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Digital Transformation

Microsoft 365

Office 365 brings together all the familiar Microsoft Office applications in an easy-to-use, accessible-from-anywhere Cloud service. It’s an ideal first step on the path to Cloud computing.

Office 365 offers the familiar Microsoft Office collaboration and productivity tools but all delivered online. Everyone can work together easily with anywhere access to email, web conferencing, documents, and calendars. It includes business-class security and is backed by Microsoft.

Microsoft Office 365 is licensed on a flexible, per-user per-month subscription plan with predictable annual costs-enabling your business to scale its services when it makes sense.

Access files on the go...

Access & share your organization files
on the go or with your clients with ease
with:

  • Mirosoft One Drive
  • Micorosft Sharepoint
  • Nexus Workspace
  • One Drive, Sharepoint
    Share and synchronize your files.
  • Nexus Workspace
    Share and Sync files using our Nexus Platform.

What is Office 365?

Office 365 is a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution that combines the traditional Microsoft Office desktop applications, Microsoft application services, and some new productivity services, all of which are enabled as consumable services from within Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform.

Launched by Microsoft back in June 2011, this subscription-based service is  paid on either a monthly or annual basis providing an incredibly cost-effective way for organizations to consume their productivity workloads.

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Office 365 contains the same core desktop applications as the traditional versions of Microsoft Office, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, as well as a suite of other apps and online services for cloud file storage, secure communication, and collaboration. Tools such as Planner, OneDrive, Exchange, SharePoint, Yammer and Microsoft Teams all come together to provide an unparalleled user experience.

What is Microsoft 365?

A few months ago, on 21st April 2020, Microsoft officially rebranded Office 365, effectively changing the name from Office 365 to Microsoft 365 – but only for specific license types – namely the small and medium business SKUs

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What’s the difference between Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365?

Microsoft brand names can be a little confusing. There has been a lot of “Office” and “Microsoft” bandied around over the years! Here’s a quick recap which describes  the clear differences between them:

Microsoft Office (2013, 2016, 2019) are software suites which you purchase upfront, with a one-time perpetual licenses, install on your computer and use for life. If you want to access the latest version, you have to buy a new copy of the latest edition to be able to use all the new features. And just so you know, Microsoft Office dates back nearly three decades, where early versions combined Word, Excel and PowerPoint into a discounted bundle.

Interestingly, as part of Microsoft’s evolution to subscription-based models, the latest versions of Office are now licensable on a subscription basis for all users. From single home use licenses all the way up to the largest enterprises in the world, Office can now be bought as a subscription, whereas previously subscription pricing was only available to volume customers.

Microsoft 365, (which we now know was formerly Office 365), is the cloud-based service that requires a monthly or annual subscription to access all the Microsoft tools and apps hosted on Microsoft servers, including online versions of Microsoft Office – so there is no need to install it on your PC physically.

Built as a cloud-first service, but based on the on-premises products (such as SharePoint Server and Exchange Server), users always have access to the latest version, as the platform is regularly updated by Microsoft.

With several options for all-in-one subscriptions that include access to the Microsoft cloud services, Microsoft Office and Windows 10, Microsoft 365 will steadily become the de-facto license for most organizations.

 

Why do businesses use Microsoft 365?

As it’s a cloud-based, subscription service, the software and services are automatically updated when a new version is released, so you always have access to the latest features and functionality. With updates being made almost constantly, you’re always up to date with features and patches, and there is no more waiting for updates on the three-year cycle Microsoft were historically famous for.

With services in the cloud, organizations don’t need to install server software or maintain any hardware on which to run it. This makes life a lot easier for the IT team where product updates, patches and new releases are issued automatically – and budget-friendly for the finance department.

A joint study commissioned by Microsoft and executed by Forrester Consulting revealed a 154 percent ROI for a small- to mid-sized company switching to Microsoft 365 in just over 5 months.

Microsoft 365 also comes with email hosting and cloud storage space, so users can save their  documents to the cloud and access them wherever and whenever they need to, with secure access to content, conversations, tasks and schedules from any device.

Productivity tools help employees share knowledge, communicate better and effectively  achieve more in a shorter time frame, and is where Microsoft 365 gets seriously smart.

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All the apps and services in Microsoft 365 are connected, enabling enhanced teamwork and empowering employees to work better and faster together, through tools such as team chat, group emails, online meetings, as well as the co-authoring and sharing of files.

Improved collaboration and communication are vital components of productivity, and Microsoft 365 is proven to significantly reduce time spent on administrative tasks – for management, users and IT – so you can all focus on innovation to drive your business forward.

What are the pros of Microsoft 365?

  • There are a number of benefits associated with using Microsoft 365:
  • Improved collaboration and communication
  • Greater productivity
  • Anywhere access
  • IT control & efficiency
  • Automatic upgrades
  • Ease IT burdens while increasing user desktop functionality
  • Empower employees

What are the cons of Microsoft 365?

For Microsoft 365 to work, you always need an internet connection to access your data. No internet, no work.

Additionally, if your critical systems aren’t compatible with Microsoft 365, you may face some costly system upgrades prior to migration. Some organizations also struggle with data privacy – handing all your confidential data over to Microsoft – but there are workarounds and mitigations to retain some data on-site to fit with your own comfort levels.

However, the pitfall we see the most with Microsoft 365 in business is governance. From uncontrolled growth, stale content, compliance issues and complex provisioning of Microsoft Teams, Office 365 Groups and SharePoint, many organizations are struggling to maintain control of Microsoft 365.

We help users, management and IT administrators bring control, consistency and calm back to Microsoft 365. From preventing Teams sprawl to preserving content for compliance and simplifying provisioning, we can get Microsoft 365 governance sorted.

So, if you are looking to bring back control to administrators, self-service to users and peace of mind to management – get in touch.

File Sharing Breakdown

What is Microsoft SharePoint?

SharePoint is a website-based collaboration system that uses workflow applications, “list” databases, and other web parts and security features to empower business teams to work together. SharePoint also gives the company using the platform the ability to control access to information and automate workflow processes across business units.

What is SharePoint Online?

The Microsoft Cloud version of SharePoint, SharePoint Online, has many additional integration capabilities with other cloud applications. It is paired in functionality with many of the other offerings Microsoft packages with an Office 365 or Microsoft 365 license

What Are the Benefits of Using SharePoint?

SharePoint enables increased productivity and visibility for information workers across all verticals, in businesses large and small. The features of SharePoint are centered around an intranet-based cross collaboration experience that enables secure sharing, content management and workflow collaboration features among many others.

What Is SharePoint Used For?

SharePoint has been integral in the past 17 years in increasing working efficiency in fortune 500 companies as an “Intranet” platform that crosses all business sectors. The many features of the platform make it much easier for people to work together on ad-hoc projects and establish standard business processes for information sharing, document publishing, and recording data.

Features like security controls, co-authoring, versioning, and integration with Exchange (Outlook Email Applications) give business users the capability to do more in less time and maintain the integrity of the work they produce. SharePoint includes the ability to:

  • Require an approval on documents before they are visible
  • “Check out” documents to prevent any other authoring or editing on them
  • Get notifications when documents are uploaded or changes are made
  • Make workflows using if/then logic to automate actions such as moving or emailing documents, and recording information

All of these features enhance the productivity of business users, but the thing that SharePoint really does better than prior document collaboration systems is display information about what information/documents are stored and why.

It is extremely easy in SharePoint to require that “metadata,” or information about data (like modified time, created by, etc., but also custom ‘tags’ on documents or items) so that workers can better understand why a document may exist and why it is important without having to open it. SharePoint even allows users to create custom databases in an easy-to-use format, and record thousands of pieces of information that can be integrated into the previously mentioned workflows or other business processes.

How is SharePoint Useful for Collaboration?

SharePoint provides a web-based space where users can upload a document to immediately be shared with other people that need to see it. They can also have their own personal storage space called a OneDrive where no one can see a document or file they upload until they “share” or allow access to that document with other users.

This makes enabling a segment of co-workers to see a published document a one step process–but it doesn’t have to be. The approval and workflow features mentioned above can control how documents are shared and how employees work on information in their organizations.

Links to shared documents or collaboration spaces can also easily be sent via email, making it easy for users to be quickly directed to exactly what they want to see.

Organizations frequently use SharePoint to publish company-wide information such as HR documents, announcements and memos.

File sharing: an easy way to send large files.

File sharing with Workspace web links is an easy and secure way to share files, help ensure large files will be delivered through any email system and reduce mailbox size by eliminating file attachments in email. You can automatically replace file attachments with Workspace links directly in Outlook or you can generate secure links from Office or through the Workspace web portal. You can also password protect links and even stop sharing links.

Folder sharing: collaborate on shared content.

With Workspace, folders are easily and securely shared with co-workers, so multiple people can access and edit the same set of content. Folder sharing saves time by not having to search for the latest version of docs or consolidate multiple revisions and shortens feedback loops. Worried about conflicts or overwrites? With Workspace, every previous version is stored, and you can roll back to an earlier edit with just one click.

Share outside your company.

If you have business partners, vendors, or other external parties that need to access or edit content on an ongoing basis, you can invite them to collaborate on Workspace folders. External collaborators can add, edit, and manage content in shared folders just like internal collaborators do.

Sharing permissions

Workspace offers complete control over sharing permissions.  Folders can be shared with “co-owner,” “modify,” and “view” permissions.  Permissions can be modified at any time and sub-folders can be shared with different permission levels.

Share from Outlook and Office on Windows

If you’re a Windows user, you can share and manage Workspace files directly from your most used Microsoft desktop applications. This makes syncing and sharing fit even more naturally into the way you already work.

Manage Content with Selective Sync

For users that collaborate heavily, they may not want to see every shared folder in them

Sharing permissions

Workspace offers complete control over sharing permissions.  Folders can be shared with “co-owner,” “modify,” and “view” permissions.  Permissions can be modified at any time and sub-folders can be shared with different permission levels.

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    Frequently Asked Questions

    Office 2021 is sold as a one-time purchase, which means you pay a single, up-front cost to get Office apps for one computer. One-time purchases are available for both PCs and Macs. However, there are no upgrade options, which means if you plan to upgrade to the next major release, you’ll have to buy it at full price. 

    Microsoft 365 is a subscription that includes the most collaborative, up-to-date features in one seamless, integrated experience. Microsoft 365 includes the robust Office desktop apps that you’re familiar with, like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. You also get extra online storage and cloud-connected features that let you collaborate on files in real time. With a subscription, you’ll always have the latest features, fixes, and security updates along with ongoing tech support at no extra cost. You can choose to pay for your subscription on a monthly or yearly basis, and the Microsoft 365 Family plan lets you share your subscription with your family for up to 6 people, and use your apps on multiple PCs, Macs, tablets, and phones.

    No. Apps are tailored to work best on each operating system. The apps available for Mac users and the specific features included may be different from those available for PC users. With Microsoft 365, you can be flexible. With your account, you are not limited to exclusively Mac or exclusively PC, so you can transition across device.

    Yes. If you’re using or Windows 10 or 11, OneDrive is preinstalled. To access your documents when you’re not connected to the Internet, open File Explorer on your PC and go to the OneDrive folder. When you reconnect, OneDrive updates the online versions with changes you made offline.

    You can also download and install OneDrive or Workspace on Windows 10 or 11 and on your Mac. The OneDrive app creates a folder that automatically syncs between OneDrive and your computer, so you can work on your documents—even when you’re offline. This works the same way with Nexus Workspace.