GroupWise powered collaborative messaging for corporations for thirty years. But new technologies provide features essential to delivering the efficiency and productivity needed in the modern workplace. Consider just a few of the compelling reasons to upgrade from GroupWise to Microsoft 365.
1. Increased Storage
For many legacy platforms, server bloat proves a significant problem. Employees send and receive hundreds of emails each day, often including attachments. Inboxes fill up quickly, and over time millions of emails and files require additional server space. Overloaded mail servers result in random crashes, poor performance and messages that fail to send.
Microsoft 365 helps to solve the problem, beginning with a generous 50 gigabytes of storage for each email account. Additionally, cloud storage means no more server headaches onsite. Organizations can increase storage with the click of a button and no capital expense.
2. Available Anywhere/Anytime
Many employees complete the bulk of their work away from the office. Some find themselves on the road frequently or addressing emergencies off hours. And an increasing number of employees have switched to working from home.
Fortunately, with data and applications living in the cloud, Microsoft users access their work from anywhere with an internet connection. And powerful cyber security options, such as mobile device management, ensure mobile workforce security.
3. Always Up to date
Remember the old days when IT had to manually install updates on individual PCs? Not only did the process eat up valuable time and resources, but multiple software versions posed challenges for file sharing. Now, Microsoft 365 updates appear automatically. As a result, users always have the latest version and can share files easily.
4. Improved Data Retention
Because Microsoft 365 stores data in the cloud, it provides critical protection for important data. If your PC dies as soon as you put the finishing touches on the project that took you weeks to complete, no problem. The file lives in the cloud, and you can access it from anywhere. Power outages and even natural disasters no longer need to mean lost data.
5. Powerful Collaboration
Microsoft specifically designed its Microsoft 365 suite to facilitate collaboration. Co-workers collaborate on documents and presentations in real time. And with embedded communication tools, they can switch from chat to video conference instantly, without leaving their document.
Microsoft Teams brings it all together, combining communication, content, and tools onto a shared workspace. Within Teams, users create channels for individual projects or topics. Hence, no more searching through endless emails to find the latest version of a file or the follow-up discussion from Tuesday’s meeting. Teams puts the information at your fingertips.
6. Expanded Search Capabilities
From any Microsoft Search box, users can search content across Microsoft 365, including Office apps, Windows, and Bing. For instance, a single search can deliver data from the internet, as well as shared files from Word and Excel. Users will only see content they have permission to access.
7. Powerful Intranet
Increase employee engagement with SharePoint home sites. Taking intranet to new heights, home sites allow companies to implement a customized landing site in minutes. The home site provides an official source for company news, while also allowing organizations to embed relevant content from Microsoft 365.
From both their desktop and their mobile devices, employees can view content designed for the whole company, reflecting the organization’s focus and message. Additionally, they will see personalized content relating to their team and current projects. This can include Yammer conversations, documents, team videos and even third-party apps.
8. Feature-rich Outlook
Former GroupWise users will find much to love when migrating from GroupWise to Microsoft 365, beginning with powerful Outlook features. Overall, Outlook delivers improved stability and speed and an intuitive user interface.
In addition, Outlook offers numerous features to improve productivity. For instance, when a team uses shared calendars, the Scheduling Assistant helps organizers find a time available for everyone. While options like the Focused Inbox and Do Not Disturb features help users reduce distractions.
9. Scalability
With Microsoft 365, organizations pay for what they need right now, adjusting easily to reflect company growth or seasonal work fluctuations. For instance, because you can adjust on a month-by-month basis, you can increase storage gradually. And you can add or remove user licenses with the click of a mouse.
10. Improved Archiving
GroupWise personal archives no longer keep up with modern business demands. Without constant vigilance, they can grow unwieldy, resulting in corrupted data and compliance concerns. In contrast, Microsoft 365 offers personal archiving. Thus, Outlook users can copy and move messages between their inbox and their archive mailbox, improving performance.
Migrate with Ease from GroupWise to Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 offers undeniable benefits. Still, migration from GroupWise to Microsoft 365 brings challenges that require careful preparation. The experts at Messaging Architects bring a wealth of experience with both GroupWise and Microsoft. We will help you navigate email migration challenges with minimal risk and configure your new system for optimal performance.
