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microsoft office 365Are you ready to make the switch?
Why Microsoft Office 365?These days, everyone is talking about the Cloud. Just as we have all
become comfortable with the internet and its incredible capabilities
for both personal and business computing, the Cloud comes along to
claim a stake as the next big thing.
Microsoft has led the way designing software that has powered
business computing from the start of the modern technology
revolution. Its record is there for all to see as one of the world’s most
successful companies.
With the advent of the Cloud, Microsoft is again at the forefront,
providing compelling tools that couple with the incredible potential of
the Cloud to power business growth and efficiency.
Microsoft’s Office 365 is the benchmark in enterprise grade
productivity suites without compromise.
Here’s Why…
For starters, given the widespread use of Microsoft products in offices
and homes already, it makes sense that as you move from in-house
computing to the Cloud you retain software that staff are familiar
with, and any new employees are likely to be familiar with. This
eliminates the need for extensive retraining and ensures that your
files are always compatible with what you have.
But loyalty based on ease of transition should only be a factor if
Office 365 is a good fit for your business. Office 365 offers reliability,
security, and productivity – at less cost than on-premise set-ups.
It provides anywhere access to your familiar Office applications –
plus email, calendar, video-conferencing, and your most current
documents – on almost any device, from PCs and laptops to smart
phones to tablets.
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Office 365 falls into the category of “software as a service” or SaaS,
providing portals and applications for administrators and end-users on a
subscription basis.
It combines the traditional Office desktop suite with cloud-based
versions of next-generation communications and collaboration services:
Microsoft Exchange Online (business-class e-mail, shared calendars and
scheduling); Microsoft SharePoint Online (advanced document storage
and application integration); Microsoft Lync Online (providing presence
availability, instant messaging, and desktop sharing) and OneDrive
(offering up to 1TB of secure cloud storage per user licensed).
What about security?It’s probably the most common question about Cloud computing. Is my
data safe?
You can bank on it. Just as a business has no qualms about its money
being kept in a virtual environment provided by a financial institution,
you can count on your data being safe.
Microsoft recently invested $2 billion in state-of-the-art data centres,
which is tangible evidence of its security efforts. But it doesn’t stop
with the physical barricades. The company employs security-aware
engineering practices for its services and software.
Data is encrypted as it flies back and forth, and stronger levels of
encryption can be added if necessary.
Office 365 provides secure access across platforms and devices, as well
as premium anti-spam and antivirus technologies that are automatically
updated to protect against the latest threats.
The security features and services associated with Office 365 are built-in,
reducing the time and cost associated with securing your IT systems.
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At the same time, Office 365 enables you to easily control permissions,
policies and features through online administration and management
consoles so you can configure Office 365 to meet your specific business
and security needs.
There is no doubt there’s been some scaremongering about security in
the Cloud, but a lot of this is generated by people with a vested interest
in maintaining the status quo — IT departments, hardware suppliers and
any of the army of 3rd party IT professionals who are needed to keep an
in-house server solutions running smoothly.
Traditional IT technicians and departments fear loss of power, control
and jobs if the servers are taken away, and can be highly resistant to
change. But more often than not what happens is that they are released
from a lot of mundane tasks and can concentrate on adding value to
the business.
Compelling reasons to switchWe are seeing a step change with technology infrastructure starting to
be seen as a utility service that is no longer cost-effective to maintain
on-premise. Just like electricity and water, the trend is to pay monthly for
these services at much less cost than continually purchasing, maintaining
and upgrading hardware and software.
The server hardware you buy today could well be out of warranty and
not supported with no availability of replacement parts within 3–4
years. Then you face the waterfall effect of new operating systems
and application software, not to mention any hardware failures and
software updates and back-up along the way and there is the rising cost
of electricity….
Meanwhile, there are more workers on the go, accessing business
information by more platforms than ever before.
And finally, have you budgeted and implemented the right technology
infrastructure for a business realistic continuity plan in case of a natural
or man-made disaster?
Office 365 eliminates all that stress. Your apps, files and data is available
around the clock if you need it, wherever you need it — to close a deal,
organise a meeting, place an order or do some troubleshooting.
In most enterprises, having integrated, on-demand communication and
collaboration solutions streamlines the way people work and can be the
pathway to improved productivity and savings.
And in the event of a disaster, in which your employees are prevented
from getting into your building, they can communicate and access vital
information anywhere there is an Internet connection.
An industry exampleIt’s all very well saying Office 365 offers enterprises a leg-up to the
future. But does it live up to the hype?
Caltex Australia is a leading fuel supplier and convenience retailer in the
Australian market. The company buys crude oil and refined products on
the international market and operates petroleum refineries in Sydney
and Brisbane.
The company employs about 3,500 people, working in every state and
territory in the country. A large, dispersed workforce requires robust,
feature-rich communication and collaboration technologies. However,
until recently, Caltex employees had few tools to connect with their
colleagues and to access the information they need to work efficiently.
While most employees used mobile phones, approximately 10 per cent
of the workforce also had BlackBerry devices. There were no instant
messaging or web conferencing tools. Consequently, employees flew
around the country for monthly team meetings, increasing travel costs
and reducing productivity for staff in transit.
“We were reaching the end of life for our existing solution,” says Steve
Fox, Chief Information Officer at Caltex Australia. “To access email, you
had to be connected to the corporate network, and even though we had
a VPN (virtual private network), it was not very reliable.
“Many employees experienced connectivity issues when out of the
office. And when mail stopped working, it could slow down PCs and
laptops. These issues generated many calls to the help desk.”
Caltex also wanted accommodate employees’ desire to work more from
home and to improve their work/life balance. When Mr Fox tried to help
a colleague who was going on maternity leave to stay in touch with the
business, it was a frustrating experience.
Who is Vita Enterprise Solutions?As part of Vita Group, Australia’s most exciting technology,
communications and electronics provider, Vita Enterprise Solutions
draws on the insight, expertise and know-how generated from 20 years
of servicing the Australian market.
Over this time we’ve built an enviable record of technology and service
delivery. Our strong reputation comes from developing in-house
expertise and aligning with key technology and telecommunications
partners including Telstra and Apple.
We’ll match agile technology outcomes to your business requirements,
simplifying the process for you. From providing the right mobility
solution, increasing collaboration, transitioning to the Cloud or NBN, to
providing hardware and accessory solutions, Vita Enterprise Solutions
will partner with your business to deliver a personalised and fully
integrated end to end solution.
“I realised we had to change how we do things here to achieve our
goals for an agile, productive, and connected workforce,” he says. “We
needed to move away from this whole idea of a workplace being a
‘place’. Our company is too large and Australia is too vast for people to
be tied to a physical location to get their work done.”
In 2010 Caltex set about finding a solution. “We chose Microsoft cloud
services because we wanted a vendor with a proven delivery in the
enterprise space and a very strong product roadmap,” says Mr Fox.
“We also looked at functionality and financials, and Microsoft won
on both accounts.”
“The transition to Office 365 was excellent; it literally happened over
one weekend in August 2012. For the end user, it was a seamless
experience.”
Caltex employees are now using Office 365 to become more
productive in remote locations and urban centres across Australia. The
company can offer employees more flexibility in juggling home and
work commitments. Parents on maternity leave are staying in touch
with the office and can more easily transition back to fulltime work.
“We wanted to give employees mobility and with Office 365 we have
the technology to do it,” says Mr Fox.
An increasing number of employees are using web and video
conferencing and sharing presentation slides and documents in real
time, instead of flying to head office and other regional offices for
meetings.
“Instead of monthly meetings, some people are only flying in every
three month, reducing travel costs by one-third for those who have
cut their traveling,” says Mr Fox.
The move has also empowered Caltex’s IT department. “With our drive
for improving employee productivity and agility, we hoped to raise the
profile of the IT department as more of a business enabler. With Office
365, we have achieved that goal.”