Taking steps to move to Microsoft 365 can go a long way in streamlining and improving efficiencies of your operations.
Businesses and startups from around the world have been empowered to innovate and streamline their operations in new ways with Microsoft 365. In fact, according to the latest statistics, Office 365 is currently being used by over a million companies worldwide, with the majority of them based in the United States.
Microsoft 365 - At a Glance
Microsoft 365, or Office 365, as it is commonly known, is a comprehensive toolbox of applications powered by Microsoft. Their business plans start at just $9 per month and include cloud versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook – tools that we are all familiar with.
The tools are designed to help remote teams collaborate from anywhere in the world and create, organize, and communicate seamlessly. Its powerful security features ensure that valuable information isn’t shared with the wrong entities. Robust sharing features streamline internal projects and make it easier to work with vendors and agencies.
Let’s take a look at how moving to Microsoft 365 can streamline your operations and improve workflow.
Train Employees from Anywhere in the World
Microsoft Teams makes it easy to conduct virtual, interactive training sessions to save the cost and expenses associated with on-site staffing. It helps you interact with workers across multiple locations and time zones. It makes onboarding and training new recruits simple, fast and easy.
It provides you with a dedicated space for chatting and conferencing. You can share vital onboarding material using Microsoft OneDrive to increase the efficiency of your hiring process.
Improve Customer Operations
With information stored in the cloud using Microsoft OneDrive, your sales reps have the ability to access information from wherever and whenever. For example, the sales rep can answer a customer’s questions or make recommendations by accessing information and videos stored in Microsoft OneDrive. Employees can also reach out to their peers via Microsoft Teams to resolve technical issues by qualified professionals.
Outlook Calendar Simplifies Schedules with Coworkers
Leading and organizing teams of hundreds of employees across multiple locations can be time consuming and difficult. But you can manage your team more effectively by planning schedules and tasks with Outlook Calendar, making tasks and schedules seamless, interactive, and up to date.
Workers can view their assignments, schedules, and provide comments in real-time from any device. Managers can make changes to the latest version of a schedule and view the status of the project in real-time.
Outlook Calendar also makes it easier to help you find the best time to meet because users can see schedules and manage an alternative time to meet.
Data Loss Prevention
Microsoft 365’s data loss prevention lets you protect sensitive data and prevent the sharing of customer details with the wrong people – whether by accident or premeditation.
Microsoft lets you implement data loss prevention by applying various policies. For example, it can scan emails and files for sensitive information such as financial information. You can then take preventive action such as logging the event for auditing or blocking the user.
The DLP policy can be rolled out across multiple Microsoft 365 tools such as Teams, OneDrive, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and others.
Cybersecurity is no Longer a Concern
Microsoft 365 leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to protect users from emerging threats. It blocks the vast majority of spam and business emails to keep your data safe. Microsoft uses industry-leading and state-of-the-art security protocols for its cloud-hosted operations.
Some of its security measures include:
i) 2-Factor Authentication: This allows your employees to provide multiple ways of signing in. For example, when they first enter the right password, they will be prompted to enter a security code that is sent to their mobile device or email address. 2FA is highly effective at preventing unauthorized personnel from accessing your data.
ii) Encryption: All the data that is exchanged across Microsoft servers are fully encrypted. All your emails are fully encrypted so it’s safe to send them.
iii) AI Detection of Suspicious Login Activity: To minimize any suspicious activity, Microsoft can alert admin users immediately if it detects unusual or suspicious login activity.
Cost-Effective Solution
There are several ways that Microsoft 365 can save your company money. For one, you don’t have to buy and maintain on-premises hardware and servers. All the security checks and balances are handled remotely by Microsoft. Collaboration tools allow you to cut down on the commute and downsize your office space if you feel you don’t need them.
Scaling your business is also easier than ever before. All you have to do is add another user to your Microsoft 365 account and assign suitable licenses (and privileges).
Store Contact Information in a Safe and Secure Place
Most businesses have to maintain a list of customers, vendors, employees, and other important information. Businesses that take the steps to move to Microsoft 365 can do this with Microsoft Excel. Simply create a new spreadsheet and enter all the important information related to the data. You can make edits whenever you need.
Go Paperless
It can be difficult to organize paper documents, especially when your business grows. It can add to your overall costs and also leaves a larger carbon footprint. Taking steps to move to Microsoft 365 can lower your company’s use of paper consumption because you can store everything on the cloud.
It is possible to make changes to your files without wasting paper and starting over again. Electronic storage of data with the help of Microsoft 365 definitely helps us to save precious trees from our planet.
Microsoft 365 Meets Compliance Standards in Your Industry
You can count on Microsoft to comply with some of the toughest compliance standards in the industry, whether you’re in healthcare, finances, or legal sectors. For example, Office 365 allows firms to comply with various industry standards including:
- HIPAA
- ISO 27001
- FISMA
- GDPR
- And others
This minimizes the risk of data breaches and protects sensitive information such as client details, credit card numbers, social security numbers, and other vital personal and corporate data.
Wrapping Up
Businesses that take the steps to move to Microsoft 365 can streamline their office operations in many ways. And we haven’t even scratched the surface yet – there is so much more you can do with Microsoft 365, such as improving communication with Yammer, tracking business metrics with Power BI, and more.
