Office 365 from Microsoft

Office 365 refers to Microsoft’s subscription-based cloud services.  Microsoft wants to compete with Google apps, software applications that are accessed online and store information to the cloud.  The idea is that with data in the cloud there will be fewer servers, less equipment, and, theoretically, fewer IT personnel needed in a company.

A small business can buy Office Home and Business 2013 for $219 with the license to install it on one computer.  Or, for those ready to move to the cloud, for $12.50 per month, or $150 per user, per year, a business can get Office 365 Small Business Premium.  The Office 365 Small Business Premium subscription enables each user to take advantage of Office on up to five different devices simultaneously.

There are several different levels of services Microsoft is offering:   Office 365 Home Premium (for students and consumers), Office 365 Small Business (businesses with 1-10 employees), Office 365 Small Business Premium (includes ProPlus), Office 365 ProPlus (locally installable versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, Access, Lync and InfoPath that are usable across up to five Windows devices per user), Office 365 Midsize Business (businesses with 11-250 users), Office 365 Enterprise (250+ users).

It’s important to look at all the options and make sure you are getting the right service for your business.  ZDNet reported in October 2011, that the CEO of a business exceeded her e-mail limit for the day (500 e-mails sent per day, per mailbox for the Small Business plan) and was locked out of e-mail for the rest of the day.  Changing plans may not be all that easy.  It will save headaches and downtime, if you make sure in the beginning that you are getting the services that are right for the size business that you have.

Microsoft officials still have not revealed when Microsoft plans to launch the Office 2013, but it’s expected sometime in the next few weeks, and possibly by the end of this month. The IT technicians at Landon Technologies, Inc. are Office 365 experts. Contact Us with inquiries.