Is Office 365 Worth It?

A Look Inside a Company Who Has Successfully Made the Switch

If you are self-employed or run a business, you more than likely use Microsoft Office in some or most of your day-to-day operations.

If you haven’t made the switch to Microsoft Office 365, you have probably considered it or given it some thought. Maybe you’ve been so busy running your business that you’re not sure exactly what Office 365 can offer over traditional Microsoft Office software. Let’s take a closer look.

What Exactly is Office 365?

Here is Microsoft’s product description:

Office 365 refers to subscription plans that include access to Office

applications plus other productivity services that are enabled over the

Internet (cloud services), such as Lync web conferencing and Exchange

Online hosted email for business, and additional online storage with

OneDrive and Skype world minutes for home.

To break Microsoft’s description down, you get access to full Office desktop apps, mobile apps for Android and iOS for your tablets and smartphones, OneDrive storage, Skype minutes and more.

Basically, this is Microsoft Office for the Cloud.

As a business owner, it’s important to decide whether it’s wise to keep using the traditional perpetual-license versions of Office. An Office 365 subscription does include a lot more features and they’re accessible from anywhere. Your employees can work from home computers or smartphones.

If we’re talking big picture, making that switch to 365 presents a lot of benefits for you and your business.

• Office 365 offers a regular and predictable subscription rate. The office programs are updated automatically. Contrast this with buying the physical version that must be upgraded every few years.
• You can install Office apps on multiple devices without encountering all the activation issues that can come with software downloads.
• Since it is cloud-based, Microsoft offers regular patches for any known vulnerabilities.
• Gain access to Microsoft’s vast collection of cloud-based services.

Let’s Look at a Company Who Has Already Made the Switch

Henkel, a chemical products manufacturer based out of Düsseldorf, Germany, made the switch to Office 365 back in 2015. With nearly four years of regular use, their company is a good case study to observe and calculate if the switch to Office 365 was worth it.

Henkel has made a name for itself by manufacturing laundry and home care products, beauty supplies, and adhesives. With their products being used by consumers and organizations in over 75 countries, Henkel needs to implement their software solutions in various languages.

To achieve their business goals, the company is proactive in implementing the latest technology to provide a modern workplace for employees. As the world continues to be more and more connected, this company understands the need to connect team members with their business partners and customers to produce successful outcomes.

Before making the switch to Office 365, Henkel had an aging IT set-up with outdated productivity tools. These antiquated tools did not allow team members to collaborate and communicate with the company’s 47,000 employees. Implementing Microsoft Office 365 changed the way they operated, and they observed immediate benefits. Since adding Office 365, Henkel has increased productivity and employees can stay connected across all departments and locations around the globe.

Choosing to take a huge jump and invest in the cloud instead of upgrading their old systems, they were able to simplify the environment in which they operated.

Not only were they more connected across their massive company, Henkel also noted the benefits of a simplified way to work in mobile situations. Team members were able to freely work outside the office space and connect with their business partners and customers.

Watch Henkel’s Office 365 Video HERE

What Are Your Purchasing Options?

If you choose to adopt Office 365, the next decision is picking the right Office 365 edition for you and your business. As with everything else in the modern workplace, Microsoft offers more than a dozen options to choose from, at prices ranging from $5 to $35 a month, per user.

Every Office 365 package includes:

• Office desktop apps for Windows or Mac – They are frequently updated giving you the latest version.
• The ability to install the desktop programs on up to five PCs or Macs.
• Exchange Online Email.
• 1TB of OneDrive cloud file storage.
• Mobile apps for installation on up to five phones and five tablets, running iOS (iPhone or iPad), Android or Windows.
• Collaboration and communication tools for your employees.

Microsoft breaks down the options to purchase an Office 365 Home subscription or an Office 365 business edition. Some of the smaller businesses may able to get by using a home subscription if their needs are small or if they are self-employed.

For a complete list of your purchasing options, you can visit the Microsoft Office 365 Store for Home and the Microsoft Office 365 Store for Business.

Author: Joe Martin, Date: 2018-08-30