Why switch to Microsoft Office 365? – Pros and Cons

Making the move to the cloud comes with a myriad of mixed feelings from people, some will tell you that it’s the greatest innovation in collaboration to date, while others feel that it is just a tool that big companies can utilize to take control of your sensitive data.

Now, whether or not the latter has any real validity to it is a completely different discussion, so let’s just stick to what we know for sure. That being said, many people who use or have used Microsoft Office 365 will tell you that the benefits of the cloud far outweigh any cons, this includes the one where it serves as a tool for big brother to keep tabs on our day to day. I myself prefer to start out on positive, so let’s dive into pros associated with MS365.

Predictable costs

In business, having the luxury of predictable costs is a rare occurrence, I myself tend to take advantage of any cost effective solution that I can get my hands on, Microsoft Office 365 is no exception. Moving to the Microsoft Office 365 cloud means that you are removing the uncertainty of the cost of infrastructure and implementation. Microsoft Office 365 works on fixed monthly fees, so you always know what to expect to pay, and you know longer have the worry of dealing with overruns.

Increased productivity

Productivity, upper management’s favorite word in the English dictionary, and it’s also a word commonly associated with Microsoft Office 365, not to say that Microsoft Office 365 will miraculously make your employees more productive, either you have a driven staff or you don’t, but it does however substantially simplify day-to-day tasks. Microsoft put great time and care into designing a cloud-based solution that will allow seamless communication and collaboration capabilities that are easy enough for even the most technically challenged person to use.

Enhanced collaboration, mobility, and flexibility

Today more and more businesses are moving away from the confines of an office and allowing their employees to work out of the office. Microsoft Office 365 makes this more than feasible with its ability to allow you to access your enterprise software over the internet from your desktop, laptop, phone, or any other device that can be connected to the internet.

You get to work with what you know

Let’s be honest, Microsoft has had its fair share of shortcomings over the years, dare we mention Vista. But when Microsoft gets it right they get they really hit the mark, and Microsoft Office 365 is a perfect example of this. Microsoft like anything isn’t perfect, but they do have a great track record when it comes to learning from their mistakes, and one thing that they have appeared to have learned from Vista, is that although people like to see advancements in technology, they do not want to give up the things that they already use and love. This is probably the reasoning behind Microsoft Office 365 not changing any your favorites one bit. The only difference now, is that n they are seamlessly connected to the enterprise software living out in the cloud. In other words, your favorite applications are now cloudified.

Now for the cons…

I’m a Microsoft Office 365 believer all the way, so I could literally go on all day about how great it is, but in the spirit of diplomacy, I am going to move on to some of the cons associated with Microsoft Office 365.

Having to be dependent on network bandwidth

Microsoft doesn’t have any control in how you access the internet, that being said if your internet goes down, you will not be able to access any of your enterprise software or data. Meaning that unless you have a solid disaster recovery or business continuity plan in place, you will more than likely experience a huge decline in productivity should you find yourself without internet access.

Not having complete control over your own data

This is probably one of the main issues that business owners have with Microsoft Office 365, not having total control of your operations, or at the very least feeling like you don’t, and is probably the main reason why many organizations are still apprehensive about making the move to the cloud.

Your data is hosted in Microsoft’s data center. this is actually viewed as a huge benefit to most, but to others it comes with a sense of uneasiness. Many of us are still pretty uncomfortable with the notion that our data is just out there somewhere. You may however feel more at ease about that once you research the Microsoft data centers, but if that doesn’t ease your mind you may want to look into hiring an IT solutions provider that you trust, who can keep your data and applications in a controlled and secure data center.

Are you still on the fence about whether Microsoft Office 365 is right for you? Acapella Technologies specializes in helping companies make a secure move to the Microsoft Office 365 cloud, and effectively utilize all that it has to offer. Call us today at (603) 647-1784 or send us an email at [email protected] to learn more.