Cloud-based Microsoft Office 365 Is a Boon for Small Business

Cloud-based Microsoft Office 365 Is a Boon for Small Business

You’ve probably heard about The Cloud by now, specifically about how it can make things easier for employees to do their jobs. And it’s true: Moving your servers and software applications off-site gives users unprecedented access to their productivity tools.

Gone are the days of USB drives, documents emailed back-and-forth, and complicated network connections for employees working from home. And perhaps the finest example of the convenience of the cloud is Microsoft’s cloud-based version of Office that you can use round-the-clock, aptly named Office 365.

It is a new way of using apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, but really it can be viewed as a whole new way of working. In addition to the convenience Office 365 provides, it also decreases downtime, makes licensing and maintenance issues disappear, keeps data safe, and makes it easy to budget for IT expenses.

Sound good? Take a look at the details in our top 6 reasons why Cloud-based Office 365 Is a Boon for Small Business.

1. Access On-Demand

Before cloud computing rose to prominence, working remotely required complex “virtual private networks” so employees could connect to the company server and access their apps and data. Now, they simply need an Internet connection to work, share, and collaborate in real time, at any time.

2. Increased Uptime

If you run Word, Excel, and PowerPoint on a server in your office, and lightning strikes your building, it’s downtime city, baby -- at least until the power comes back on. But if you run those apps through a Microsoft Office 365 subscription, they’ll be on your provider’s ultra-redundant cloud-hosted servers so your files, apps, and emails will remain available through even the worst of summertime storms.

3. Hassle-free Licensing

Your cloud-based Office 365 provider also takes care of the licensing, updating, and upgrading of the software. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint -- and all the other 365 applications running in the foreground and background -- will be on the latest, safest versions at all times. And, employees will be using totally legit, synced-up versions as well, since license updates are automated with company-wide deployment.

4. Hassle-free Performance

Cloud-based Office 365 has a feature that keeps users’ appointments, contact lists, and email messages in sync across their multiple devices. Therefore, anytime information such as a coworker’s WhatsApp handle or where to go for this evening’s seminar gets updated in your iPhone or Android device, the change appears on your Mac, PC, tablet, and laptop as well. And because Office 365 also has full-fledged file syncing, you can edit and save a document on your phone and simply open it later on your PC with all the changes intact.

5. Safe, Simple Data Storage

Speaking of files, when you store them in the cloud on platforms like Office 365, it is just as secure as doing so on your in-house systems. Actually, it can be even more secure because you’ll be dealing with a neat little company called Microsoft. The servers they use to house your data are advanced, as you can imagine, and redundant -- meaning, they’ve got your stuff stored on multiple machines.

6. Affordability & Predictability

Perhaps we should have listed this one first out of six. Everyone loves when their IT is inexpensive and when those costs are foreseeable, which is precisely what Office 365 delivers. It requires no upfront hardware payment, you don’t need to install software and buy licensing, and you simply pay a month-to-month invoice like you would to any of your other utilities.

Finally, you won’t have to sign any long-term contracts, you don’t have to commit to any quotas to lock in certain pricing -- none of that. Just log in, enjoy the benefits, and add users on the fly. So if you would like any more information about Microsoft Office 365, check out our Office 365 features page or give us a call on our Office 365 benefits hotline!