The majority of people have heard of Microsoft Office or Microsoft Office suite, and most will have actively used Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and others. All of these applications are included within Microsoft Office, which is also available as a cloud-based suite of apps, Microsoft 365 builds on these foundations and offers much more.
Microsoft 365 is available via a subscription service and includes all core Microsoft Office applications as part of the package. In addition, it also has specific applications aimed at those wanting tools such as Microsoft Exchange or SharePoint online, which provide users with access to messages and their work from mobile devices, desktops and web-based systems.
Microsoft 365 was formerly known as Microsoft Office 365 (or Microsoft Office 365 suite). In April 2020 Microsoft renamed it to emphasise the additional services such as cloud-based productivity tools and artificial intelligence (AI) features over and above the core Office products.
Microsoft 365 for Nonprofits and Charities
If you’re a charity or nonprofit, Microsoft 365 could be a game-changer for you, and it won’t break the bank. Microsoft offers discounted plans specifically for charities, giving you access to all the powerful tools and features of Microsoft 365 at a lower cost.
These discounts mean you can use tools like Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive to collaborate more easily, manage volunteers and fundraising efforts, and keep everyone connected, no matter where they are. Plus, with everything in the cloud, your team can work from anywhere without worrying about IT headaches or security risks.
Microsoft 365 can help charities focus on what matters most: making an impact. If you’re curious about how it could work for your organisation, get in touch. We’re here to help you create the best plan and set up Microsoft 365 to work for your charity or nonprofit.
Why should I pay a subscription for Microsoft 365?
You may ask yourself why should I pay another monthly subscription when I already have Microsoft Office software installed? That’s a valid question, but with Microsoft Office 365 you get so much more.
- You always have the most up to date version – you get new features and updates automatically
- Save time by never having to upload software or maintain hardware to run it
- Cloud-first application so you can use it from multiple devices, wherever you are – you aren’t tied to your desktop as long as you have access to the internet
- Multiple users have access to the software and can share data easily
- All data generated is hosted on Microsoft servers
- Additional features not available on the desk-top versions
- Technical assistance is included
- There are plans available to suit various situations
- Future capabilities such as artificial intelligence
How is Microsoft 365 suitable for business use?
Historically, Microsoft has focused on providing word processing and spreadsheets to business users. Whilst these are no doubt core legacy applications, Microsoft has evolved its offering into a huge array of tools via Microsoft 365 that allow organisations to be more productive and efficient.
Microsoft provides the option to tailor plans so that you can choose from the wide range of tools available into a plan that suits your company – whatever its size, number of staff or budget.
Whether your business is just one person, or you have staff dotted around the world, Microsoft 365 offers excellent business value. Let’s take a look at the key benefits:
1. Well-organised and simplified information
Utilising SharePoint, the user interface and interconnectivity help to easily manage and share documents. It is also integrated with Microsoft Teams, so communication during document creation or other tasks is streamlined.
2. Scalable growth
Being able to choose which applications are suitable for your business enables you to create a bespoke solution. And by not having to pay software licences for individual users makes it easier to scale in a simple and cost-effective way.
3. Automation
Microsoft offers an incredible array of ‘out of the box’ online forms, workflow management and data-storage options, such as Power BI. These can automate business processes to enable you and your employees to concentrate on building your business.
4. Collaboration
The tools available allow employees to work effectively together, irrespective of location. Teams and SharePoint workspaces provide easy collaboration opportunities. Teams facilitates group meetings, sharing of screens and other meeting facilities that you would expect to find in a physical environment such as whiteboards and break-out areas. Teams can also be used for client interactions and meetings, too.
5. Employee engagement
Mainly utilised within Teams, Microsoft Viva, part of Microsoft 365, provides an employee experience platform. Other Viva offerings give further connection and learning opportunities to assist with employee engagement.
6. Additional Features
Microsoft Editor gives so much more support than spell checker, for example and PowerPoint Presenter Coach both enable far more professional outputs. Microsoft Money is also available within Excel and Word provides a Resumé Assistant.
7. Control
Administrators have access to a portal enabling the set-up of new user accounts and can control access to features as well as viewing the status of all the Microsoft 365 services and tools.
8. Cloud Storage
As all apps and services within Microsoft 365 are connected, there are a number of time-saving features such as co-authoring and sharing files to utilise alongside Teams and emails. All files are accessible from Microsoft’s cloud storage, giving secure access to content, tasks, emails and conversations from any device connected to the internet.
9. Automatic updates
Any software loaded on individual devices will need regular maintenance, patches and upgrades. As Microsoft 365 is always evolving remotely, there is no need for your IT team or individual staff members to spend time running upgrades.
10. Improved security
The Microsoft 365 Defender portal provides protection, detection and investigation allowing you to control how your data travels. Layered security is provided by Microsoft 365 with proactive data monitoring and privacy protection. There is also a 99.99% uptime service level agreement. In addition, there are further options available to increase security even more.
What does Microsoft 365 include?
As mentioned, there are a comprehensive range of applications, tools and features within Microsoft 365, which vary by the plan you choose and how you configure that plan. Some of the more widely-used features are:
- Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, Skype for Business, Access)
- Exchange Online (email, calendar, tasks)
- SharePoint Online (web portal for collaboration)
- Yammer (enterprise social networking)
- OneDrive for Business (cloud file storage)
- Planner (project management)
- Power BI (business intelligence)
- Delve (social document discovery)
- Video (a private video library)
- Sway (a tool for creating reports, presentations and newsletters)
In summary, Microsoft 365 offers a complete solution for many core business needs, and does so in a flexible and cost effective manner. It’s why, according to Microsoft “Four out of every five Fortune 500 companies use Microsoft Office 365”. It could be just what your business needs too!
How can Mintivo help?
As an accredited Microsoft partner, Mintivo would love the chance to discuss how Microsoft 365 can benefit your business. Whatever your size, shape and ambitions, Microsoft 365 will undoubtedly improve your business productivity and make life easier for your employees. We can help you choose the right plan and configure it for you. To find out more, please get in touch.
