M365

In a nutshell: What is M365?

M365 is the abbreviation for Microsoft 365, which used to be called Microsoft Office. In view of the expansion of the Office apps to include more than a dozen additional services, Microsoft Office was renamed.

 

The now existing M365 offers private individuals, families, companies and organizations a cloud, numerous programs for efficient collaboration in teams, security systems and various other services in addition to the Office apps.

 

Overview of the applications

Microsoft 365 includes much more than the familiar tools Word, Excel, PowerPoint and the Outlook email program. Over the past few years, Microsoft has steadily expanded its offering. It now includes various new programs and features.

 

This is an overview of some of the other tools in Microsoft 365:

 

• Clipchamp for editing videos
• Microsoft Teams as a platform for chat, meetings and other exchanges between several people
• Loop for close and productive collaboration in teams
• OneDrive as cloud storage
• OneNote for notes
• Access as an offer for the creation of databases and applications
• Microsoft Defender for protection against cyber attacks
• Publisher for the professional creation of all kinds of publications
• Sharepoint for creating team websites for sharing and managing internal content and for collaboration within the company

 

These and a range of other M365 apps provide a comprehensive offering that individuals, families, companies and organizations can use to optimize their workflows and overcome a wide variety of challenges.

 

Recently, artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in the apps for an additional charge with Microsoft Copilot, which provides more options when using M365.

 

Especially in companies, efficient and powerful tools create numerous advantages, but also challenges in the implementation process. Our blog post on the introduction of SharePoint contains an example of the implementation of a Microsoft offering in companies.

 

We are also happy to advise companies on all other matters relating to M365, providing individual and highly efficient IT solutions.

 

 

Various M365 packages to choose from

The apps available in M365 vary depending on the package subscribed to. There are 12 packages on offer from Microsoft. These include four packages each for private users, companies and large enterprises.

 

[Table first column ->] Private

• Microsoft 365 Family for the family
• Microsoft 365 Single for individuals
• Office Home and Student 2021 for students
• Office Home and Business for entrepreneurs

 

[Table second column ->] Company

• Microsoft 365 Apps for Business
• Microsoft 365 Business Basic
• Microsoft 365 Business Standard
• Microsoft 365 Business Premium

 

[Table third column ->] Large companies

• Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise
• Microsoft 365 E3
• Microsoft 365 E5
• Microsoft 365 F3

 

For us at innobit, an IT service provider that supports companies in their digital transformation, Microsoft's Business and Enterprise offerings are of interest. We will therefore take a closer look at the applications in these two offerings below.

 

Apps in Microsoft's business offering

The Microsoft 365 Apps for Business package includes the Office apps Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneDrive, Access and Publisher. The Access and Publisher apps can only be used on PCs. All other apps also run on smartphones, iPads and tablets.

 

Microsoft 365 Apps for Business includes one TB of cloud storage per user. Teams can access documents and other files from multiple devices simultaneously via the cloud. This simplifies collaboration.

 

The Business Basic package includes the Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Sharepoint and Microsoft Exchange apps. In addition, companies can create an email address with their own branding. Chats, calls and meetings as well as the intranet and team websites functions are also included in the package.

 

Access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook is only possible via the web in the Business Basic package. This is completely different in the Business Standard package. It offers the same functions as the Business Basic package and also provides access to the following services - both via the web and via various end devices:

 

• Word
• Excel
• PowerPoint
• Outlook
• Microsoft Teams
• OneDrive
• SharePoint
• Exchange
• Clipchamp
• Loop

 

Finally, the Business Premium package contains all the functions of the packages mentioned above. It also includes the Intune, Information Protection, Defender and Entra ID services. It therefore extends the previous features to include enhanced security against cyber attacks and better data protection.

 

Apps in Microsoft's Enterprise offering

The Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise package includes the Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneDrive apps with one TB of cloud storage. In view of the focus on large companies, the apps in this package are equipped with more comprehensive functions from the outset than in the business packages. In addition, five security levels with productive monitoring are integrated to protect data.

 

The other packages E3, E5 and F3 extend Microsoft's offering to more devices and users. They also provide more resources for efficient collaboration, such as apps for automating workflows, advanced features for managing calendars and emails and programs to promote the employee experience.

 

The F3 business package in particular impressively demonstrates how far the possibilities of professional programs for internal collaboration extend. For example, the package contains features that can be used to relieve the workload of service teams in companies and optimize the user experience. Microsoft Bookings, for example, enables website visitors to book appointments via an online calendar.

 

M365 from the perspective of digitalization

Digital transformation presents companies with hurdles - and yet it is a must. Without the digitalization of their work processes, services and customer offerings, companies risk ruin. This is because the competition is constantly evolving in the age of innovation. If you don't move with the times, you move with the times. In line with this credo, companies should push ahead with digitization.

 

M365 , which has long been limited to its Office offering, opens up a wide range of options for companies to carry out their digital transformation quickly and efficiently. In view of the many customizable apps, companies can digitalize their business processes extensively for a comparatively low price of EUR 10 per user per month.

 

As part of IT and cloud strategies, companies discuss the potential of the various Microsoft apps. They then develop ideas and concrete plans for implementing an IT and cloud strategy using M365.

 

By consistently implementing their customized strategy, companies successfully implement M365. The integrated features in the M365 apps enable permanent monitoring and continuous optimization of work processes.

 

Conclusion: M365 makes digitalization easier

M365 comprises numerous programs from Microsoft. In addition to the familiar Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook applications, it also includes AI-supported apps, comprehensive platforms for efficient collaboration in teams, automation tools and cyber security apps.

 

With M365, Microsoft delivers fully comprehensive and customizable IT solutions for companies from all industries. By implementing M365 correctly, companies can keep pace with the competition, optimize their work processes and simplify their employees' daily work.