There is nearly a consensus across the IT community that everything is shifting to the cloud. Microsoft’s Office 365 has become one of the defining pieces of the cloud and the antithesis of the onsite infrastructure 
that Microsoft would traditionally demand. Evaluating the transition to public cloud computing, or the transferring of your IT infrastructure into the hands of a third party, requires careful planning and consideration.
According to Microsoft, Office 365 delivers the optimal benefits of cloud productivity, and control with varying degree depending on the subscription that is right for your environment. “With the tools of Office 365 like Lync, Exchange and SharePoint, online meetings, video conferencing and digital note taking are possible, enabling employees to work as one to accomplish their tasks faster and easier,” said Byron Radar, general manager of Office division at Microsoft. Basically Byron was saying that office 365 is a game changer for companies, as it simplifies and revolutionizes the role employees’ play.
Air Canada serves as a great example of a 365 deployment. With an employee base of 27,000, it can be difficult to build connections and a culture of collaboration. However with the deployment of Office 365 throughout their company SVP, and CIO Lise Fournel of Air Canada said, “Many of our employees, including pilots, flight attendants and ground crew, don’t sit at desks in front of PCs but work throughout the world on a 24/7 basis, so we needed non-traditional ways to deliver IT services. We decided to go to the cloud… cabin crew members post notes to colleagues with tips to expedite boarding or handle unusual situations. Many use it to offer kudos to fellow employees or share their excitement about new aircraft. They even post pictures. And because our employees are a community of like-minded travelers, they also share travel tips, hotel recommendations and even restaurant suggestions for cities all over the world.”
If the office tools and the possibility of employees becoming more efficient, weren’t enough of a reason to take a serious look at office 365, Microsoft has just added two new tools that might help make the case.
ATP – Advanced Threat Protection
"As hackers around the globe launch increasingly sophisticated attacks, many organizations are seeking tools that provide advanced protection," said Shobhit Sahay, technical product manager for the cloud-hosted Office 365 team.
"That’s why we are pleased to introduce Exchange Online Advanced Threat Protection (ATP), a new email filtering service that provides additional protection against specific types of advanced threats."
365 MDM – Mobile Device Management
Microsoft is now offering free mobile device management (MDM) features for all commercial users of its Office 365 cloud-based services. However it is important to note that the free version has its limits.
From one user to thousands, Office 365 is looking to be the game changer companies have been looking for in productivity, and collaboration. Look for more details on the ATP and 365 MDM in future blog posts. If you have any questions or would be interested in looking at deploying Office 365 for your environment, please contact us or click below and we'll be happy to have a Microsoft specialist reach out to you.
