What is Microsoft 365 Business and Who is it for?

Have you heard about Microsoft 365 Business? Well maybe, did you mean Office 365? Yes, but not exactly.

Microsoft 365 Business (carefully note the wording) is actually a new offering that includes Office 365 and much more. It’s an all-in-one business technology bundle that makes it easier for small and mid-sized customers to benefit from Microsoft’s latest productivity, security and mobile technologies.

With centrally managed devices and security, Microsoft 365 Business combines Windows 10, Office 365 and advanced security features in one package. It enables owners and managers to control access to apps and manage mobile devices and users without having to buy a server.

Microsoft 365 Business works very well for business customers that have little or no IT resources on staff.

Microsoft 365 Business was crafted for SMB customers looking for the best-in-class productivity and collaboration capabilities of Office 365. It was announced last summer and made generally available in the fall of 2017.

What does Microsoft 365 Business Include?

Microsoft 365 Business has everything that’s included in Office 365 Business Premium (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. and Outlook and Exchange email and calendaring) plus:

• Windows 10 Pro, including upgrades from Windows 7 and 8.1 Pro
• A single console to manage user and device settings
• Data protection controls on personal and company devices
• Cyberthreat protection from malware, viruses, and spyware
• Self-service PC deployment with Windows AutoPilot
• 1TB of file storage
• Microsoft StaffHub (See the next section)

Microsoft 365 Business is the all-in-one Microsoft package for SMBs, previously only available to Enterprise customers. Throw in 24×7 online and phone support and 99.9% guaranteed uptime and it feels like a sweet deal for $20/month per user.

Help for Front-line Employees and Their Managers

There’s more good news for small and mid-sized businesses. It concerns a large group of workers that normally don’t use Microsoft products at work.

There are an estimated 500 million frontline staff workers around the world in retail stores, hotels, restaurants, manufacturing and other service-related industries.

Far too often, these workers rely on manual processes and outdated tools to create paper schedules. They cram bulletin boards with notes and make endless calls and text messages to cover shifts. That’s where Microsoft StaffHub comes in.

Manage Schedules and Share Information

Included with Microsoft 365, StaffHub makes it easy for managers to create, update and manage shift schedules for their team, streamlining what has been a labor-intensive process.

Employees view their upcoming shifts on their mobile device and can request to swap a shift with someone else. StaffHub also enables front-line workers to submit vacation requests, collaborate and reduce travel time.

Forget having to call in or stop by the main office to check a weekly schedule printed on a piece of paper.

Employees will be able to clock in and clock out from within the app, as well as view tasks that managers have assigned to them. Managers also have a fast and reliable way to send company announcements and quick messages to team members.

Enhanced Security

With centrally managed devices and security, Microsoft 365 Business helps to ensure that business data is secure. In addition, administrators can set Windows Defender to always be on. And, they can easily wipe data from mobile devices when employees leave, with no disruption to personal data.

When setting up StaffHub, it takes just a couple of steps to protect company data and work files across devices. I can control how users access Office apps, block users from copying content to non-office programs, and prevent downloading Apps.

What Microsoft 365 Business Customers are Saying

• A Facility Management Firm IT director says, “I’m really excited to manage my mobile devices and users without having to buy a server.”
• A family food company needs to collaborate to produce safe, quality food and says, “Microsoft 365 Business, it’s all the things we need in one place.”

Get it from eMazzanti Technologies

Microsoft says that partner-assisted deployment is the recommended way to install Microsoft 365 Business. You might want to contact your Microsoft partner and ask them if they are offering the package.

If not, we can help you get it while providing some immediate benefit to your Microsoft partner of record. eMazzanti Technologies is well-equipped to help you understand your technology needs and options. And, we can make the best recommendations for deploying Microsoft 365 in your organization.

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