cloud services were for data backups and email hosting, but with today’s remote workforce, it’s time to look at moving every part of your operations to the cloud. The most capable and secure way to accomplish this is through Microsoft 365.

What is Microsoft 365 and do I need it?

“Need” is a strong word. Can a business live without M365? Of course they can – but the competitiveness in any industry is partially driven by the speed with which you can get things done. Nothing out there makes all facets of enterprise more facile than a tool like this. The website TrustRadius showcases a ton of reviews by businesses raving about it. It’s hard to imagine that any of them want to go back to living without it.

Microsoft 365 is not just a renaming or rebranding of the immensely popular Office 365 – which is included in the suite of productivity apps in this comprehensive, cloud-based platform and forms the foundation for the Microsoft Modern Workplace. M365 is much more than that, and when coupled with Microsoft’s Windows 365, a fully realized cloud PC, it becomes even greater.

Located entirely within Microsoft Azure, the original enterprise cloud, M365 is based on a simple selling point: Do everything everywhere.

In each department of your company, teams can effortlessly communicate, collaborate, share and work on files in real time, chat, hold online meetings, and interact with every other department. This happens in the office or remotely through any connected device your team members use: desktops, laptops, notebooks, or smart phones – virtually any internet-connected communications device.

Among competitors offering similar ‘looking’ cloud app suites, Microsoft’s Cybersecurity is second to none. It is widely recognized as superior to its closest runner-up - the security offered in Google Workspace, Google’s update of the G Suite app bundle, which is similar to M365 but more limited. Amazon Web Services (AWS), which is the true newbie to this field – offers up a few productivity apps, but is not yet in the same ballpark as M365 in terms of seamless collaboration and security.

M365 has something that enhances the activity of every department within a company. Not every company has a manufacturing plant management office, legal, or in-house IT Services, but literally every enterprise has these three, and M365 is a huge boon to running these departments:

Upper Management can easily track and analyze the reporting from each department to map out the direction of the departments and the company as a whole.
Sales can easily set up and manage productivity, marketing, calendaring for appointments and follow-up, proposal and quote creation, and time and territory management among other aspects.
Human Resources has the tools to easily monitor the time management and progress of employees as well as integrating a more thorough knowledge of disciplinary actions, complaints, and employee benefits.

The Office 365 contained within M365 boasts the latest versions of the same stable of apps that businesses have long relied upon. Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, OneNote, Teams, SharePoint, and 1Tb of storage on OneDrive are all included in the Business Basic Plan.

The full gamut of offerings - depending on the plan – also include:

For a breakdown of each plan, please review the official Microsoft 365 site.

Aside from Windows 10 Enterprise and Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS), much of what constitutes Microsoft 365 is not on the surface. The advance security management, analytic, and machine learning capabilities are what truly sets this offering apart from its predecessors. These factors allow for continuously improving ease of use for administrators and end-users.