What's the Benefit of Upgrading Our Office from Office 365 to Microsoft 365?

Office 365 has become the most popular cloud program on the market by user count and about 1 in 5 corporate employees around the world are using the cloud platform. 

One of the reasons this cloud service is so popular is because it includes multiple applications to power modern office I.T., such as the main Microsoft suite of Office products (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), plus collaborative and cloud tools like Teams and OneDrive.

So, a lot of the attraction of Office 365 comes from the way it packages several tools together to provide more value from a single subscription. Depending upon the version you use, it can also include SharePoint, Exchange, Stream, and other useful applications.

Looking to top themselves and offer even more value to businesses, in August 2017, Microsoft launched another subscription service called Microsoft 365.

Some of the questions that business customers immediately started wondering include: 

·      Is Microsoft 365 an entirely different platform?

·      What’s the difference between “Office” and “Microsoft” 365?

·      Why should I upgrade to Microsoft 365?

We’ll go through the answers to each of those below to help you understand the benefits of upgrading to Microsoft 365 and what additional features it offers.

Is Microsoft 365 an Entirely Different Platform?

Microsoft 365 is not a completely different platform than Office 365, rather it’s a bundle. Just like some electronic stores will bundle a computer with a monitor and give you one price for both, Microsoft 365 bundles Office 365 with additional software. 

The Microsoft 365 bundle includes:

·      Windows 10 (either Pro or Enterprise)

·      Office 365 (either Business Premium or Enterprise)

·      Microsoft Intune (mobile device manager)

·      Advance security features

The price difference between Office 365 and Microsoft 365 will vary according the version you’re currently using, but if you’re using Office 365 Business Premium ($12.50/user/month) and upgrade to Microsoft 365 ($20/user/month), it will be an additional $7.50/user/month for the added bundle features.

What’s the Difference Between “Office” and “Microsoft” 365?

Microsoft has been expanding their umbrella to reflect the expanse of their products (Azure, Windows, etc.) and go beyond only being synonymous with their Office products.

The use of “Microsoft 365” reflects the fact that Office 365 is being bundled with other Microsoft products and is an upgrade.

Another recent change they made was to rename Office 365 Secure Score to Microsoft Secure Score and expand its capabilities to Windows security scoring as well as Office 365 security. So, this appears to be a strategic branding decision to move to more “Microsoft” named products and services.

Why Should I Upgrade to Microsoft 365?

If you’re already enjoying your Office 365 subscription, you may be wondering why you should pay the additional $7.50 per user to upgrade. 

Here are a few reasons that upgrading to Microsoft 365 can be a good value proposition for your business.

Mobile Device Security

The use of mobile devices at work has skyrocketed in the last 5-10 years, meaning more work product is being created and accessed from mobile devices. For most offices this means an employee-owned mobile device, which presents several security challenges. 

Approximately 60% of employees use smartphones for work, and that number continues to increase. Companies that don’t have a way to manage mobile connectivity to business data are at risk of a data breach. Some of the challenges of employee mobile device security include: 

·      Mobile devices are often connected to unsecure, public Wi-Fi.

·      Malware is increasingly being targeted at mobile devices.

·      Employee phones are used for both personal and work.

·      Revoking data access can be difficult if an employee leaves the company suddenly.

A major addition to the Microsoft 365 bundle is their mobile device management platform, Intune. It allows companies to easily administer a bring your own device (BYOD) or company-owned mobile phone program and keep control of data access for improved security.

Some of the advantages of using Intune (which by itself starts at about $6/user/month) are:

·      Ability to remotely lock and wipe a device

·      Reporting on mobile access to company apps and data

·      Ability to apply security policies across all devices (PC and mobile)

·      Works with both Android and iOS devices

·      Configure automatic updates for security

·      Add or revoke access remotely from a central control panel

Advanced Security Features

Microsoft 365 also includes some advanced security features that can improve your cybersecurity strategy. This includes Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection, which is designed to protect against phishing attacks with email protections, as well as defend against ransomware and zero-day threats.

Some of the other added security features you’ll have with Microsoft 365 include:

·      Control access to company information through “Do Not Copy” and “Do Not Forward” file designations. 

·      Pre-breach threat resistance with Windows Defender Exploit Guard

·      Enable unlimited cloud archive and long-term preservation for email archiving

Learn More & Get Help Upgrading to Microsoft 365

BrainStomp can answer all your questions about Microsoft 365 and the value an upgrade can provide to your business. We can also help you smoothly upgrade your subscription and ensure you take advantage of all the new features.

Schedule a free cloud consultation today! Call 260-918-3548 or reach out online.