With opinions towards remote working becoming increasingly favourable, the demand for solutions that support it is growing. IT support providers around the world are citing an increased interest in these types of solutions. We discussed this with a provider based in London, TechQuarters, who have been providing business IT support London businesses used extensively during the Covid-19 pandemic in efforts to make sure remote working was successfully achieved.
When we asked them what they felt the best remote working solutions were, they cited Microsoft 365 is being one of the most comprehensive solutions out there.
What is Included in Microsoft 365?
Most people in business know of Microsoft 365 (although some may know it as Office 365). It is Microsoft’s most popular service, and offers a wide range of functionality. TechQuarters told us that they like to describe it as a ‘business-in-a-box solution’, because the range of apps and services included in it give businesses all of the functionality and capabilities they need to do business on a daily basis – e.g. communications, collaboration, file management, content creation, and more. Microsoft 365 includes the following products & services:
- Microsoft Office apps: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Microsoft OneDrive
- Microsoft Teams
- Microsoft Outlook
Depending on the licenses that you buy, you may get one or two different products but everything listed above is included in all of the different plans.
Best Remote Work Features in Microsoft 365
All of the different products in Microsoft 365 have their own unique advantages; but as a suite of products, M365 has many additional strengths. As most Microsoft and Office 365 consultancy professionals can attest to, M365 makes the management of an organisation’s tech very straightforward. Below is a list of some of the individual strengths of the stack.
1.Always Up-to-Date – One of the downsides of businesses relying on software to such a degree these days is the potential IT headache of making sure that every user’s software is updated in a timely manner (outdated software is generally considered to be a security risk). Luckily, Microsoft 365 includes auto-update features that make it easy for IT admins to remotely schedule updates for all accounts and devices.
2.Multi-Device Accessibility – As all products and services included in Microsoft 365 are entirely cloud-based, it means that there will never be a time where a user is unable to access their apps or data. All the apps in M365 are available on desktop (Windows and macOS), Android, iOS, and all popular web browsers. These means that users can access work on all of their devices, at any time, no matter where they are.
3.Device Security Management – One of the risks with remote working is that users may try and access company resources on unsecured devices. The good news is that with Microsoft 365, it is very easy to control company apps on any device, even a personal one. This means that Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies can be safely implemented when using M365.
4.Enables Remote Communication – With Microsoft 365, remote communications are as easy and efficient as it is possible for it to get. All M365 plans include Outlook and Exchange, which bring enterprise-grade email services even for small businesses. But, Microsoft Teams is what really makes remote communication in M365 shine. Teams not only integrates with Outlook very well, but it combines instant messaging, internet telephony, and videoconferencing into a single platform. That, paired with the fact that it is available across most devices and platforms, means that remote communication is made seamless.
5.Scalable Licensing – One of the biggest advantages of a business operating remotely is the doors it opens in terms of hiring and workforce management. Microsoft 365 licensing is highly scalable, meaning it is easy to purchase and configure additional licenses to meet the demand. Equally, it is easy for an organisation to quickly de-activate licenses that are not needed in order to save money. This is useful for companies with seasonal variations in service demand.
