What you need to Know about Microsoft Office 365 Becoming Microsoft 365

What you need to know about Microsoft Office 365 becoming Microsoft 365

If you are still new to the world of licensing, you may find it a bit challenging to understand what they mean. The two products have almost the same name but are different in terms of services, bundles, suites, and more.

Microsoft, one of the leading tech companies in the world, has done it again. On April 2, 2020, the company announced that its customers could now migrate from Microsoft Office 365 to Microsoft 365 (M365). The big question is whether you know what this migration means if you’ve been using Microsoft Office 365 (O365).

There is a lot of confusion surrounding the migration from O365 to M365. That is why you should continue reading to find out why you should migrate now and how you can do it comfortably. In this article, we explain what it means to migrate from Microsoft Office 365 to Microsoft 365.

What is Microsoft Office 365?

Microsoft Office 365 is one of the most-used productivity suites in the world that Microsoft launched in 2001. With over 1.5 billion users, it is probably a common household name.

You could be reading this article in support of one of the O365 software. So, what exactly is Microsoft Office 365?  It is a cloud-based suite of apps that target to help companies, individuals, and businesses to boost their productivity.

Office 365 comes with different apps such as Microsoft Word, OneNote, PowerPoint, Outlook, Skype, and Excel.  Depending on the Office 365 plan that you buy, you can also access services such as Microsoft Teams, Planner, and Publisher. Ultimately, O365 comes in a variety of versions suitable for students, businesses, institutions of learning, and multi-user households.

This application makes it easier for you to work on different things. You can create a document, communicate, and balance your books of account. When using Microsoft Office 365, you must use cloud computing solutions to safeguard your private data.

What is Microsoft 365?

Microsoft 365 is the new version of O365 that Microsoft released in December 2016. It is a combination of applications designed to improve your productivity and cater to your security needs.  M365 comes with some of the most efficient tools that you will need to upgrade your productivity, and most importantly, ensure you protect your device from cyber threats.

It comes with a new package that includes Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS), machine learning, and Windows 10 Enterprise.

Ideally, there is a lot that M365 has to offer any business or individuals that is looking forward to having the best experience offline and online. Let’s have a look at some of these three features of M365.

1. Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS)

EMS is another cloud-based offering that Microsoft provides for its users. It features a combination of four main standalone features that are licensed as per user base and highly discounted.

It comes in a bundle of four best Microsoft products such as Microsoft Advanced Threat Analytics, Microsoft Intune, Azure Active Directory Premium, and Azure Rights Management.

As an organization, sometime, your team members may want to work from their devices. To protect your company’s data from external leaks, you can opt for cybersecurity services. EMS also gives you that chance to ensure your system data is secure round the clock and that your IT team is always in control of the company systems.

Other key benefits of EMS include the following:

• It enables your employees to access company data remotely from their devices.
• Protects all documents files stored in the system
• Your IT team can log in to any service or app using different devices.
• Monitors the system for any security breach that can harm your organization.
• It comes with an in-built security feature that protects apps and devices from external attacks. It also unifies management across different devices and applications.
• It allows your team to choose how they want to interact and communicate by providing a universal toolkit for teamwork.
• It promotes creativity by providing the tools you may need for machine learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI). You can work with touch, voice, and ink, which makes it more convenient.

2. Windows 10 Enterprise

Windows 10 Enterprise is a new offer in M365 that you should look forward to having. This product caters for all the needs of IT professional organizations by helping them with:

• App and device control
• Complete app and device management features
• Ultimate protection form cyber threats and malware
• Reliable support options for device deployment and regular updates

Ideally, if you haven’t upgraded to Windows 10, you are missing a lot. This feature comes with almost everything that your computer will need to stay safe from any cyber threat.  It helps you to improve your device security by detecting any advanced attacks and keeping them at bay.

Windows 10 automates a response to attacks from any third-party devices, hence keeping your company private data protected always. You can also use Windows 10 Enterprise as an organization to offer legitimate and enterprise-ready tools to your customers.

3. Machine Learning

Machine learning is another key feature included in the latest version of Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 uses machine learning and powerful cloud intelligence. This makes it look a bit sophisticated but again more inspiring and convenient for those used to the conventional O365.

In M365, the Desktop Analytics features give you all the automation and insights that you need to keep updated. It helps you keep your windows up to date with the latest system drivers and software. This ensures your computer is safe from any attacks that you are exposed to when using older versions of apps and devices.

Depending on your requirements, there are a lot of machine learning features that you can choose.  Each machine learning tool packed in M365 has a separate license that you must accept to activate and continue using them.

Is Microsoft 365 Bringing Anything New on The Table?

The switch from O365 to M365 is not all about a change in the name. All the applications and features that you are familiar with on Microsoft Office 365 are still intact in M365 with the same name.

However, Microsoft has enhanced them a bit to make them more efficient and compatible with the latest technology.  The wide range of new features and new functionality that M365 has in store for you is the only reason why you should look forward to upgrading now.

The new M365 ecosystem comes with a wide variety of features that O365 users should look forward to having. There is a lot you should know before you can migrate to Microsoft 365.  Here are some insights on this productivity suite that you should know:

1. Solve all writing and editing issues

M365 comes packed with the new Microsoft Editor that will make your writing and editing more comfortable. Microsoft Office 365 had a lot of writing and editing issues.

Most O365 users subscribe to third party applications to improve their writing experience in Microsoft Word and other related applications. Microsoft 365 is now changing the whole story and making life comfortable for MS Word users.

Microsoft Editor has incorporated AI and machine learning to take writing and editing to the next level. You can use it to highlight a text and ask for suggestions to rephrase the sentence. It has solved issues on clarity, formality, conciseness, acronyms, and geo-political references.

Besides, it comes with a plagiarism checker to ensure you maintain originality in the content you create. If you’ve’ been struggling with text and editing in O365, you can now forget about this by migrating to M365.

With Microsoft 365, you have a professional text editor at your disposal, which makes your writing experience better. You can also opt for managed print services for a better experience with your document security.

2. PowerPoint now makes you a better presenter.

Public speaking is not that easy if you haven’t gone through a communication class. Many people make mistakes when addressing an audience – they utter more of ‘umm’ and forget to use the right tone when passing their message to a recipient.

With Presenter Coach, a feature that Microsoft has now included in M365, you can come up with the best PowerPoint presentations. You can listen to your presentation and find out if it fits your target audience. If your presentation is boring, you can edit it by picking the right words to express yourself in the presentation.

The Presenter Couch makes it easier for you to articulate complex concepts in your presentation by providing grammar suggestions that you will need to maintain fluency.

3. It now features AI-assisted Tools.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the most significant innovation of the 21st century, and Microsoft 365 is now including it in almost every tool it provides in the new productivity suite. Now, you can get unrestricted access to PowerPoint Designer and give your documents a preferred layout.

Just with a single click, you can pick from over 200 templates to change your Word and Excel documents to PowerPoint. It also comes with a unique and beautiful layout. The templates come with 300 unique fonts, over 8,000 photos from Get Images, and 2.800 icons to make your work easier.

4. Improved communication

Microsoft Office 365 migrating to Microsoft 365 means a lot to those who like to keep in touch with their friends, family, and colleagues through Skype.

Microsoft has made Skype even more reliable and useful. It now comes with the Meet Now feature that enables you to video call, anyone. With this feature, your recipient must not be a Skype user to communicate with you.

Additionally, Teams, the chat-based workspace in Office 365, is also seeking to improve your Skype experience by coming up with a feature that will make it easier for you to arrange for group and work meetings on Skype.

5. Improved parental control features

Tracking how your kids use their devices and access the internet has never been that easy with M365 at your disposal. The new parental control and security features in Microsoft 365 make it easier for you to control how your kids use their portable devices all from your end.

You can limit the time your kids spend on browsing the internet and playing online games. Most importantly, you can ensure your kids access the right content by blocking all adult content sites on their devices.

Microsoft 365 is the new version of Microsoft that any parent should be looking forward to having.  It makes it easy to keep your kids from accessing inappropriate content that may affect their emotional growth.

6. More in store for bookkeepers

There is a lot you will enjoy from migrating to the new Microsoft 365.  The new Microsoft Excel version now comes with an in-built household accounting feature to make your book-keeping hassle-free.  The leading fintech provider, Plaid, is the mastermind behind the new integrated feature.

Wait, there is still more that you will enjoy by migrating to Microsoft 365. If you find it tedious to read your emails every day, then M365 has you in mind. The new Cortana feature in Microsoft assistant will help you to read all your emails right from your Android smartphone.

For iOS users, Microsoft Search will now be able to recognize natural speech on your device, which will make it easier to search for information and operate your device without swiping or clicking the button.

You can also use Outlook to link your work and calendars so that you are always on time with your daily routine.

7. More rooms for data storage

Microsoft 365 ensures that all your essential data is available for retrieval. One Drive is now even better than before. You can use it for online storage of all your essential files.

In case your company system goes down, or you lose your device, you can still access your valuable and personal data. One Drive now comes with Personal Vault, a new feature that makes your stored data even more secure.

What is the cost of Migrating to M365?

Upgrading all your devices and company systems to Microsoft 365 is one of the easiest things to do. Microsoft 365 comes with different licenses like E3, F3, and E5 that you can choose.

Each version of the suite has unique benefits for you and your team. The most outstanding feature is that it includes Microsoft Intune, a full-strength device management feature.

Microsoft 365 provides you with all the productivity tools that your enterprise requires to move one step ahead of the competition. With all the positive things said about the new productivity suite, M365, you are probably wondering how much you’ll spend when you opt to migrate from O365.

Fortunately, M365 has everyone covered. Whether you are running a business and you want to improve your service delivery, you can opt for this new version of Microsoft Office. M365 comes with several plans that you can navigate through based on your preferences and budget. You can either go for monthly or annual subscriptions.

Microsoft 365 comes in different plans such as Microsoft 365 Personal, Microsoft 365 Business, and Microsoft 365 Family. The basic plan comes with applications such as PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, and Word. It also offers you Publisher and Access when using your personal computer.

The Microsoft 365 E3 plan goes for $32.00 per month for an annual subscription. The other package, Microsoft 365 E3 that comes with advanced security features, is available for $57.00 a month.

You can also subscribe to Microsoft 365 F for only $10.00 and empower your team with all the productivity applications they need to deliver the best. If you want to install M365 on your company systems, you can click here business technology consulting for more tips.

3 Main Reasons You Should Migrate to M365

Improve your team communication

You can use Microsoft tools such a Skype to communicate with your team members, colleagues, and family. Microsoft enables you to co-author on Word and PowerPoint or uses Outlook to share your emails. With these communication tools, you improve service delivery to your customers.

User-friendly suite programs

Microsoft has improved all the tools and applications you were used to on O365. All components of M365 are easy to access and user friendly. With AI-augmented in them, it becomes easier to use most of these tools to enhance your productivity. Most of the apps come with a help tab where you can ask any questions if you are stuck.

Many businesses are using it.

Millions of businesses are already using M365 to enhance their production, and you should not be left out. It is much easier to transfer your skills in using Microsoft 365 components from one company or business to another. If you migrate to Microsoft 365, you will be speaking the same language with those in your career path and industry.

Microsoft 365 Migrations with Sourcepass

There is a lot that comes with migrating to Microsoft 365. Apart from the many features the new product comes with, it also gives you the chance to improve productivity with the most cost-effective plans.

Microsoft 365 suite programs have some of the most efficient and user-friendly components you should look forward to having for your business and family. It is not all about a change of name but also a new functionality package you can be proud of.