On April 21, 2020, Office 365 changed to Microsoft 365. With no major changes in subscription packages, let’s see what’s new and exciting that Microsoft has in store for us!
Why Microsoft 365 And Not Office 365?
Office 365 Business Essentials => Microsoft 365 Business Basic
Office 365 Business Premium => Microsoft 365 Business Standard
Microsoft 365 Business => Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Office 365 Business + Office 365 Pro Plus => Microsoft 365 Apps
Microsoft products reflect the varied range of business solutions. Microsoft 365 is a comprehensive integrated set of business apps and services that incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies that work for you.
Microsoft specifically focuses services for small and mid-sized businesses—including Teams to host rich meetings and exchange media, Azure for secure cloud storage and solutions, and much more.
9 Most Common Microsoft Office Problems & Their Quick Solutions
The change in name of one of the biggest business productivity suits doesn’t come with much significant changes in subscription prices or features. It was brought into effect on April 21, 2020.
Microsoft said it was difficult for customers to choose which of its versatile applications best matched their requirements.
With the new name, they aim to shift focus on delivering products and services to the customers in a seamless manner.
Remember what happened 10 years ago? Office was a software that included Powerpoint, Excel, Word, Outlook, and a few other softwares that were hardwired to one PC. Today, they are more than just softwares, they are apps.
The new name is an indication that today’s Office is more than just a software. They introduced newbies such as Teams, Forms, Stream, and Planner. The existing Office suites apps now leverage cloud and AI to ease the job of a person using them.
If you’re an existing user of Office 365 Pro Plus, you don’t need to take any additional action. The name will be upgraded automatically.
Microsoft 365 Plans for Businesses & Homes
Have you ever been to an ice-cream corner and weren’t able to pick a flavor? This happens to us all. When there’s a variety of flavors to choose from, we are bound to get overwhelmed. Similarly, customers on the Microsoft 365 ‘buy now’ page find it hard to make a choice.
One of the reasons for the name change is to make it easier for customers to distinguish clearly between applications and services in each subscription model.
A. Microsoft 365 for Business
Previously called Office 365, the subscription package included familiar applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, One Drive, among others. The package also provides services such as Azure Security, Sharepoint, Teams, and much more.
If you’re a small or midsize business (SMB), choosing a Microsoft 365 Business Basic, at just $5 per user per month is the best option for you.
- Cloud-based apps with security
- Mobile apps, so you’re not fixed to your desk
If you’re looking for something more sophisticated, 365 Business Standard is for you! At $12.50 per user per month, it includes all basic apps from 365 Business Basic packages + you get the desktop versions too! All other services are included.
Microsoft 365 Business Premium offers top of the line productivity suite features. At $20 per user per month, it gives you access to every little app provided by Microsoft + their desktop versions. As you might have guessed, the services are all in. To top it all, you get Intune & Azure Information Protection services too!
Why Windows Virtual Desktop Is The Best Security & Management Solution For Remote Workers?
B. Microsoft 365 for Home
Don’t assume that Microsoft only caters to businesses. Microsoft 365 provides comprehensive services for home customers as well!
You pay for a single user subscription and review your subscription annually. It’s a great deal. Go check it out now!
Benefits of Microsoft 365
1. Reduced paperwork
No more sending photocopies of important documents from one desk to another! Microsoft Forms allows you to gather data with custom and easy surveys, polls, and questionnaires that can be accessed from any web browser.
Use Microsoft Planner to create, assign, and map tasks to individuals. Easy to manage to-do lists, personal agendas, notes, pleasing visual layout, and other features make the workflow extremely easy to understand, ensuring every team member is on the same page.
2. Safe from cyberthreats
Microsoft offers threat protection tools such as Defender Advanced Threat Protection, Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection, Microsoft Cloud App Security, and Azure Advanced Threat Protection.
Your digital environment needs protection too! Make sure you get top of the line spam, malware, phishing, and other threat protection services today. The lockdown has increased the threat landscape exponentially. Get your cover now!
3. Works with existing apps
Bring your favorite apps and services into Teams to create a hub that’s perfect for your team! Use Power platform to integrate your automated workflows and dashboards with Teams.
The ready-made apps with Teams provide flexibility across all your workflows, making it super-easy to achieve more in less time.
“With Microsoft Teams and the Microsoft Power Platform, field employees could access everything they needed—in one place, accessible from any device.”
– Richard French: Principal for Field Digitization, Telstra
4. Simple IT management
Using Azure Active Directory, you can manage users and session details very easily. Enterprise plans come with free access to Azure AD. Using this, you can set up easy password syncs and one-step sign-ins for your devices.
Introduction of multi-factor authentication on Windows 10 allows you to sign in using your iris, face, fingerprint or a simple PIN. Microsoft also provides you with the ability to analyze risks in behaviors.
If you haven’t switched to Microsoft 365, What’s keeping you away?
Microsoft has always kept its end users in mind while designing applications and services. For this reason, millions of businesses and students choose Microsoft over its rivals.
The ease of use, productivity boosters, storage and sharing options, email and calendar management on your fingertips, after sales support, security and compliance all aid in Microsoft’s favor.
The name change was a bold move but was necessary to ease the on-boarding process for new customers.
If you don’t believe us, try it yourself. Anyway, “what’s in a name?”
Furthermore, if you need help switching to Microsoft 365, we at Xperteks can help you out. We provide the most reliable IT support in NYC and have helped several businesses make this shift with ease. The result? Happy and more productive work environments, both physically and virtually.
