If you fancy being able to use all of your favorite Microsoft products online and have been searching for a way to connect all of your users through shared applications and even websites of your own design, then Office 365 may be right up your cyber alley. From programs like Skype for Business (formerly known as Lync Online) to Exchange Online to SharePoint, Microsoft Office 365 offers a comprehensive platform for businesses to collaborate and build up their empire.

Why Office 365?

It can be safely assumed that the “what is” part of Office 365 has been answered for you as it’s been around for more than four years now, but some people are still struggling with why Office 365 and not Google for Work or other cloud-based productivity solutions. While there is no quick and dirty answer for why we believe it’s better, there is something to be said for Office 365’s versatility, enhanced security features, and innovation capability that the one-size-fits-all Google for Work just can’t match.  On top of that, Microsoft has been providing world class enterprise support for years now; although Google offers support of its own, it just doesn't hold up against the mighty Microsoft who spend a lot of time on customer retention and satisfaction.  For a quick comparison of the two powerhouse options, click here for Google Apps for Work plans and here for Microsoft Office 365 plans. After reviewing these plans, if your team has decided that Office 365 would be better suited to your business needs, consider looking into receiving an Office 365 demo.

Office 365 Demo

If Office 365 and its offerings have peaked your interest, but you’re not ready to take the plunge without a trial run, there is a 30-day Office 365 demo that can be used for up to 25 users in your organization. For small businesses, this is an excellent opportunity to roll out the platform for all of your users, but if you have more than 25 users, it can be a bit more challenging. To offset the somewhat limited availability of the Offices 365 demo, you can divvy up the 25 user licenses among a sampling of people in each department. In this way, you’re still able to get a feel for how the different departments react and respond to the new platform, so you can make an informed decision at the end of the trial period. Further, there is zero commitment at the end of the Office 365 demo. If your team is not fully satisfied and wants to go another way, your trial will expire and you will not be charged for declining to use its offerings.

Migrations and Microsoft Partners

If the 30 days have passed too quickly and you’re ready to make a full-fledged commitment, the next step is to migrate all of your users to Office 365. While some brave souls try to migrate on their own, many more organizations look to outsourcing to avoid the battle scars that migrations can leave behind. That narrows down the options to hiring a third-party vendor or looking for a Microsoft Certified Partner in your area. With a Microsoft partner being the favored choice as they have access to in-depth Microsoft support that others are not so lucky to receive and more centralized experience with Office 365 migrations, the migration can be implemented as smoothly and seamlessly as possible.

Tips and Training for End Users

Before your organization migrates, it’s always a good idea to hear feedback from other companies who have been in your shoes to alleviate any possible concerns you may have about expectations, reasons to make the switch, and so on. We offer free resources and tips for you to peruse, so you can feel reassured in your decision. Post migration, your employees will need some kind of end user training to utilize Office 365 to its full potential. Even though there are a variety of training tools that are available for a certain cost or even free online resources at your disposal, we recommend a just-in-time learning approach called ShowMe Training that offers thousands of videos to help your employees learn how to effectively use all of the Office 365 offerings.

Are you interested in migrating to Office 365, but want a trial run before you make any final decisions? Strategic SaaS has a one-month free Office 365 demo that is just waiting to be taken advantage of by your organization. Contact us today for more information or a free one-on-one consultation!