Microsoft Office is a tool used by almost every business, big or small. Since its launch in April 2010, it was loved and well-accepted by the business communities worldwide. However, the changing time calls for the adoption of new technology as per the changing demands. Later in 2011, Microsoft launched MS Office 365 – the cloud-based suite of its primary applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. For enhanced user experience, the tech giant keeps on adding or upgrading new features to this suite.
If you have not switched to Office 365 yet and also know less about it, you can think of it as a complete application package that can be used on one platform. It is a subscription-based product you can use to enjoy enhanced work productivity.
Before you migrate to Office 365, you should know about various related aspects like Office 365 cloud hosting, plan selection, cost, to name a few. Let’s dig deeper into each of these aspects to help you make the right choice.
1. Pricing of Product License
First and foremost, you must know about the cost of buying a Microsoft Office 365 license before you plan to add it into your business applications suite. As said above, it is a subscription-based product for which you need to pay the price annually and as per your business needs.
There are three main Microsoft Office 365 subscription plans for businesses – Business Basic, Business Standard, and Business Premium. They are priced at $5.00 per user per month, $12.50 per user per month, and $20.00 per user per month, respectively, as shared by Microsoft. Each of these pricing plans has different features included in it.
Thus, you must select the right plan that strikes a balance between your business needs and budget. You can either buy the license directly from Microsoft or through a Direct partner in their network.
2. Cloud Transition-Related Challenges
If you and your team are new to utilizing cloud technology benefits for your business, you might face some challenges with the sudden transition. For instance, you would feel a slight change in the working platform and how you used to save files while using the Office suite installed on your local computer. Similarly, the way you access this advanced application suite will also change.
The intuitive interface of applications in this cloud-based suite is quite similar to the local-hosted counterparts. However, if you feel certain hiccups in making the transition to Microsoft Office 365, make sure you focus on learning how to adapt to it. It would be best not to make the transition in a hurry but to learn the new ways to do more with Microsoft Office 365 over time.
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3. Selection of the Right Plan
The cost of different Microsoft Office plans is based on the set of applications and features included with the suite. Also, you may find the difference in plans because of their targeted user base. For instance, the Home plan of Microsoft Office 365 is meant for individual users who only need the suite with minimum features. It is much different from the comprehensive Business plans that include a more extensive set of features.
Before you move to Office 365, you should assess the business needs carefully and select the most suitable plan. Remember that buying an expensive plan with more features than what you need would do no good than causing higher operational expenses.
4. Data Migration and Backup
While switching to Office 365 may seem like an exciting idea, it also comes with the responsibility to migrate the existing content files to the cloud environment. This is needed to avoid working on different business-related files from scratch and increase the burden for yourself.
Hence, it is essential to carefully backup all existing documents and select the right tools to migrate the data to the cloud. You can also take advantage of the Microsoft team to provide support for seamless migration.
You should also know that Office 365 does not support various templates. In case you have template-based files, you must know how to keep them safe while moving to the Office 365 environment. Do the required research before you take any step you know less about.
5. Third-Party Add-On Integration
While Office 365 provides several applications, each with advantageous features, you may still need other features to support your business operations. For example, you need to integrate a third-party CRM to administer interactions with your end customers. Before you entirely move to this application suite on the cloud, you should check whether the Office 365 license you are willing to buy is compatible with the various add-ons you require. Doing this will help you prevent multiple issues that may result later otherwise.
Final Note
Deciding for Office 365 migration can be highly advantageous for your business. Still, you must consider various aspects of this decision and analyze the pros/cons before making the final move. You can also explore the possibility of choosing Office 365 cloud hosting – a different way to host this application suite’s desktop version on the cloud.
