Ordering Microsoft Office 365? a couple of things to keep in mind.

First of all..... you may not know what Microsoft Office 365 is.  This is the new office and email platform from Microsoft.  The reason my customers are moving to it is because it allows them to outsource their email to the cloud while still receiving the high level of functionality they have come to know and love from their on premise exchange environment (Microsoft mail server).  The next big reason why they are moving is that they each user gets licensed for up to 5 devices for the latest version of MS office (the current version is office 2013).  Finally they get Microsoft Lync and Sharepoint which are 2 very powerful tools from Microsoft.

So what should someone keep in mind when ordering Office 365? First of all I highly recommend working with a firm like mine (Shameless plug www.veracitytech.com) that are certified subject matter experts in Microsoft.  You don't pay any more for the product and have local experts to help you out.   I'm working with several customers now who are transitioning their environments to Office 365.  I'm hoping you can learn from my challenges and avoid some frustration.  The amount of care you will need to put into the ordering process is really related to the size and complexity of the organization you work for.  If you are a home user no worries.  If you have a small business with simple technology requirements you are pretty safe as well.  The customers of mine that have had challenge have been technology dependent customers with multiple systems and processes in place to run their business. The smallest of these customers having only 5 employees the largest having over 100 employees.

Considerations:

• Does your company have applications that currently use your email server to communicate or output transactions?

• If so, what level of integration is required?

• How many MS Office users do you have VS email only?
• How many employees do you plan on having within the next 3-5 years?
• What type of email compliance (SEC or otherwise)  is required by your industry?
• What requirements do you have for an email disclaimer? (that legal stuff on the bottom of some peoples emails)

There are many different versions of MS365 that you can order.  Some versions, once ordered, are difficult to upgrade once you have moved your mail to the Microsoft cloud.  It comes down to taking the time up front to understand your requirements and picking the right product.  All of the above mentioned considerations have solutions but need to be reviewed before you pick a product.  The functionality may be available in O365 but may look different or require a third party provider (like a journal solution in the financial industry).  Some versions have a limit to the maximum number of users and then require an upgrade. This can cause your company to invest in consulting time to rebuild your environment.  Please feel free to email me with your questions Pzubert@veracitytech.com.

Thanks