With the demands of modern day business, companies need reliable software packages that are easy to use and increase productivity. Fortunately, products such as Microsoft Office 365, designed specifically for business use, provide a number of essential functions that allow you to do just that – and a little bit more.
Flexibility
Office 365 sits in the cloud, thus allowing businesses to be more flexible, improve performance and increase security. Not only that, but it encourages and enables employees to increase their output.
Users can access applications from remote locations using any device, desktop or portable handset. This makes it possible to catch up with emails, read through instructions and even edit documents while you are on the move. Perhaps most importantly you can make best use of what is ordinarily dead time such as traveling on planes, trains and automobiles (unless you’re driving, of course!)
Files can also be stored through the software’s free SharePoint service which enables users to share file locations with other people. That may not sound secure, but it is. As creator of a document, you have complete control over who you share the files with. Essentially, this is the equivalent to Google Drive or Dropbox.
Improve collaboration
Now that companies are beginning to see the benefits of remote workers, the need for collaboration is increasing, and Office 365 makes great strides towards making communication and sharing between groups much more easy than conventional office tools. As a result you are able to organize teams and manage projects more effectively.
For example, the project manager can create a centralized file destination, but have separate lines of communication whereby they share files with separate departments or individuals. In one glance you can see work coming in and going out rather than having to flick through emails, Excel spreadsheets and various files.
Compatibility
With the pace technology is changing, businesses are required to upgrade their IT systems from time to time. However, it can be the case that your desktop is not compatible with the new operating system. You are then faced with the fact that you need to invest in compatible software to access old files.
Office 365 does not create that problem. It is compatible with all other previous Microsoft Office suites and can be used by Apple Mac owners using OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard.
This covers most people for now at least, but also determines that the software is future proof and universal. This means sharing files with other people is achievable regardless of the type of device they are using. Mobile handsets that run on Android and iOS are compatible with Office 365 – and Windows users naturally have access.
The only downside to switching to Office 365 from your current system is the potential downtime and usual teething problems that occur with IT. However, you can avoid that by using services such as Mimecast Exchange Migration without compromising productivity or performance.