Office 365 Implementation & Management

Office 365 Implementation & Management

What is Office 365? It’s hard to fit something so vastly exhaustive within a definition. But for starters, just know that it’s precisely what #MSOffice is except that it’s cloud-based and requires a subscription fee. It offers access to some of our favorite tools like Skype, OneDrive et al. Many limited to large business owners find Office 365 alluring, mainly since it doesn’t deplete their monetary resource as opposed to other tools. Moreover, Microsoft continually provides updates, and its admin portal makes it understandable for its users to enforce the same. But being a software admin is not a job for the lighthearted, and it takes time to get around to it. Although there are alternatives like the Google G Suite, that’s not why you are here.

What does Microsoft 365 offer? It mainly caters to business enterprises and for individuals for which there are respective versions which you can avail of. This piece will follow up the way it is implemented and managed. But it is to be noted that MS 365 has a month-to-month subscription fee like most services of its kind. But that’s not advisable if you are planning for an extensive use – take the annual route.

There are three subscription types to choose from: (for enterprises fewer than 300)

1. Office 365 Business Essentials

The cheapest one from the lot, this subscription type, can be availed at $5/month per user. It includes the following applications.

• Exchange
• OneDrive
• SharePoint
• Skype for Business
• Microsoft Teams

And web versions of

• Outlook
• Word
• Excel
• PowerPoint

1. Office 365 Business

This one relatively more affordable, and it meets in the middle with a price tag of $8.25/month per user. It includes all the office applications that we are acquainted with like

• Outlook
• Word, Excel
• PowerPoint
• OneNote
• OneDrive

1. Office 365 Business Premium

With a price tag of $12.50/ month for each user, the premium variant of Office 365 business support up to 300 users. Apart from what is offered in the other two variants, you also get the following add-ons:

• Microsoft Connections
• Microsoft Listings
• Outlook Customer Manager
• Microsoft Invoicing
• Microsoft Bookings
• MileIQ
• Microsoft Business Center

Solving real-world problems with Office 365

Katherine Murray in her book “Microsoft Office 365: Connect and Collaborate Virtually Anywhere, Anytime” promptly addresses that – “To all users of technology who are willing to take a chance, make a choice, and try a new way of doing things so that we can nurture and enjoy a happy, healthy planet.” The address seems like a quiet fit to what Office 365 represents i.e., providing the productivity tool that any modern enterprise can make use of. Many companies consider it to be the de facto standard since the performance of other competing products is measured against Office 365 applications.

If you were to assess its application, then you will realize that any worker from any given niche has used the word processor at least once in their work cycle. And, another bunch of the same workforce might require it for presentation or a spreadsheet. So, automatically, it becomes a staple tool of productivity. Office 365 just gets the work done, individual or otherwise.

Now let’s take an example to elaborate on the implementation of Office 365. A company’s IT section encounters problems each day, most of which are solved by the management team. It turns out that IT teams realize the efficiency Office 365 provides when it comes to solving their problems. Here are a few issues that most units are used to facing

1. “How can I access my files while traveling.”

With applications like OneDrive and SharePoint, a remote employee can get hold of their files easily irrespective of the device and geographic location.

1. “Email Inbox has reached its storage limit.”

Message client like Skype or Teams or even SharePoint can alleviate stress concerning the space crunch email clients.

1. “Application is out of date.”

Office 365 is updated in the background without disrupting the workflow.

1. “Where have I stored that document?”

Saving documents can be painful if you have 100 or more people in your workforce. Burt Office centralizes the process with a storage location that can be accessed anytime as long as there’s internet connectivity.

1. “Expensive conferencing session is depleting resources.”

Communication tools can add unwarranted strain on your office budget. But it can be solved by using Skype, which is an efficient conferencing tool.

Implementing and Managing Office 365

So, have you made up your mind to deploy Office 365 for your enterprise? If it’s so, then congratulations on choosing this cloud-based productivity tool. This piece will discuss the deployment of Office 365 – with or without help. In any case, the steps can be followed up for a smooth set-up process.

1. With FastTrack for Office 365

This is one of the best methods employed to implement office 365. FastTrack will guide you through the quintessence of its deployment configuration and answer any queries you have during the process.

1. Setting up by yourself.

If you are planning to deploy Office 365 on your own, then follow these steps.

• Set up your network. You need to add your internet domains and optimize the system for any on-premise user.
• You need to set-up your identity. For that, you need an identity model.
• Now, you need to implement the security that includes rolling out some fundamental and enhanced security against threats and for data protection.
• Deploy Office 365 ProPlus with cloud updated and the current version of Office sUITE.
• Office 365 also comes with mobile device management, which can let your users navigate through their mobile devices.
• Include short videos or notes for your users to get acquainted with Office 365 quickly.

Now that you know how to set up your #Office365, you also need to know the resources you need before implementation.

Here’s a list of resources you need

• Project Manager
• Office 365 Administrator
• SharePoint Administrator
• Exchange Administrator
• Lync Administrator
• Network Administrator
• Trainer

Now comes the planning phase, but the implementation much depends on a few factors. Irrespective of the plan you are using, you will need to manage the resources and the roles that will be required for the implementation. Apart from that, here are a few tasks that you might want to look at:

• Account Licensing and provisioning
• Synchronization
• Issue Tracking
• Bandwidth Consideration
• Hardware and Software Inventories
• Communication Planning
• End-user and Admin Training

Bajaj and Office 365

#Bajaj Finserv has been serving as one of the most innovative financial service platforms. With fintech backing up their applications, one can only imagine the tedious nature of their workflow. So, Office 365 is an ideal fit for an enterprise of this stature. They can navigate their workflow at ease and simultaneously providing a user-centric service.

Conclusion

Office 365 makes it possible for enterprises and small businesses to streamline their workflow across platforms and devices. Once you have opted for its service, you will realize the smoothness your business inhabits. From sharing business documents sharing to conference meetings, you can do it in real-time, even at the comfort of your own home. Office 365 holds the key to a future workforce that is more technologically acquainted.

What’s Next?

Microsoft is continually rolling out updates for its cloud products – with enhanced design functionality and features. Some of the recent upgrades include

• If you have skype in your existing Office 365 package, then you can get free upgrades. The latest update includes a faster load time, group calls, free HD video, and drag-drop interface.
• The new ribbon is smarter and includes an intelligent AI-backed search option, new icons, and themes.
• You can now find MS translator support under the review tab where you can translate the entire doc or a portion you’d like translated.
• A new navigation option has been added for presenting slides – Zoom. You can select thumbnails to add animation. There’s a new transition called Morph, which will allow smooth navigation between slides.
• Excel has now added six new functions i.e., IFS, MINIFS, MAXIFS, CONCAT, TEXTJOIN, SWITCH.

Tags

#Bajaj, #Microsoft, #MSOffice, #Office365, #KatherineMurray, #CloudService, #OfficeSuite

Bibliography

1. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/enterprise/setup-overview-for-enterprises
2. https://www.dummies.com/software/microsoft-office/office-web-apps/resources-you-need-for-office-365-implementation/
3. https://www.dummies.com/software/microsoft-office/office-web-apps/planning-phase-of-an-office-365-implementation/
4. https://fto365dev.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/DocResources/en-us/Office_365_Adoption_Guide.pdf
5. https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10311-guide-to-office-365-business.html
6. https://products.office.com/en-in/business/microsoft-office-365-frequently-asked-questions
7. https://www.knowledgewave.com/blog/solve-problems-with-office-365
8. https://www.techrepublic.com/article/microsoft-office-365-the-smart-persons-guide/
9. https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/27504147-microsoft-office-365-connect-and-collaborate-virtually-anywhere-anytim
10. Image 1

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10311-guide-to-office-365-business.html

1. Image 2

https://fto365dev.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/DocResources/en-us/Office_365_Adoption_Guide.pdf

1. Image 3

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/10311-guide-to-office-365-business.html

1. Image 4

https://www.financialexpress.com/market/bajaj-finance-maintain-neutralwith-tp-of-rs-3550/1696442/