What You Need To Know About Microsoft 365

Posted on February 6th 2019

With so many IT options out there, how about just ONE integrated solution for your business, that can grow and develop as you do. It’s called Microsoft 365.

We’ve discussed the latest confusion between Microsoft 365 and Office 365 (if not, you might want to read what the difference is here between them before delving into this!). So now, we’re ready to enter the world of Microsoft 365.

Microsoft 365 recently celebrated its 1st birthday, being one of Microsoft latest offerings. It brings together Office 365, Windows 10 and Best of Enterprise Mobility and Security, allowing businesses to balance their productivity and IT security all from one location. Below we provide you with an insight into each of the platforms and how they integrate to bring you one solution for your business.

Office 365
Office 365 starts with the basics including email, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, all the way to online services you may be less familiar with, like SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive and much more. We can assure you once you start using the newer platforms, you’ll wonder how you went without them! With Office 365, users can securely access their files from the office, at home, during their commute, or in meetings – keeping productivity increased. All user simply need is an internet connection.

Microsoft Teams is a recent addition to Office 365, similar to Slack or Trello. Multiple channels can be created, so you can easily communicate with different teams. Conversations flow from top to bottom, notifying you of the most recent updates. If you need face-to-face conversation, you can simply jump straight into Skype voice or video chats with other team members with a single click. Teams is also linked to SharePoint which underpins the mechanics of Office 365. This includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Planner, Power BI and Delve which are also integrated with Teams, so you can continue to collaborate and never miss out on what is going on!

Windows 10
Windows 10 just gets better with age! Within Microsoft 365, you are always provided with the latest software updates, so your systems have no chance of being left behind. Built-in security features grow and evolve with the times to protect you from modern threats. This includes device encryption, giving your device that extra slice of security if it was to be lost or stolen.

You can also make your user devices ‘Auto-Pilot’ ready, implementing your organisations policies. Different profiles can be also added to the Windows 10 devices, tailored to the role of your employees. This allows for new starters profiles to be easily set up and implemented, so access is granted to the relevant programmes.

Now for the best bit! Windows 10 provides you with your own personal assistant, Cortana, that works across your devices and integrates with your Windows apps. Cortana gives you an extra working hand, you can speak to her, ask questions or type messages and she’ll be there to help you! From reminders, to sending texts and emails, managing your calendar, opening files and apps, there is nothing Cortana can’t assist you with.

Best of Enterprise Mobility and Security
Now to the section you’re really wondering about – how secure is Microsoft 365? You may be dubious about where your data is stored and how secure it is. Despite this, you can be rest assured that plenty of security features are in place to protect your systems. You can easily manage all your company devices from one place through the Enterprise Mobility and Security control centre, safeguarding your data.

From checking website links in real time to see if sites are malicious, to scanning attachments sent through email, with Microsoft 365 you reduce the risks of a possible breach. However, it is still vital to have a process in place to educate and teach employees the importance of cyber security, including how to be vigilant.

Extra security can be added to all you company devices including implementation of PINs or fingerprint recognition to access devices and even documents, stopping your business data getting into the wrong hands. Device management means you can control either the device, or the data on the device. If employees were also to leave the company and have been using their own device, you can wipe the company data from their phone without compromising their own personal documents. Overall, allowing you to easily collaborate without compromising your business security.

You can also control user’s accessibility of documents and data, classifying the sensitivity of documents and what they are allowed to do with it. For example, you can prevent users from printing and forwarding documents, but they may be able to edit and view. This allows your data to be protected, so only the relevant people can access the document.

Last but not least, GDPR (we couldn’t not mention it!). Data subject requests can be easily managed through the system, as well as viewing your compliance manager to see where you may have compliance issues in real time.

Microsoft 365 comes in three different plans – Business, Enterprise and Education. These can be tailored to suit the needs of your business. As your business grows and develops, so does your plan!

Ready to find out how Microsoft 365 could benefit your business?