IntroductionMicrosoft Office has been a part of almost everyone’s life for decades now. Whether it’s using Word to draft an article, PowerPoint to create your corporate slide deck, or Outlook to manage the never-ending flow of emails, most people have used and still use Microsoft office in the workplace.

In the CloudNowadays, the Cloud is a common part of everyone’s day-to-day life as well. With Microsoft Office being so ingrained in workplace life already, and with the Cloud well and truly on the rise, it’s no surprise that the two have joined forces to create Office 365.

UK organisations use atleast one Cloud service

Of course, Office 365 is more than just Word or PowerPoint in the Cloud. It is an application with benefits that stretch far beyond familiarity:

Understanding the benefits of Office 365

ProductivitySince Office 365 is run in the Cloud, organisations that adopt it can access all their important business documents at any time, in any place, and on any device – allowing productivity at all times.

CollaborationWith Office 365 collaboration is easier than ever. Skype for Business and Yammer, for instance, allow colleagues to communicate seamlessly with one another, share ideas, and solve problems together – even if they are working from different locations.

Cost SavingsOne of the major benefits of any cloud application is the cost-savings they can bring. Moving to the cloud removes the need for costly infrastructure, and pay-as-you-go pricing allows users to pay for what they use, in a flexible way that suits them. Office 365 isn’t just a productivity tool therefore, it’s also a way for organisations to make efficiencies whilst increasing their standards.

Despite the clear benefits and popularity of Office 365, many organisations are purchasing Office 365 and either not deploying it at all, or not maximising its full potential.

But why exactly are organisations choosing not to deploy Office 365?

To deploy or not to deploy

SimplicitySome organisations are only purchasing Office 365 to take advantage of its simplified licensing solution.

ComplianceOrganisations that use a hybrid cloud solution often purchase Office 365 licenses to ensure they are compliant, rather than to actually reap the benefits of Office 365.

SecurityMany organisations still believe that physically storing your data on-site is the safest way to go, and as such are wary about using any cloud application at all. Organisations who believe the myths about cloud security are less likely to fully deploy Office 365, since they are wary about putting any sensitive information in the Cloud.

Reaching your full Office 365 potentialEven organisations that manage to overcome their reservations about fully deploying and adopting Office 365 struggle to make the transition successful.

So how can you successfully roll out Office 365 and makethe most of what it has to offer?

Knowing what’son offerIt’s difficult to love what you don’t know, so the first step to fully adopting Office 365 should be understanding exactly what it can offer you, aside from a simplified licensing solution and some cost-savings.

Whether it’s by modernising communication with Skype for Business, or gaining deeper insights into your workplace with Delve Analytics, Office 365 can completely transform the way you work for the better.

Communicateand educateOne of the most important elements of any successful deployment is communication. If end-users are confused about how, when, and why the deployment is happening they’ll be reluctant or unable to adopt the new technology successfully.

In line with this, organisations must remember that people absorb communications in different ways, so just sending emails to people isn’t always 100% effective when it comes to notifying them of change. Instead, organisations should consider the use of intranets, workshops, product flyers, and on-the-job training.

Slow and steadywins the raceJust because you can do a lot withOffice 365 doesn’t mean you should do it all at once. Sometimes, a slow approach can be the way to achieve a successful deployment. Instead of bombarding employees with 20 new systems and applications, organisations who prefer a slower approach should opt for a few key features of Office 365, and dedicate timeto perfectly the deployment and adoption of those aspects, before pressing ahead with any others.

The move to the Cloud and Office 365 is dramatically changing how IT departments deploy and manage collaboration solutions.

Here are three final things to remember before deploying Office 365:

Final thoughts on moving to the Cloud

Don’t forget that moving to the Cloud doesn’t mean

giving up traditional responsibilities that

administrators had with on-premise technologies.

Necessary planning – especially for security,

archiving, and continuity – should be part of any

planned Office 365 migration.

A successful deployment doesn’t necessarily make for

a successful end-user adoption. Be prepared to

work with your employees to help them get to grips with

office 365.

1 2 3

Contact us to learn more about gettingthe most out of Office 365:

www.trustmarque.com

info@trustmarque.com

0845 2101 500