Office 365 administration tips from Andrew Soosai
You already know that Office 365 for Business delivers versatile solutions for teams and individuals. Teams collaborate easily across distance. Furthermore, individuals can begin work on one device and continue seamlessly on another. Office 365 administration also offers significant benefits that make your organization more secure and productive.
Consider today’s workforce. A growing number of employees work remotely at least part of the time. Hence, most use multiple devices to accomplish their work, from desktop computers to tablets, laptops and smart phones. Indeed, this complex environment requires powerful, secure solutions that are as flexible and efficient as the organizations they support.
Intuitive Office 365 Administration
For many organizations, moving to the cloud eases the burden on understaffed IT departments. In fact, Microsoft designed Office 365 administration for organizations without dedicated IT staff. A web-based portal allows administrators to perform setup and maintenance tasks from anywhere, whether adding users or adjusting settings for specific applications.
Version control, the bane of many an IT department, no longer causes headaches. Office applications update monthly to include all new features and updates. Compatibility issues disappear, as does the need to uninstall and reinstall software with every new version.
Built-In Security Options
With an increasingly mobile workforce, security tops the executive worry list. Significantly, a key Office 365 administration benefit involves robust security features built into the system. Some of these features include:
- Email encryption – Automated encryption allows users to send encrypted email messages to anyone, whether the recipient has Office 365 or not. Data is encrypted at rest and in transit, protecting both emails and stored documents.
- Mobile Device Management – Manage access to Office 365 applications for all mobile devices in the organization. For instance, you can remotely wipe Office 365 data from a stolen tablet to protect critical business information from falling into the wrong hands.
- Document sharing – Through the SharePoint and OneDrive Administration Center, administrators impose controls on how users can share documents outside of the organization.
- Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) – Using machine learning, ATP detects unusual behavior on the network and alerts you to suspicious activity. This optional service scans email for malware and links to suspicious websites.
Powerful Analytics
For organizations looking to take the next step in productivity, Microsoft offers an add-on that provides valuable insights into behavior. Workplace Analytics takes data from daily work in Office 365 and uses that data to track collaboration patterns. This option takes time and expertise to administer, but it can significantly boost productivity for teams and individuals.
While employees carry on their work without disruption, Office 365 gathers data in the background. Built-in dashboards allow administrators to visually track those patterns over time. In addition, custom reports can guide decision making and help teams collaborate more effectively.
Maximize Your Office 365 Administration Benefits
From simplified operation to multi-layer security and behavioral analytics, Office 365 administration takes businesses to the next level in efficiency and security. With a variety of packages available, Office 365 provides the versatility to meet your needs.
The experts at Messaging Architects can help your organization determine if migration to Office 365 makes sense. They can guide you through evaluating the applications you use already and determining how to tie those into Office 365 to achieve the greatest benefit. Make the call today and start down the road to greater productivity.
Andrew Soosai has been helping enterprise business, healthcare and government customers at Messaging Architects for the past nine years. As a Senior Technical Consultant, he serves primarily on project implementation teams. He loves the challenge of working in a variety of environments and enjoys helping customers reap the benefits of migrating to newer, more applicable systems.
