You may have started to hear about Microsoft 365. Is it the same as the similarly named “Office 365”? The two are different, and here we’ll explain the difference and what Microsoft 365 Business can offer your organization.
First of all, Microsoft 365 is not the same thing as Office 365. Office 365 is a cloud-based suite of productivity apps, such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook. It’s the modern, cloud-based version of the Microsoft Office suite of products you’re probably familiar with already.
Microsoft 365 Business is a bundle of services that include the apps and productivity tools of Office 365, but also robust security features and device management to help protect and manage your organization. Security features help to protect identity, devices, apps, email, and documents. These features can also help you maintain compliance and regulatory standards. Microsoft 365 also includes device management to help deploy devices and maintain standards to protect your company’s and employees’ data.
Microsoft 365 can help with the fragmentation of apps, tools, and services for small and medium-sized businesses. Many businesses – working within budget constraints – hang on to legacy systems that are “good enough” and relatively disconnected from each other. (Email is provided by one service, data storage by another, messaging apps on a third platform, and so on.) They then add on other services as needed. This creates a hodgepodge system structure that isn’t intentionally designed and isn’t easy to protect and make secure. Microsoft 365 Business, however, can provide most of the essential apps that businesses need, on one platform, with security and protection included.
A key factor? Microsoft 365 services are always up to date. With this subscription model, you’ll no longer run into the problem of running different, out-of-date versions of your Office products, operating system, email protection, data storage service, and so on. You automatically get the newest updates and upgrades.
Office 365 on its own is a great step up to better productivity and collaboration for your organization. Microsoft 365 Business builds on top of this with a more comprehensive suite of solutions to give you a single-platform basis for many of your apps and productivity tools.
- Get more done with intelligent, up-to-date tools
- Work better together with flexible solutions that go where you go
- Build your business through improved efficiency of your business operations
- Safeguard your data from eternal threats and data leaks
IT security is one of the top concerns and trouble areas for SMBs. It can be difficult to know where to begin or what you need. With that in mind, the baked-in security features of Microsoft 365 Business are also a boon to get your organization off to a solid start. (Don’t forget that security takes a multi-layered approach though. You’ll still need solid solutions for your firewall, anti-virus, network monitoring, and more.)
OXEN Technology is a long-time certified Microsoft Partner. Contact us today for more information on the benefits of implementing and customizing Microsoft 365 for your organization or business! You can also check out our services online, including managed IT services, security services, and Office 365 migrations.
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