Steve Thomas - IT Consultant

If you want to use Microsoft Office in your company, you can either purchase Microsoft Office 2019 or sign up for the cloud-based version, Office 365. Both versions contain many of the same standard features, but how are they different from each other and which one is more suitable to your needs?

What is Microsoft Office 2019?

Microsoft Office 2019 is the latest version of Microsoft’s popular Office suite. With apps like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and more, it is mostly similar to all previous versions of Office. Upon purchase, you receive a license that lets you install and use the version on one computer. This license also covers all security updates, although it does not cover the upgrade to follow-up or future versions of Office.

Microsoft Office 2019 is sometimes known as a “perpetual” version. This is because after making a one-time payment, the license to use the program is yours for life. You may even keep using Office well beyond its natural life cycle, although at this point, you will no longer receive any security updates. To regain patches and support, you need to upgrade to a new version or buy a new product.

What is Office 365 for business?

Office 365 gives you the same apps offered by Microsoft Office 2019, but with other tools, features, and benefits mixed in. Unlike the latter, which is available only on the lone computer it’s installed on, Office 365 is cloud-based and can be used by up to six people at any given time.

Additionally, Office 365 is available only via monthly or yearly subscription services. You can also choose from several plans, all of which are optimized for varying user needs. For instance, the “Office 365 Personal” plan, which gives you access to all the apps in the suite, 1 TB of storage space on OneDrive, and Skype minutes, is great for single users.

Office 365 is also available to teachers and students as a free service, as long as you can provide a valid school email address. For your business, you may choose between Office 365 Business and Office 365 Enterprise plans.

Which is better for business?

Most businesses will benefit more from Office 365 because of its extra features and its superior level of security. Furthermore, the monthly per-user cost is usually lower when compared to the cost of licensing the same version of Office 2019 for each individual.

The other benefits Office 365 for Business include:

  • All users are on the same version of Office – Because Office 365 for Business is based in the cloud and is managed via a central admin panel, you can ensure that all users have exactly the same version of Office, which in turn ensures that your files will be compatible with any user.
  • Reduced licensing costs – If you purchase individual versions of Office 2019 for your employees, you could end up paying over USD $440 for the Professional version, which can only be installed on one computer. Compare this with Office 365 Business Premium, which costs USD $12.50 per user, per month, and offers the same version of Office, along with more features.
  • Enhanced security and uptime – Microsoft guarantees that Office 365 software will be up and running 99.9% of the time, which means the programs you rely on will be available when you need them.
  • It’s more mobile – With Office Web Apps and Office 2019 mobile apps you can take your work anywhere. Combine this with solutions like SharePoint that allow you to store documents in a central location, making it easier to access your files while out of the office. Furthermore, if you would like to use the Office mobile apps, you will need an Office 365 subscription.

Understanding your business’s unique needs will help you choose the best Microsoft Office version for your company. In any case, never hesitate to ask for assistance from IT experts in identifying the applications and software plans that will truly empower your company.

Microsoft Office is one of the most installed software suites in the world. If you are looking to integrate it into your company, you can either purchase Microsoft Office 2019 or sign up for cloud-based Office 365. Both promise the same features that the Office suite is known for, but they are different enough to be better suited to some users than others.

What is Microsoft Office 2019?

Microsoft Office 2019 is the latest version of Microsoft’s popular Office suite. With apps like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and more, it is mostly similar to all previous versions of Office. Upon purchase, you receive a license that lets you install and use the version on one computer. This license also covers all security updates, although it does not cover the upgrade to follow-up or future versions of Office.

Microsoft Office 2019 is sometimes known as a “perpetual” version. This is because after making a one-time payment, the license to use the program is yours for life. You may even keep using Office well beyond its natural life cycle, although at this point, you will no longer receive any security updates. To regain patches and support, you need to upgrade to a new version or buy a new product.

What is Office 365 for business?

Office 365 gives you the same apps offered by Microsoft Office 2019, but with other tools, features, and benefits mixed in. Unlike the latter, which is available only on the lone computer it’s installed on, Office 365 is cloud-based and can be used by up to six people at any given time.

Additionally, Office 365 is available only via monthly or yearly subscription services. You can also choose from several plans, all of which are optimized for varying user needs. For instance, the “Office 365 Personal” plan, which gives you access to all the apps in the suite, 1 TB of storage space on OneDrive, and Skype minutes, is great for single users.

Office 365 is also available to teachers and students as a free service, as long as you can provide a valid school email address. For your business, you may choose between Office 365 Business and Office 365 Enterprise plans.

Which is better for business?

Most businesses will benefit more from Office 365 because of its extra features and its superior level of security. Furthermore, the monthly per-user cost is usually lower when compared to the cost of licensing the same version of Office 2019 for each individual.

The other benefits Office 365 for Business include:

  • All users are on the same version of Office – Because Office 365 for Business is based in the cloud and is managed via a central admin panel, you can ensure that all users have exactly the same version of Office, which in turn ensures that your files will be compatible with any user.
  • Reduced licensing costs – If you purchase individual versions of Office 2019 for your employees, you could end up paying over USD $440 for the Professional version, which can only be installed on one computer. Compare this with Office 365 Business Premium, which costs USD $12.50 per user, per month, and offers the same version of Office, along with more features.
  • Enhanced security and uptime – Microsoft guarantees that Office 365 software will be up and running 99.9% of the time, which means the programs you rely on will be available when you need them.
  • It’s more mobile – With Office Web Apps and Office 2019 mobile apps you can take your work anywhere. Combine this with solutions like SharePoint that allow you to store documents in a central location, making it easier to access your files while out of the office. Furthermore, if you would like to use the Office mobile apps, you will need an Office 365 subscription.

Understanding your business’s unique needs will help you choose the best Microsoft Office version for your company. In any case, never hesitate to ask for assistance from IT experts in identifying the applications and software plans that will truly empower your company.

Microsoft Office is one of the most popular productivity suites for businesses. Over the years, Microsoft has released several versions of the product, all of which were designed to target different users or update outdated features. Two of the suite’s latest iterations, Office 365 and Microsoft Office 2019, contain many of the same standard applications, but users should pay close attention to their differences when deciding which one to purchase.

What is Microsoft Office 2019?

Microsoft Office 2019 is the latest version of Microsoft’s popular Office suite. With apps like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and more, it is mostly similar to all previous versions of Office. Upon purchase, you receive a license that lets you install and use the version on one computer. This license also covers all security updates, although it does not cover the upgrade to follow-up or future versions of Office.

Microsoft Office 2019 is sometimes known as a “perpetual” version. This is because after making a one-time payment, the license to use the program is yours for life. You may even keep using Office well beyond its natural life cycle, although at this point, you will no longer receive any security updates. To regain patches and support, you need to upgrade to a new version or buy a new product.

What is Office 365 for business?

Office 365 gives you the same apps offered by Microsoft Office 2019, but with other tools, features, and benefits mixed in. Unlike the latter, which is available only on the lone computer it’s installed on, Office 365 is cloud-based and can be used by up to six people at any given time.

Additionally, Office 365 is available only via monthly or yearly subscription services. You can also choose from several plans, all of which are optimized for varying user needs. For instance, the “Office 365 Personal” plan, which gives you access to all the apps in the suite, 1 TB of storage space on OneDrive, and Skype minutes, is great for single users.

Office 365 is also available to teachers and students as a free service, as long as you can provide a valid school email address. For your business, you may choose between Office 365 Business and Office 365 Enterprise plans.

Which is better for business?

Most businesses will benefit more from Office 365 because of its extra features and its superior level of security. Furthermore, the monthly per-user cost is usually lower when compared to the cost of licensing the same version of Office 2019 for each individual.

The other benefits Office 365 for Business include:

  • All users are on the same version of Office – Because Office 365 for Business is based in the cloud and is managed via a central admin panel, you can ensure that all users have exactly the same version of Office, which in turn ensures that your files will be compatible with any user.
  • Reduced licensing costs – If you purchase individual versions of Office 2019 for your employees, you could end up paying over USD $440 for the Professional version, which can only be installed on one computer. Compare this with Office 365 Business Premium, which costs USD $12.50 per user, per month, and offers the same version of Office, along with more features.
  • Enhanced security and uptime – Microsoft guarantees that Office 365 software will be up and running 99.9% of the time, which means the programs you rely on will be available when you need them.
  • It’s more mobile – With Office Web Apps and Office 2019 mobile apps you can take your work anywhere. Combine this with solutions like SharePoint that allow you to store documents in a central location, making it easier to access your files while out of the office. Furthermore, if you would like to use the Office mobile apps, you will need an Office 365 subscription.

Understanding your business’s unique needs will help you choose the best Microsoft Office version for your company. In any case, never hesitate to ask for assistance from IT experts in identifying the applications and software plans that will truly empower your company.

Microsoft has sold Office 365 and Windows 10 to businesses in various ways. While some business owners don’t mind purchasing the two solutions separately, others prefer one bundle that offers both. That’s possible with Microsoft 365.

Microsoft 365 caters to the workplace by combining Office 365 and Windows 10 into one solution, which is available in two plans: Microsoft 365 Business and Microsoft 365 Enterprise.

Microsoft 365 Business

Designed for small- to medium-sized companies, this bundle includes some of the best productivity tools, security, and device management capabilities that Microsoft has to offer.

Productivity apps:

  • Access, Publisher, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, and Word
  • SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business, OneDrive, and Exchange
  • Business tools from the Office suite (Microsoft Invoicing, MileIQ, Outlook Customer Manager, and Bookings)

Enterprise-grade security and device management capabilities:

  • Intune App Protection for Office and other mobile apps
  • Exchange Online Archiving to back up, preserve, and protect your data
  • Windows Defender Exploit Guard and Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection to keep your system safe from sophisticated malware and external threats like phishing

Additional services:

  • Regular updates for Windows 10 and the Office 365 apps
  • Automatic installation of Office apps on all Windows 10 devices
  • An admin console for managing and setting up devices and users

Microsoft 365 Business is available in three pricing plans: Office 365 Business Essentials, Office 365 Business Premium, and Microsoft 365 Business.

Microsoft 365 Enterprise

Microsoft 365 Enterprise is designed for larger companies.

Productivity cloud-based and local apps:

  • Office 365 ProPlus, including apps like Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, and Word for your Mac or PC
  • Online services for meetings, collaboration, file storage, email, and more
  • Windows 10 Enterprise, which includes app and device management features, providing users with the most secure version of the operating system yet

You can subscribe to Microsoft 365 Enterprise through three plans: E3, E5, and F1.

By choosing the right subscription model, you’ll be able to make the most out of Microsoft’s growing number of service offerings. If you’re looking to upgrade to Windows 10 and have any questions about the operating system, or are wondering which of the two plans to choose, give us a call today.

Microsoft pays more attention to customer feedback than you might think. Many business owners who complained about having to purchase Office 365 and Windows 10 separately have gotten what they wanted: Microsoft 365.

Microsoft 365 caters to the workplace by combining Office 365 and Windows 10 into one solution, which is available in two plans: Microsoft 365 Business and Microsoft 365 Enterprise.

Microsoft 365 Business

Designed for small- to medium-sized companies, this bundle includes some of the best productivity tools, security, and device management capabilities that Microsoft has to offer.

Productivity apps:

  • Access, Publisher, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, and Word
  • SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business, OneDrive, and Exchange
  • Business tools from the Office suite (Microsoft Invoicing, MileIQ, Outlook Customer Manager, and Bookings)

Enterprise-grade security and device management capabilities:

  • Intune App Protection for Office and other mobile apps
  • Exchange Online Archiving to back up, preserve, and protect your data
  • Windows Defender Exploit Guard and Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection to keep your system safe from sophisticated malware and external threats like phishing

Additional services:

  • Regular updates for Windows 10 and the Office 365 apps
  • Automatic installation of Office apps on all Windows 10 devices
  • An admin console for managing and setting up devices and users

Microsoft 365 Business is available in three pricing plans: Office 365 Business Essentials, Office 365 Business Premium, and Microsoft 365 Business.

Microsoft 365 Enterprise

Microsoft 365 Enterprise is designed for larger companies.

Productivity cloud-based and local apps:

  • Office 365 ProPlus, including apps like Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, and Word for your Mac or PC
  • Online services for meetings, collaboration, file storage, email, and more
  • Windows 10 Enterprise, which includes app and device management features, providing users with the most secure version of the operating system yet

You can subscribe to Microsoft 365 Enterprise through three plans: E3, E5, and F1.

By choosing the right subscription model, you’ll be able to make the most out of Microsoft’s growing number of service offerings. If you’re looking to upgrade to Windows 10 and have any questions about the operating system, or are wondering which of the two plans to choose, give us a call today.

Are you bothered that Office 365 and Windows 10 are sold separately? If so, you’re not the only one, and thankfully, Microsoft has devised a solution to streamline your purchases. Here’s everything you need to know about Microsoft 365.

Microsoft 365 caters to the workplace by combining Office 365 and Windows 10 into one solution, which is available in two plans: Microsoft 365 Business and Microsoft 365 Enterprise.

Microsoft 365 Business

Designed for small- to medium-sized companies, this bundle includes some of the best productivity tools, security, and device management capabilities that Microsoft has to offer.

Productivity apps:

  • Access, Publisher, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, and Word
  • SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business, OneDrive, and Exchange
  • Business tools from the Office suite (Microsoft Invoicing, MileIQ, Outlook Customer Manager, and Bookings)

Enterprise-grade security and device management capabilities:

  • Intune App Protection for Office and other mobile apps
  • Exchange Online Archiving to back up, preserve, and protect your data
  • Windows Defender Exploit Guard and Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection to keep your system safe from sophisticated malware and external threats like phishing

Additional services:

  • Regular updates for Windows 10 and the Office 365 apps
  • Automatic installation of Office apps on all Windows 10 devices
  • An admin console for managing and setting up devices and users

Microsoft 365 Business is available in three pricing plans: Office 365 Business Essentials, Office 365 Business Premium, and Microsoft 365 Business.

Microsoft 365 Enterprise

Microsoft 365 Enterprise is designed for larger companies.

Productivity cloud-based and local apps:

  • Office 365 ProPlus, including apps like Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, and Word for your Mac or PC
  • Online services for meetings, collaboration, file storage, email, and more
  • Windows 10 Enterprise, which includes app and device management features, providing users with the most secure version of the operating system yet

You can subscribe to Microsoft 365 Enterprise through three plans: E3, E5, and F1.

By choosing the right subscription model, you’ll be able to make the most out of Microsoft’s growing number of service offerings. If you’re looking to upgrade to Windows 10 and have any questions about the operating system, or are wondering which of the two plans to choose, give us a call today.

Microsoft several years ago acquired the popular iOS app Wunderlist with the intention of building out its own list-making productivity app that brings the best of Wunderlist’s feature set to a larger group of mobile consumers. This is a similar path as Microsoft took with email app Accompli, which later became Microsft Outlook for mobile devices. In the case of Wunderlist, Microsoft didn’t just rebrand the app — it built a new one called Microsoft To Do. With Wunderlist up and running for years alongside To Do, its founder wants to know if he can just have it back.

The founder of Wunderlist maker 6 Wunderkinder, Christian Reber, recently tweeted a desire to buy his app back from Microsoft just as the company is launching a new version of To Do. 

According to the tweets, Reber says he’s serious about reacquiring Wunderlist and wants to make it open-source and free. He even tweeted a list of upgrades he’d like to build, including features like shared folders and cross-team collaboration, among other things.

The founder doesn’t come across as having sour grapes exactly. He just says he’s sad that his plans for Wunderlist didn’t work out, but he’s grateful for the Microsoft exit.

If anything, it seems to be just remorse over the fact that Wunderlist itself will be shut down.

Microsoft had said years ago this was its intention, but also that it would hold off until it felt it has a competitive product that Wunderlist’s users would love.

On Monday, Microsoft unveiled another upgrade for Microsoft To Do, which hints that the Wunderlist shut down could be nearing.

The upgrade delivers a more polished look-and-feel with a wider range of backgrounds, including the Berlin TV tower theme that was popular in Wunderlist.

To Do 2b

The app also includes smart lists and a personalized daily planner that offers smart suggestions of tasks that need to be accomplished, Microsoft reminded its users, and it’s supported across a variety of platforms including iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac.

The app is now also integrated with other Microsoft apps like Outlook, Microsoft Planner, Cortana, and Microsoft Launcher on Android, among others. And it works with Alexa, if you prefer.

With the release, Microsoft is again pushing users to migrate from Wunderlist to To Do to gain access to these features.

It did not, however, give an end-of-life date for Wunderlist, which is remarkably still a top 100 Productivity app in the U.S. App Store, according to data from App Annie, over four years after its acquisition.

We’ve asked Microsoft if it will share more details around its plans for Wunderlist and if it has any response to Reber’s request. We’ll update if the company comments.

No matter what version of Windows you’ve got—the free upgrade, the licensed OS, or the Professional version—you will see ads and notifications. Though at times helpful, they can get tiresome. You can’t even manage your own files in File Explorer without seeing one. If you’re looking for a solution, follow this step-by-step guide to make the ubiquitous file manager ad-free.

Who are getting these ads?

With ads being displayed in different parts of Windows 10 — the start menu, on the lock screen, from the taskbar, and in other Microsoft apps — overwhelming negative reactions to this Microsoft practice have been popping up online.

However, the company doesn’t consider them ads. They call it “suggestions.” These suggestions promote Microsoft products and services and third-party apps in the Windows Store. The tech giant may be doing users a favor by reminding them they can easily grab apps in the store that can benefit them. But to many, the presence of ads is less a favor and more a nuisance.

How do I turn them off?

Fortunately, there’s a simple way to turn them off. In fact, you could disable these ads right now by doing the following:

  1. Open your File Explorer.
  2. Select View from the ribbon along the top of any File Explorer window.
  3. Click Options on the far right hand side.
  4. From the drop down arrow below Options, select Change folder and search options.
  5. Once in the Folder options window, go to the View tab.
  6. In the Advanced Settings window pane, scroll down and deselect ‘Show sync provider notifications’.
  7. Click Apply and close the Folder Options window.

That’s all it takes! Keep in mind that we highly recommend the services Microsoft suggests. Office 365, OneDrive, and others are all great cloud platforms for safely working and collaborating from any device in any location — we just don’t want to see advertisements for them when we’re hunting down sales records.

If you’re looking for Windows tips and tricks, this is the best blog on the web. If you’re looking for something a little more robust however, our managed services are second to none. Get in touch with us today to learn more!

Most of us hate distractions; so it is only natural to remove disruptive ads from your life as much as possible. File Explorer features such ads, but don’t fret. Here’s an easy solution to clean your File Explorer of ads.

Who are getting these ads?

With ads being displayed in different parts of Windows 10 — the start menu, on the lock screen, from the taskbar, and in other Microsoft apps — overwhelming negative reactions to this Microsoft practice have been popping up online.

However, the company doesn’t consider them ads. They call it “suggestions.” These suggestions promote Microsoft products and services and third-party apps in the Windows Store. The tech giant may be doing users a favor by reminding them they can easily grab apps in the store that can benefit them. But to many, the presence of ads is less a favor and more a nuisance.

How do I turn them off?

Fortunately, there’s a simple way to turn them off. In fact, you could disable these ads right now by doing the following:

  1. Open your File Explorer.
  2. Select View from the ribbon along the top of any File Explorer window.
  3. Click Options on the far right hand side.
  4. From the drop down arrow below Options, select Change folder and search options.
  5. Once in the Folder options window, go to the View tab.
  6. In the Advanced Settings window pane, scroll down and deselect ‘Show sync provider notifications’.
  7. Click Apply and close the Folder Options window.

That’s all it takes! Keep in mind that we highly recommend the services Microsoft suggests. Office 365, OneDrive, and others are all great cloud platforms for safely working and collaborating from any device in any location — we just don’t want to see advertisements for them when we’re hunting down sales records.

If you’re looking for Windows tips and tricks, this is the best blog on the web. If you’re looking for something a little more robust however, our managed services are second to none. Get in touch with us today to learn more!

Surprised that ads have taken over your Windows 10 PC, laptop, or Surface Pro? You can still have an ad-free experience with Windows 10 In this tutorial, we will show you how to turn off ads that Microsoft sends in File Explorer.

Who are getting these ads?

With ads being displayed in different parts of Windows 10 — the start menu, on the lock screen, from the taskbar, and in other Microsoft apps — overwhelming negative reactions to this Microsoft practice have been popping up online.

However, the company doesn’t consider them ads. They call it “suggestions.” These suggestions promote Microsoft products and services and third-party apps in the Windows Store. The tech giant may be doing users a favor by reminding them they can easily grab apps in the store that can benefit them. But to many, the presence of ads is less a favor and more a nuisance.

How do I turn them off?

Fortunately, there’s a simple way to turn them off. In fact, you could disable these ads right now by doing the following:

  1. Open your File Explorer.
  2. Select View from the ribbon along the top of any File Explorer window.
  3. Click Options on the far right hand side.
  4. From the drop down arrow below Options, select Change folder and search options.
  5. Once in the Folder options window, go to the View tab.
  6. In the Advanced Settings window pane, scroll down and deselect ‘Show sync provider notifications’.
  7. Click Apply and close the Folder Options window.

That’s all it takes! Keep in mind that we highly recommend the services Microsoft suggests. Office 365, OneDrive, and others are all great cloud platforms for safely working and collaborating from any device in any location — we just don’t want to see advertisements for them when we’re hunting down sales records.

If you’re looking for Windows tips and tricks, this is the best blog on the web. If you’re looking for something a little more robust however, our managed services are second to none. Get in touch with us today to learn more!

Microsoft today announced the availability of its cloud regions in Switzerland. The company first announced its plans for two Swiss regions near Zurich and Geneva, called Switzerland North and West, in 2018. Earlier this year, Microsoft noted that it was seeing quite a bit of interest in these regions, especially from companies in highly regulated industries that need to address data residency regulations.

The new regions will feature support for the core Azure cloud computing services, as well as Office 365, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform. With this launch, Microsoft now offers its cloud services in 56 regions worldwide, which is very much part of the company’s overall strategy for Azure.

“Microsoft cloud services delivered from a given geography, such as our new regions in Switzerland, offer scalable, highly available, and resilient cloud services while helping enterprises and organizations meet their data residency, security and compliance needs,” Tom Keane, Microsoft’s corporate VP for Azure Global, writes in today’s announcement. “We have deep expertise protecting data and empowering customers around the globe to meet extensive security and privacy requirements by offering the broadest set of compliance certifications and attestations in the industry.”

Current customers include enterprises like UBS Group, Swiss Re Group, and Swisscom, as well as BKW, the City of Zug, die Mobiliar, Exploris Health and Skyguide.

While AWS does not currently operate a region in Switzerland, Google Cloud runs a region with three availability zones near Zurich.

 

Not every business owner who migrates to the cloud achieves great results. As much as the service is touted with words like “freedom,” “productivity,” and “collaboration,” realizing the full benefits of the cloud is not a given. So if you’re thinking about transitioning to the cloud, how can you ensure you optimize the technology for your business? Well, it all starts with your attitude before migration. Here are some mental shifts you should make before getting started.

Consider cloud value over costs
When considering the cloud, too many entrepreneurs get hung up on costs. Instead, as a business owner, think about how the cloud impacts your business and saves you money. You must look at the cloud as no different than any other investment you made to grow your organization.

To help you make the proper shift in thinking, ask your IT leaders just how the cloud will benefit your business. They’ll mention how the cloud will provide you value, such as easier team collaboration and the ability for anyone in your organization to work anytime, anywhere.

Think “strategy” before migration
Once you’ve considered the value the cloud provides, you’ll likely come up with goals you’ll want it to accomplish for your business. If you haven’t, do it now, before signing up for the service.

Let’s say you want to gain the productivity benefits of letting your staff work remotely without sacrificing cybersecurity. Therefore, prior to rolling out the cloud in your company, have the specific goal of increasing the use of vetted mobile devices among employees.
Clearly define your cloud goals beforehand, then work with your IT staff to come up with the nuts and bolts of the plan for accomplishing that goal. By having a plan instead of just winging it, you’ll have a better idea of what you want to achieve, have the ability to recognize when you’re getting off-track, and be more prepared to make adjustments in case things don’t go as expected.

Learn to love the quickly evolving nature of the cloud
Compared to other IT tech, the cloud is still relatively new and subject to rapid change. New updates, features, and enhancements are rolled out regularly, so if you want to get the most out of your cloud, it’s best to keep up. Of course, this is a scary idea for many business owners and IT managers alike as fast-paced flux can feel like instability and chaos.

Some cloud services make it easier than ever to keep up with changes. Let’s take Office 365, for example. Adding users and implementing new changes can take mere minutes. Yes, adapting can be frightening, but just remember that Microsoft and your IT managers are in your corner. If you still have some bad memories of long and frustration-filled transition periods after updating your legacy technology, rest assured that updates to cloud-based services nowadays often only require a small learning curve. Most new features are intuitive by nature, making adjustment to these changes painless and problem-free.

One of the best ways to assure your cloud updates go as smoothly as possible is to have a cloud enthusiast who’ll be up to date on the newest features and enhancements and can quickly tell you whether or not an update will benefit your business.

Moving to the cloud is pretty much an all-or-nothing business decision. If you adopt it, the cloud will become an integral part of your business, and you and all of your staff will interact with it on a daily basis. So be prepared for a big transition and a big payoff of higher productivity and connectivity for your entire company.

Are you ready to embrace cloud solutions? Give us a call to learn more about how we can help you migrate to the cloud and realize its full potential for your business.