Microsoft 365 Migration, Installation and Support in Bristol

The latest applications for optimised productivity, seamless collaboration through a range of exciting features, and faultless connectivity anywhere, anytime – sounds good, doesn’t it? Microsoft 365, formerly known as Office 365, is an all-inclusive, cloud based subscription service that offers businesses of all sizes a single, simplified solution to all their IT needs. But what are the benefits of Microsoft 365, and what does the migration to this involve?

Three Cherries delivers SME IT & Telephony support to organisations in a range of industries across the South West. We’re dedicated to helping businesses and the education sector leverage the benefits of better business technology.

In this blog, we outline everything you need to know about Office/Microsoft 365 including the benefits, how to move across, and where to go for support.

What is Microsoft 365?

Microsoft 365 is a cloud based software subscription package designed to offer a range of intelligent cloud services, organisational tools, productivity apps and advanced cyber and data security. It incorporates the familiar Office desktop package with online OneDrive storage, providing a total, integrated IT solution for businesses that combines advanced functionality with high connectivity.

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Benefits of Microsoft 365 for Business

Advanced Data & Cyber Security

Microsoft 365 comes with a range of cutting-edge security features, giving you peace of mind that all your information, devices, apps, and data are fully protected. It also allows you to manage permissions across your organisation by person or role, enabling you to have complete control over access to certain files.

A Beginner’s Guide to Cyber Security for Small Business >

Centralised Solution

With the service allowing you to access documents, emails, contacts, and calendars from anywhere, it offers a single, centralised IT solution. Microsoft 365 simplifies administration and makes it easy to organise your team, leading to boosted productivity across the board.

Facilitates Remote Working

For businesses with remote or hybrid work arrangements, Microsoft 365 is essential. It allows you to track work across the organisation, connect with team members from any location, and access documents quickly and easily from SharePoint. Remote working doesn’t have to hinder your business’ productivity.

Related: Cyber Security Advice for Remote Working

Enhanced Collaboration

The ability to access, edit, and track documents saved in the cloud across a range of devices means you can easily collaborate and co-author documents. This makes working on projects together much simpler, and facilitates teamwork even if employees are based remotely.

Highly Scalable with Business

Microsoft 365 is a flexible subscription service where you only pay for what you use. That means you won’t be wasting money on unnecessary resources. Equally, as your business grows and you find you need access to more storage or additional applications and features, you can quickly and easily add these on.

Familiar Applications

It’s easy to get up and running with Microsoft 365, because the subscription plans include access to all of the familiar Microsoft Office applications. You probably already use Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Migrating to Microsoft 365 means you won’t have to retrain employees in a range of new programmes. Instead, they can hit the ground running from day one.

Types of Microsoft 365 Migration

There are 4 ways to go about migrating your business’ IT to Microsoft 365. The one that’s right for you will depend upon various factors including your current system and the size of the company. For advice to your business, get in touch with our experienced team.

Staged Migration

This type of migration involves moving data over to Microsoft 365 in several stages over a period of time, minimising disruption. It works well for medium sized companies and allows non-migrated users to continue to send and receive emails for the duration.

Cutover Migration

By contrast, a cutover migration involves transitioning to Microsoft 365 all in one go. All data and resources will be moved over with immediate effect. It works best for companies with less than 150 employees.

Hybrid Migration

A hybrid migration is exactly what it sounds like; it allows you to manage accounts for both the existing system and Microsoft 365. This method is generally used for businesses with more than 2,000 mailboxes.

IMAP Migration

Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) migration is a method that facilitates migration from Gmail or other non-Microsoft email systems, up to a maximum business size of 50,000 users. It works by gathering data from mailboxes and supplying that to Microsoft 365. Crucially, it doesn’t transition anything other than email – the rest must be done manually.

Read next: Why IT Infrastructure is Key to Your Company’s Data Protection

5 Tips for Making the Most of Microsoft 365 for Business

Use Collaborative Features

Microsoft 365 is all about collaboration, so take advantage of the features on offer. Co-author, track changes, and share documents with team members via the cloud, and work together seamlessly on a single project. Also make use of the range of additional features such as DocuSign, which allows you to share and digitally sign any document without having to print and scan.

Clean Up Inbox

Use the Clutter feature to rationalise your inbox. It works by learning what sort of email you regularly ignore, and what sort you pay attention to. That allows the feature to funnel these low priority emails into a clutter folder, minimising the amount of distracting emails in your main inbox.

Why Should I Move my Email to Office 365?

Organise Teams

Microsoft 365 makes it easy for you to manage your team and workload. Use it to assign employees specific tasks and deadlines, and organise your team into groups. These groups can include those inside and outside your organisation, making it easy for people to share calendars, exchange documents, and communicate effectively.

Take Better Notes

There are a range of features on offer to help facilitate better note taking. For example, Office Lens extracts digital notes from pictures of things like whiteboards or sheets of paper taken with your smartphone. There’s also the familiar OneNote, an application that consolidates note taking and to do lists, and allows you to access them from anywhere.

Ask for Advice

Consulting a Microsoft 365 expert is a sure-fire way of making sure you’re getting the most from your subscription. Three Cherries are here to help you learn about the different features on offer, and how they can help boost your business’ productivity and growth.

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Microsoft 365 Migration, Installation & Support in Bristol

With our team of experienced IT specialists, your business technology doesn’t have to be a guessing game. At Three Cherries, we keep things simple, deliver impartial, transparent advice bespoke to you, and provide faultless support whenever you need it. Our aim? To make sure your organisation’s IT infrastructure is highly functional, secure, and built to last.

Talk to us about your IT & Telephony requirements today!

See more: How Should I Backup My Company’s Data?

See more: The Benefits of Cyber Security Essentials for Small Businesses

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