The Best New Years Resolutions for IT Departments in 2024
As we bid farewell to another year, it's the perfect time to reflect on the past and set our sights on the future. For IT departments, embracing the new year often involves reevaluating strategies, streamlining processes, and leveraging innovative solutions.
As a passionate team of IT experts that champion all the ways in which bolstering IT can benefit businesses everywhere, we're so excited to guide you through some New Year resolutions that can revitalize your IT approach and bring success in 2024.
AI Integration for IT Advancement
Resolution: Embrace the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in our IT operations to enhance efficiency and decision-making processes.
Why: AI technologies, such as machine learning and predictive analytics, can revolutionize how we manage and optimize IT resources. By leveraging AI, we can automate routine tasks, gain insights from data, and make proactive decisions that contribute to the overall success of our IT initiatives.
Automation for Streamlined Operations
Resolution: Embrace automation to streamline repetitive tasks and enhance operational efficiency.
Why: Automation can significantly reduce manual efforts, minimize errors, and accelerate processes. By identifying opportunities for automation in routine tasks, we can free up valuable time for our IT teams to focus on more strategic initiatives, leading to a more agile and responsive IT environment.
Embrace Cloud Optimization
Resolution: In 2024, commit to optimizing our cloud infrastructure for efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Why: Cloud technology is dynamic and ever evolving. Ensuring that our cloud services are optimized will enhance performance, reduce costs, and allow us to take full advantage of the latest features.
Enhance Cybersecurity Measures
Resolution: Strengthen our cybersecurity posture to safeguard against evolving threats.
Why: As cyber threats become more sophisticated, prioritizing cybersecurity is crucial. Implementing robust measures, such as regular security audits and employee training, will fortify our defenses.
Implement Proactive Monitoring
Resolution: Transition to proactive monitoring for early issue detection and swift resolution.
Why: Reactive approaches can lead to downtime and disruptions. Proactive monitoring ensures that potential issues are identified and addressed before they impact operations.
Upgrade Legacy Systems
Resolution: Develop a plan to systematically upgrade legacy systems to modern, efficient solutions.
Why: Outdated systems pose security risks and hinder performance. Upgrading to the latest technologies ensures we stay competitive, secure, and aligned with industry standards.
Optimize IT Budgets
Resolution: Conduct a thorough review of IT budgets to identify cost-saving opportunities without compromising performance.
Why: Efficient budget allocation is essential for achieving business objectives. Identifying and eliminating unnecessary expenses will optimize our IT spend.
Resolution: Implement or enhance collaboration tools to boost team productivity.
Why: Effective communication and collaboration are cornerstones of success. Integrating advanced collaboration tools will empower our teams to work seamlessly, irrespective of location.
Resolution: Prioritize ongoing training to keep our IT teams well-versed in the latest technologies.
Why: The tech landscape evolves rapidly. Investing in continuous training ensures that our teams are equipped with the skills needed to navigate emerging trends.
You can also access our past webinars for expert walkthrough on various tools and technologies that all IT teams should know.
Explore New Microsoft Solutions
Resolution: Stay abreast of the latest Microsoft solutions and integrate them into our IT ecosystem.
Why: Microsoft offers a suite of powerful solutions. Regularly exploring and adopting new tools can enhance productivity and keep us at the forefront of technological innovation.
As we step into 2024, let's embark on a journey of IT excellence. These resolutions serve as a roadmap for a successful and technologically advanced year. If you're ready to turn these resolutions into reality, our team at Managed Solution is here to support you every step of the way. Here's to a year of innovation, efficiency, and IT success!
The way we now work—defined by an era of digital transformation—is evolving at such a pace that keeping up has become a challenge for many organizations. Business leaders are recognizing the enormous opportunity that modern work solutions like AI tools present and are now exploring ways to use them to their best advantage.
That means implementing AI in a way that allows employees to be more engaged and productive, focusing on the work that matters most.
AI helps your employees offload time-consuming tasks by jumpstarting the creative process, analyzing trends, and summarizing email threads and key discussion points from meetings. Less time spent on more tedious tasks grants employees the freedom to focus on the work that matters most.
Organizations that made employee engagement a top priority have performed twice as well financially as businesses that deprioritized an engaged workforce (2). And AI is poised to empower employees to be more engaged through opportunities for creativity, skill building, and increased productivity.
Discover What’s Possible with AI
Imagine a workforce driven by the powerful combination of irreplaceable human ingenuity and skill with the innovative capabilities of a secure, user-friendly AI system. With the right tools and mindset, any organization can embrace the transformation to an AI-powered workforce.
Responsible AI Practices
With all the potential that working with AI holds, it’s critical to remember to take an approach of preparing for AI that prioritizes fairness, transparency, and accountability. Microsoft is a leader in the development and implementation of AI systems, which includes creating guidance on principles and best practices for responsible AI use—and ensuring those principles are at the foundation of Microsoft’s AI technology. Only with responsible AI implementation can your organization unlock the full potential of what’s possible with AI.
Credit: Microsoft
AI Readiness
How do you know your organization is prepared for AI?
The platform shift to AI isn’t one that can be made without clear leadership and focused investment. Implementing AI technology can be complex, especially without a well-defined plan in place. It requires a culture of productivity and collaboration, a secure foundation for endpoint management, and the willingness to embrace change in order to outpace it.
What does AI readiness look like? An organization ready to embrace AI understands its potential as a strategic asset, how it can be used to benefit the business, and the ability to guide employees and customers in responsible AI practices.
Assessing your readiness level is the first step toward transforming your organization into one that can outpace the changes and challenges of this new era of working with next-generation technologies like AI.
Assessment: Evaluating Your AI readiness
To help you begin the transformation to an AI-powered organization, we’ve compiled a quiz with questions aimed at evaluating readiness level.
The quiz is in five parts and assesses your organization's:
Relationship to change and productivity
Relationship to AI
Willingness to use AI
Investment and funding abilities
Endpoint management and security capabilities
Choose the answer that sounds most like where your organization currently stands and keep a tally of your answers as you go. At the end of the quiz, you’ll be able to estimate whether your organization is Very Ready, Almost Ready, or Needs More Guidance in preparing for AI to begin the transformation to an AI-powered workforce.
Part 1: Your organization’s relationship to change and productivity
Rate your organization’s openness to change and innovation.
Very open: We welcome and seek out opportunities for change and innovation.
Somewhat open: We approach opportunities for change and innovation with caution.
Not very open: We don’t take on many opportunities for change and innovation.
How confident are you that your current technology empowers your employees to be productive?
Very confident: Our technology greatly improves employee productivity
Not very confident: Our technology does not support employee productivity
Part 2: Your organization’s relationship to AI
How fundamental is AI to the success of your business?
Very important: AI will greatly improve the success of our business.
Somewhat important: AI will support the success of our business, but it isn’t necessary.
Not very important: AI would be beneficial in other ways but won’t affect the success of our business.
Rate your employees’ current willingness to adopt new technologies, including AI
Very willing: Employees are excited to learn about and use new technologies like AI.
Somewhat willing: Employees are cautiously optimistic about new technologies.
Not very willing: Employees are resistant to new technologies, including AI.
Part 3: Your organization’s willingness to use AI
How important is it to provide secure, user-friendly AI systems to your workforce?
Very important: We want our employees to be able to learn and use AI as soon as possible.
Somewhat important: We’re interested in adopting user-friendly AI but want to learn more first.
Not very important: User-friendly AI systems are a “nice-to-have” but not currently a priority.
How much, if at all, has your organization’s leadership bought into the business value of AI-powered tools?
All in: Our leadership is ready and willing to begin transitioning to AI-powered tools.
Somewhat in: Leadership understands the importance of AI but needs some convincing on the business value of adopting it.
Not at all in: Our leadership doesn’t understand the importance or value of AI just yet
Part 4: Investment and funding
How strong is your investment in change management and training to support the transition to AI-powered processes and systems?
Very strong: We could begin the transition immediately.
Somewhat strong: We could begin the transition soon but have some challenges to overcome first.
Not very strong: We need a lot of support and training in preparing for AI before we can begin the transition.
Does your organization have funding for deploying and implementing a secure, user-friendly AI system?
Fully funded: Our organization is ready and able to invest in AI technologies.
Some funding: Our organization can afford to transition, but leadership is unsure the benefit outweighs the cost.
No funding: We’re working toward a place where we can invest in AI technologies, but we’re not quite there yet.
Part 5: Endpoint management and security capabilities
How confident are you in your organization’s current endpoint management capabilities to enable employees that are preparing for AI to help them do their best work, regardless of where they work and what device they use?
Very confident: Our endpoint management capabilities allow employees to work where and how they feel they can be most successful.
Somewhat confident: Our endpoint management capabilities are stable for certain experiences but could be improved.
Not very confident: We need a better system to support endpoint management for employees working anywhere and from any device.
Rate your organization’s current security foundation for enabling AI-powered work from any endpoint.
Very secure: Our systems are built on a robust security foundation and support our strong endpoint management capabilities.
Somewhat secure: We have strong security systems but aren’t confident they can support the additional requirements of using AI-powered tools.
Not very secure: We need a more secure system to protect our organization’s data and ensure our employees can confidently work from anywhere.
Results
Mostly A’s: Very Ready (GREAT NEWS)
Your organization has put the work in preparing for AI and true transformation is underway. The Microsoft 365 team is excited to help you move forward. A couple of key notes for Very Ready organizations:
If you already have Microsoft 365, your organization has a head start, as it’s required to implement Copilot.
If you haven't deployed Microsoft 365 yet, we can help make that happen so your organization is set up with a Zero Trust foundation and strong endpoint management capabilities.
Having that baseline productivity in place will enable your employees to start exploring the benefits of Copilot as soon as possible. You can find a link to get started at the end of this blog.
Mostly B’s: Almost Ready (GOOD NEWS)
Your organization is nearly there. Like Very Ready organizations, your Almost Ready business should consider deploying Microsoft 365, if you haven’t already. Help your employees learn their way around Microsoft 365 now so that it's easier for them to adopt the AI integrations down the road.
A couple of notes for Almost Ready organizations:
As you continue preparing for AI, there is a wealth of guidance online to help you familiarize your teams with Microsoft AIcapabilities before deploying the tools.
Microsoft 365 representatives are available to help you understand what steps specific to your organization will take you from Almost Ready to Very Ready
Mostly C’s: Need More Guidance (IT'S OKAY)
It sounds like your organization could benefit from personalized guidance on implementing AI tools. For more information on the requirements and benefits of a secure, user-friendly AI system, Microsoft can help!
A couple of notes to get organizations that Need More Guidance started:
Speak to a Microsoft 365 representative to learn more about the benefits of adopting Microsoft 365 so your organization can build a foundation that will get you Very Ready for AI transformation.
Visit the Microsoft AI homepage for a number of resources on responsible AI principles, specific AI capabilities, and guidance on how to build an AI ready organization.
Next steps
Unlock the potential of AI with Microsoft 365 and Copilot
An organization that is preparing for AI and ready to unlock all that's possible, has a strong foundation in security, streamlined endpoint management, and an openness to innovation that improves productivity. With Microsoft 365, your organization can achieve those checkpoints with one complete solution.
With Microsoft 365, your organization's technology landscape will be grounded in Zero Trust, ensuring a secure foundation for all of your endpoints, no matter where access is coming from. A Zero Trust security foundation in turn makes endpoint management safer and less complex, so you can efficiently grant employees access to all the tools they need to be more productive than ever.
Microsoft offers decades in future forward technology expertise, and that experience is built into the features that make Microsoft 365 so powerful. Now, with Copilot, your organization can extend the capabilities of Microsoft 365 even further.
Microsoft 365 delivers a secure, productive working experience. With Copilot, it becomes an intuitive, next-generation productivity partner that works alongside your employees, empowering them to collaborate and work more efficiently to become more productive contributors to business outcomes.
Copilot can empower your team to tap into the rich functionality available throughout Microsoft 365, making employees better at what they’re already good at and mastering what they’ve yet to learn. It integrates seamlessly with the apps your teams already use and is designed to unlock their untapped potential.
Ultimately, Copilot elevates the powerful capabilities of Microsoft 365 to enhance your workforce’s productivity, creativity, and skills—benefits your organization can experience when you make the transformation to AI.
What can Microsoft 365 with Copilot do for your organization?
Secure any endpoint with robust protocols grounded in Zero Trust
Automate time-consuming, repetitive tasks so employees can focus on more meaningful work
Reduce your organization’s software footprint
Lower costs of deployment and implementation
Improve employee productivity and engagement
Drive higher financial performance and positive business outcomes
Ready to see what Microsoft 365 Copilot can do for your organization?Learn more.
Sources: 1 “Will AI Fix Work?” Work Trend Index, May 9, 2023. Microsoft. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/ work-trend-index/will-ai-fix-work. 2 “The New Performance Equation in the Age of AI.” Work Trend Index, April 20, 2023. Microsoft. https://www. microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/the-new-performance-equation-in-the-age-of-ai. 3 “A Whole New Way of Working.” Work Trend Index. Microsoft. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/ai[1]a-whole-new-way-of-working.
New Microsoft Teams Essentials is built for small businesses
Credit: Microsoft
By: Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President, Modern Work & Business Applications
While the past 20 months have been challenging for all organizations, I don’t know any that have been hit harder than small businesses. They’ve had to adapt nearly every aspect of how they operate and work with customers, often without access to critical tools and technologies. The world isn’t going back to the “old” way of working, so small businesses need solutions that are designed specifically for their unique needs to thrive in this new normal.
Today we’re excited to introduce Microsoft Teams Essentials.It’s the first standalone offering of Microsoft Teams designed specifically with small businesses in mind. It brings together features small businesses need to serve customers, including unlimited group video calls for up to 30 hours, group chat, file sharing, and calendaring. And at only $4 USD per user per month, it’s the most affordable all-in-one solution in the market today.
Teams Essentials is built for small businesses
With Teams Essentials, small businesses from restaurants to retailers to professional services can easily meet, collaborate, communicate, and serve customers in new ways. Take Bristol Dental Specialists, a United Kingdom-based practice that began using Teams last year. From virtual consultations to collaboration with colleagues, the Bristol team delivers faster, friendlier, and more cost-effective patient care with Teams.
“Communication is so important, and with Teams, we’re working together better than ever to provide patients with a standard of care that sets us apart.”—Rebecca Metcalfe, Senior Treatment Coordinator, Bristol Dental Specialists
The need for affordable communications tools isn’t limited to traditional for-profit small businesses. Nonprofits, religious organizations, schools, and community groups also struggle to connect and collaborate effectively. These organizations and small businesses need to get up and running fast, and Teams Essentials makes it possible with no IT expertise necessary. Teams Essentials enables those with and without a Teams account to participate easily and effectively. While the free version of Microsoft Teams is still available, Teams Essentials offers extended limits like longer meetings and more storage. Let’s take a closer look at how Teams Essentials can support your needs.
Expansive meeting limits and easy-to-use features let you host professional meetings
Working closely with customers and partners can be a challenge for any business without the right communication tools. Teams Essentials brings existing Teams capabilities together with features specifically designed for small businesses and community groups:
Extended meeting times—With meetings that can last up to 30 hours, there’s no need to worry about your Teams Essentials meeting running over its time limit, whether you’re meeting one-on-one or in a group.
Large meeting capacity—With the ability to host up to 300 people at once, Teams Essentials offers the ability to bring everyone into the same virtual room.
Calendar integration—In addition to integration with Outlook Calendar, the new Google Calendar integration in Microsoft Teams means you can use your existing calendaring tool to stay on top of schedules and manage your meetings. *Google Calendar integration coming soon.
Simple, easy invitations—Inviting people to a meeting is easy. Simply add them to the Teams meeting invitation using their email address. They will receive a meeting invitation with a link to join. And if they don’t have Teams, the meeting will open directly in their browser. No sign-up, sign-in, or installation required.
Interactive meetings—Professional meeting tools and capabilities like meeting lobby, virtual backgrounds, Together mode, live closed captions, live reactions, and more allow any organization to host engaging meetings.
With the ability to connect existing tools and store content in one place, it’s easy to stay organized
Teams Essentials simplifies communications for small businesses and community groups with a single solution for chat and meetings—saving time, and most importantly, keeping meetings and conversations in context. It includes tools to work effectively with anyone, including Office web apps, file sharing, group chats, task management, and more.
Additional cloud storage—Don’t worry about running out of storage or wasting time searching for documents. Easily co-author, view, edit, and store Office 365 files. Teams Essentials offers a total of 10 gigabytes (GB) file storage, which is twice the amount of storage available in the free version of Teams.
Ongoing chat—All conversations in Teams are persistent, helping you to keep the conversation going so you never lose context or continuity. The conversation doesn’t end when the meeting ends.
Small business group chat template—Quickly start a group project and host meetings with anyone, assign tasks to teammates, and create polls to receive feedback quickly all in one hub, taking productivity to the next level. *Coming soon to desktop and web.
Chat, meet, and collaborate with anyone—Whether you are working with someone within or outside your organization, using the Teams app or dialing in, your chat and collaboration experience is kept in one place. There’s no need to jump between app experiences when you’re working on a project with an outside company.
Mobile chat dashboard—Just click on dashboard view in any one-on-one or group chat to conveniently access all shared content neatly organized into categories such as locations, photos, files, task lists, upcoming events, weblinks, and more. *Available for customers purchasing directly from Microsoft.
Teams Essentials offers the value and support small businesses need
Costs are top of mind for every business and community. Microsoft Teams Essentials offers the most value at the best price. And with a simplified interface that is easy to learn, it is straightforward and easy for employees to quickly be productive.
Get the most from your technology tools—With rich communications features at the lowest cost in the market, at $4 per user per month, Teams Essentials offers outstanding value for small companies and community groups.
Support from Microsoft—Teams Essentials is backed by Microsoft and runs in the Azure cloud. This means security, reliability, performance, and support. Microsoft is here to help with the technology you need—within your budget.
How to buy Teams Essentials
Microsoft Teams Essentials is available from a variety of Microsoft Cloud Partners including some of the most recognized names in the industry:
Customers looking to use Microsoft Teams for personal use can get access to these same features and extended meeting limits with a Microsoft 365 Family and Microsoft 365 Personal subscription.
Microsoft is committed to providing small businesses with technologies that power their core needs. That’s why we built Teams Essentials and recently announced expanded security offerings for small and medium businesses with Microsoft Defender for Business, designed to help small businesses protect against ransomware and other cyberthreats. With Teams Essentials, we are excited to take another step in our commitment and enable small businesses to collaborate securely from virtually anywhere.
Upcoming Free Microsoft 365 Workshops for SMBs
Be sure to register for one of our upcoming workshops to dive into Microsoft 365 and unleash its full potential to boost your ROI in all of your operational endeavors.
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are the cornerstone of every community. With an estimated 400 million SMBs operating worldwide, they account for 99% of global organizations. SMBs are the main source of job creation, making up between 60%-85% of employment. [1][2] And according to the International Labor Organization, by some estimates, SMBs contribute up to 70% of GDP.[3]
With that kind of scale and impact, SMBs need the ability to innovate to be successful and thrive in a digitally enabled economy.
During the pandemic, we saw that businesses able to accelerate their digital transformation fared better than those that did not. Many reported growth through their focus on tech intensity.
Under such unprecedented circumstances, Microsoft was curious to learn how SMBs view the current realities of their businesses, to understand their goals and priorities, and to assess whether technology is seen as a catalyst to future success.
Analysys Mason was commissioned to conduct research with over 3,000 SMBs from 10 different areas of the world, representing the global footprint of SMBs.
Today, we are releasing our findings with the Microsoft SMB Voice and Attitudes to Technology Study 2022.
Top insights
Digital technology adoption contributes to faster growth
The study confirms that nearly 70% of businesses consider growth as their primary driver, and technology “early adopters” saw faster and higher growth. Businesses identified as early adopters are twice as likely to have achieved their past business objectives plus higher revenue growth over the past year and are also four times more likely to be highly confident in their future business success. Today, businesses are focusing on sustaining growth despite geopolitical uncertainty, high inflation and energy prices. For 51% of businesses, the ongoing impact of COVID-19 remains a concern.
Security and reliability form the foundation
More than two-thirds of SMBs plan to increase their IT budgets in the next year, prioritizing investments in the following ways:
Eighty percent of businesses expect to have a hybrid workforce for at least the next two years and require the technology to support their business goals in a reliable and secure way.
Partners help drive strategy and SMB growth
While the majority of SMBs recognize the importance of technology in reaching business goals, 16% see it as essential. However, many SMBs need partners to map the right technology to their business strategy. Almost half choose technology partners, with 33% favoring Managed Service Providers or Cloud Solution Providers whom they expect to proactively recommend technology solutions to accelerate companies’ business goals.
The millennial factor
Millennials hold 41% of technology decision-making roles. They tend to work for newer companies and 13% are more likely to see technology as important or essential to business success. Nearly one-third of millennials identify as technophiles in their personal lives, carrying some of their consumer traits into how they research and purchase technology, placing high value on peer ratings and reviews when making purchasing decisions. In 2016, Gallup flagged that millennials favor purpose over paycheck in their How Millennials Work and Live report. Millennials as business owners apply those values to their business and technology priorities.
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals – no longer just for the enterprise
Two-thirds of SMBs in the study report having ESG assessment and monitoring frameworks in place. Millennials are leading the way, being the most likely to have an annual report dedicated to their ESG progress. In terms of focus areas, 37% cited lowering their environmental impact, 30% wanted to improve their diversity and inclusion, while 30% were focused on job creation. The study points to a link between an ESG focus and attainment of business objectives – with both these traits being most prevalent among early adopters.
Ninety-nine percent of the world’s businesses are actively seeking solutions to address current challenges and generate new opportunities. This community impacts economies worldwide and the livelihoods of billions. They do this not to just be resilient and survive, but to thrive and bring innovation to their industries and value to their customers. Microsoft continues to listen to and learn from our SMB customers, aligning to what is their top of mind.
Together, the possibilities are endless, and opportunity abounds for all.
6 Benefits of Working with a Managed Service Provider
(For small or one-person IT teams)
There is nothing wrong with having a small IT team. When your company is starting out and the caseloads are simple, that small-scale department works well! Benefits of working with a managed service provider.
However, as your company grows, and your IT needs begin to stack up – you might find that working with a Managed Service Provider (MSP) could be a match made in heaven (compared to traditional in-house additions).
We understand that outsourcing may feel like a big step, so we want to speak to that and shed some light on all the ways that teaming up with an MSP can help you and your team succeed in all things IT!
Save Money
You may be surprised to find out that outsourcing usually saves companies money or provides more value for a lower cost. This is primarily because when you outsource, you no longer pay for the expenses associated with hiring a new team member, or members for that matter.
Most Managed service providers offer tiered (silver, gold, platinum) packages that allow you to set a budget that works for you while giving you a larger breadth of talent and support.
Managed Service Providers can go beyond managed services to save you and your team money. From procurement to security, there are plenty of cost-saving services and software’s that come with the right outsourcing partner.
Many MSPs (Managed service providers) have procurement experts that can provide you with more affordable and robust licensing opportunities. Furthermore, the right MSP should also be able to help you bolster security measures to ensure that your data and networks are secured.
Learn more about the financial benefits of MSPs in our recent article, where we discuss how outsourcing IT can help with cost-savings and potentially boost revenue.
Scale Support
With an MSP you can scale your reach as needed. For example, at Managed Solution, cases are escalated up the ladder until resolved.
Meaning that if you get a case that you would like to assign to our team, we will align it with expertise according to its priority level and it will escalate up from there until resolved.
Another great benefit of working with an MSP, like Managed Solution, is if the MSP you work with is a Microsoft partner – you also get t Microsoft Premier Support as a final escalation for the especially challenging cases that revolve around Microsoft services/ software.
Furthermore, as your company’s IT needs grow, you will have the support you need to increase your overall service level in real-time.
Your MSP will monitor your needs and offer guidance on what services should be scaled up or down. Helping to optimize user-satisfaction and cost-effectiveness, simultaneously.
Security
By 2025 humanity’s data will reach 175 zettabytes. We’ll take a quick pause for you to look up zettabytes. There are about 21 zeroes following that 175.
Now more than ever security should be brought to the forefront of business conversations. When considering working with an MSP make sure they are security focused and can offer the abundance of tools and services you can leverage to ensure that your data is protected.
Another one of the great benefits of working with a Managed Service Provider? Many MSPs offer the markets’ best and most current cybersecurity products and services. These include company-wide training, email two-step factor authentication, and network monitoring.
Some can also provide software that leverages artificial intelligence to help you detect potential viruses and attacks. Another vital aspect of security is having a solid plan for data backup and disaster recovery, which, you guessed it, MSPs can provide.
With disaster recovery comes the benefit of minimized downtime which can save companies hundreds of thousands of dollars. An equipped and adept managed service provider can prove to be a vital resource for those worse case scenarios.
With an MSP, your onboarding process becomes streamlined. You can work with your MSP to acquire, track, and manage technology for new hires as well as employees throughout your company.
This is all done through a suite of Microsoft technologies including Active Directory, Intune and Autopilot. As a Microsoft partner, we recommend one of the best active directory software on the market, Azure.
Azure active directory allows companies to manage applications, authentications, devices, domains, maintain governance, identity protection and so much more!
Beyond Active Directory, if you need support in multiple cities/states, you will need to find a national or international MSP depending on your locations. This way you can ensure that you’re being supported in the correct time zone so that cases are promptly worked to completion.
New Technology
With technology evolving quickly and constantly, staying up to date on all-things tech can prove to be extremely costly.
It isn’t always financially viable to invest in single-use technology. However, with an MSP, you can access the latest tech without having to make huge financial investments.
This is because many MSPs offer procurement services that allow you to harness the latest technology at an affordable price.
The right MSP should provide you with expertise and guidance as to which technology licenses and opportunities best fit your current and ever-changing needs.
Focus on Tasks You Love
When you outsource IT you get to be in control of what kind of work you do in your day to day, and how much you do in your day to day.
You’re more in control than ever when you outsource. When you delegate tasks and projects, you free yourself up to focus on areas that you enjoy more or that matter most to you!
In our recent case study with Red Door Interactive, Dennis Gonzalez, their sole, lead IT servicer claims that he is now able to spend less time focusing on low-level helpdesk tasks. Saving him both time and stress.
Now Dennis is able to focus more on overseeing important projects and maintenance of cybersecurity, while also leveraging a large team in support and services.
If you are considering outsourcing some or all of your IT, but do not know where to start, reach out to us! We are happy to help give you an idea of what an MSP partnership can look like for you.
Microsoft 365 vs. Google Workspace: The Best Option for Your Business
Choosing the right productivity platform for your business is no easy feat, especially when it comes to Microsoft 365 vs. Google Workspace. Unlike personal use, there are many aspects to consider beyond user-preference and comfortability. You want a platform that can not only meet your needs of today but grow with you as your company expands. There’s also the matter of efficiency, compatibility, pricing and more to weigh out.
Between Google and Microsoft, there is truly no obvious answer. There are, however, some key unique differences that may help you decide which option is ultimately best for your business.
As an MSP, Managed solution has worked with hundreds of businesses and helped them navigate the world of digital workspaces to find the right fit for them. In this article we’ll walk you through the two suites and clarify the differences so that you can move forward with the best option for you.
Products Overview
Let’s start with the basics. Below is a concise list of some of the more prominent products from both Google and Microsoft offices:
Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive, Planner, Viva, etc…
Of these products and applications, the work-based apps tend to be the first things businesses look at when faced with the great Microsoft v. Google dilemma. Between Docs and Word, Sheets and Excel, or Slides and PowerPoint – the general understanding is that Google’s offerings are more collaborative and user-friendly, while Microsoft tends to be the best choice for users needing powerful and robust solutions. For a more in-depth comparison of these applications, see what the experts at computerworld.com have to say!
Something else to consider here is that Microsoft’s Office Packages have the advantage of longevity. Therefore, if you utilize Google workplace, you will still likely work with other companies who utilize Microsoft Office Applications – to solve for this many companies on Google Workplace make separate local purchases of non-cloud-based Microsoft applications to be able to share and convert files with other Microsoft users.
To further consider which option will work better for you, consider your company-size and level of B2B communications. Do you need a more powerful, streamlined process provided by Microsoft 365 applications? Or will your team be able to work better with the more collaborative and accessible Google Workplace browser-based apps?
Email
Both Outlook and Gmail are renowned email applications. Here, the distinguishing factors boil down to simplicity vs. utility.
Gmail is the simpler option. To begin, it has much less tools on its interface compared to Outlook’s which some users prefer for easier navigation. However, with its new simplified Ribbon, Outlook has certainly made headway in becoming more user-friendly.
Outlook has all the email, contact and calendar features you can imagine. Microsoft has built-in capabilities you’ve likely never even thought of into this program. Whatever you need to accomplish within your email system, you can do it with Outlook.
The choice therefore mainly depends on how you and your team use email, and how much time you’re willing to spend learning new features. If you don’t have extensive or complex needs for your emailing service, Gmail will suit you just fine. Alternatively, if you and your team need more tools and utility for email, or if people in your organization have varying needs, consider opting for Outlook.
Data Security and Management
A key decision-making aspect that is often missed is the management and protection of your data. With the global increase in remote workers, cyber security is more important than ever. In fact, we have seen unprecedented increases in phishing attacks since 2020[link to data].
Security should therefore be top-of-mind in your decision-making process. Even the best user-features can’t make up for insufficient security. The golden rule here is that finding the right security resources for your business means finding the best security resources.
Here's what the experts at Computerworld.com had to say on the topic of security:
“…The simplified view in the Microsoft 365 admin center beats anything in Google Workspace because of how easily it lets you accomplish the most common tasks, including and editing new and existing users, changing licenses, paying bills, and installing Office on devices.
Interfaces aside, Microsoft 365 offers better admin account security, superior mobile administration, and more management controls. Both suites protect your data with enterprise-grade security and offer a central security center for managing user permissions and protections…”.
Because security is such a critical feature, we’ve got to stick with the experts here and agree that Microsoft is the reigning champion of security and safety. However, we have plenty of resources to help you take a deeper look at security between google and Microsoft.
Collaboration and Productivity
Another huge factor for many businesses is collaboration, especially in today’s digital age where so many employees are working from home. Both Google and Microsoft offer popular solutions, so the question here really boils down to your team's needs and preferences.
Microsoft Teams offers a virtually all-in-one solution that combines chats, digital meetings, and custom workspaces, while also offering seamless integration with other products like Outlook, SharePoint, and OneDrive. This makes Microsoft the best choice for users who prefer a more robust chat-centered solution to focus their collaborative efforts around.
Google, on the other hand, their communication applications focus on intuitive functionality and real-time collaboration. Because of the simplicity and user-friendly quality behind the interface, many people feel that Google ranks higher for collaboration.
Although Google is initially more effective for collaboration, productivity is ultimately hindered businesses begin to scale and find themselves needing more detailed work practices. Not to mention, storage of data and information becomes one of the key issues Google users face. Collaboration and productivity become hard to maintain when you can’t access lost or disorganized information.
Summary
Although so much of the great Microsoft 365 vs. Google Workspace debate boils down to personal preference of functionality – there are also certain aspects from each solution that cater better to certain demographics. Typically, many start-up/small businesses find that Google is an easier and cheaper fit for their needs due to its accessibility and collaborative capabilities.
However, as these businesses scale to more mid-market and even enterprise-level sizes – Microsoft’s robust solution packages streamline storage and communication processes better – while also providing a higher level of security and support.
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With more and more companies embracing cloud computing, the long-held misconception that it isn't secure is fading away. If you are already using Office 365 or are intending to do so, know that it has numerous security features that can help you out.
And as cyber crime is evolving, Microsoft is continuously bringing in new features to bolster its users' safety. There is no such thing as being too safe when it comes to the digital environment and, for this reason; Microsoft Office 365 is a great choice to protect your organization and its data.
That said, there are several such features.
Advanced Threat Protection
Ransomware is at an all-time high, being spread by malicious links and various other email attachments. To make matters worse, these are becoming increasingly sophisticated and realistic, making it difficult even for the more tech-savvy among us to tell the difference. The Advanced Threat Protection feature will significantly improve security by stopping those links and attachments from making it into the users' inboxes, in the first place.
It does this by opening them in a virtual environment, separate from your environment, and checks them for any malicious activity. It is done before they are sent to the inbox, and if there are threats discovered, they will not infect your system.
Outlook Email Encryption
Email interception is a preferred way for many cybercriminals to get their hands on sensitive information. But with Outlook's end-to-end encryption, hackers will have a much harder time intercepting emails.
The process works by requiring all non-Outlook recipients to choose between single-use passcode or re-authentication when opening an email from an Outlook sender. Outlook-to-Outlook email exchange, on the other hand, will not require any further action, regardless of device or operating system.
Azure Active Directory Identity Protection
Detecting a compromised account is nearly impossible until the damage is done. But the Azure Active Directory Identity Protection feature will be able to identify and prevent hackers from getting in, in the first place. The system uses machine learning (ML) to understand the daily processes and activities of your organization, red flagging any unusual behavior.
It can detect multiple log-ins that happen in quick succession or from various locations. It also learns the usual times of log-ins, highlighting any deviations from that pattern. Once a threat is detected, the person attempting to log-in may be asked to perform multi-factor authentication, an ID verification, or prevent them from signing in altogether.
Mobile Device Management and Microsoft Intune
Mobile device management (MDM) is about controlling access to your company's data. The built-in MDM feature of Office 365 helps companies where employees are only able to access email from company-issued devices.
For a higher degree of control, however, and if your employees will be accessing more than email or using their devices, there is also the Microsoft Intune feature. It will give you a greater deal of control concerning how data is used on mobile devices. For instance, you can restrict the possibility to copy data from a managed to a non-managed app.
Takeaway
All of these features and others more will help ensure the safety of your organization against cybersecurity threats when using Office 365. If you want to learn more or know how to utilize them to their fullest effect, our specialized consultants are at your service.
We provide a hands-on discovery of the Microsoft Suite of products through a Customer Immersion Experience. We’d love to host a CIE on-site or at our headquarters for you to learn more. We supply all the hardware and software for you to demo the tools interactively with a group. Contact us to learn more.
At Microsoft Inspire in Washington D.C., we introduced a fundamental shift in how we will design, build and go to market to address our customers’ needs for a modern workplace.
Introducing Microsoft 365—Satya Nadella unveiled Microsoft 365, which brings together Office 365, Windows 10 and Enterprise Mobility + Security to deliver a complete, intelligent and secure solution to empowers employees. To address the commercial needs from the largest enterprise to the smallest business, we introduced Microsoft 365 Enterprise and Microsoft 365 Business. Read our summary from Microsoft Inspire to learn more.
New business apps in Office 365 Business Premium—We also introduced the preview of three new apps in Office 365 Business Premium: Microsoft Connections, Microsoft Listings, and Microsoft Invoicing. These apps are designed to help you run and grow your small business, and are part of the new Office 365 Business center. MileIQ—the leading mileage tracking app—is also now included for Office 365 Business Premium subscribers. Read the announcement to learn more.
Create and present more effectively with updates to Office apps
This month’s Office 365 updates make it easier to create professional-looking presentations and to identify and correct errors while editing documents.
Turn text into timelines in PowerPoint—Now PowerPoint Designer recognizes times, dates and topics on your slides and intelligently redesigns your content into professional-looking timelines, making it easier than ever to create high impact presentations. Start with a list of dates, then simply select Design Ideas in the Design tab and choose your favorite layout from the set of suggestions.
Support for 3D in Office apps—Starting this month, you can now add and edit 3D objects in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Easily insert a 3D object from the Remix 3D catalog or your desktop, change its perspective and use transitions like Morph in PowerPoint to create cinematic animations between slides to bring 3D objects in your presentations to life.
Read Aloud in Word—We continue to improve the Learning Tools available in Word and have moved Read Aloud to the Review tab. This latest update allows your document to be read back to you with simultaneous highlighting—from right within your workflow. This makes it easier to recognize and correct errors as you write, improving reading and editing accuracy for everyone, especially users with learning disabilities such as dyslexia.
Additional updates for Office 365 commercial customers
Updates to Outlook and StaffHub make it easier for our Office 365 commercial customers to connect and manage tasks across their organizations.
Outlook adds a smarter To: line and redesigned conversation view—Powered by intelligence from the Microsoft Graph, Outlook on the web and Windows desktop now offer improved contact suggestions and profile pictures when composing an email. This update makes it easier for you to find and communicate with the right people throughout your organization.
Additionally, the redesigned conversation view in Outlook for iOS shows more of your discussion at once, allowing you to quickly review your message history and pick up right where you left off.
Enhancements to Microsoft StaffHub—Throughout July, we made several updates to Microsoft StaffHub, an Office 365 app designed to help Firstline Workers manage their workday. In industries like manufacturing, retail and healthcare, firstline workers often serve as the first point of contact between a company and its customers. Now team members can use the StaffHub app to assign, manage and complete tasks from co-workers and management, as well as access company-wide announcements—making it easier to keep everyone in sync.
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