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Why business should consider Office 365

The software offers enhanced enterprise social capabilities with SharePoint and Yammer, says David Caygill, business unit manager at Comztek.


Johannesburg, 23 Apr 2013

According to value-added distributor, Comztek, while there has been much hype around Office 365, the software has now made its way into commercial use and is proving itself as a viable option for larger enterprises looking to make use of subscription-based software.

While Office 365 initially looked like merely a contender for the small business environment, David Caygill, business unit manager at Comztek, says updates to services is positioning the software as a real contender for enterprise businesses.

"Office 365 changes the way we think about technology, how we engage with it, and most importantly, how we pay for it," states Caygill. "What Office 365 doesn't do is limit you; it provides you with a host of features that you can select, turn on or off, and a mechanism by which to collaborate. With updates to Microsoft Lync Online, Microsoft Exchange Online and Microsoft SharePoint Online services, business needs to seriously start considering the use of it as a traditional Office alternative."

According to Caygill, the cloud services capability of Office 365 are a given, we know the service is sold on a subscription basis, and we understand it can be used across multiple devices. But, what else makes it attractive to business?

The answer lies in the software's enhanced enterprise social capabilities with SharePoint and Yammer, as well as the presence, instant messaging and voice connectivity that is promised by June and that will be available through Lync-Skype.

"Microsoft recently announced that one in five of its enterprise customers now use Office 365, which is up from one in seven a year ago. The difference is that Office 365 enables teams, in and outside of an enterprise, to collaborate and share data no matter where they are, on a ship, in a field, or split between remote offices. It strips away the notion of work being reserved for a physical environment, and is shaping people's thinking around being more virtual. This speaks volumes for the productivity that enterprises demand from their customers," adds Caygill.

Announcements around Office 365 ProPlus that includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, InfoPath and Access - delivered as a service, on up to five devices - is fast making it a viable enterprise solution. With ProPlus, IT departments can run it side by side with other versions of Office as well as manage updates for their users.

For the midsize business, there is now Office 365 Midsize Business, which is well suited for South African customers, where there are only a handful of enterprise customers and a larger footprint of organisations of between 10 and 250 employees. This iteration of the software includes Office 365 ProPlus, but also offers access to communication and collaboration tools with Exchange Online, Lync Online and SharePoint Online. It also has Active Directory integration, a Web-based administration console, and business hours phone support is also included.

"If I were to cite the top 10 reasons customers should use 365, they would be that it: gives access virtually anywhere; guarantees 99.9% availability, and is financially backed; reduces cost and provides flexibility; delivers enterprise security; keeps IT in control; minimises the learning curve; offers flexible plans that fit your needs; gives exceptional e-mail, collaboration and online meeting solutions; helps on-premises and online users to work seamlessly; and finally, it provides 24/7 support.

"With the additions made to the suite it is clear that Microsoft is mapping a path for businesses into the cloud with Office 365. It is available, easy to use, quick to deploy and it instantly provides you with the integration and collaboration your business craves," ends Caygill.

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Comztek

Established in 1995, Comztek is a leading distributor of high-value, high-demand, consumer and business technology products and solutions throughout South Africa and the African continent. The company's geographical footprint extends 25 countries, with its head office in Johannesburg and regional offices in KwaZulu-Natal, the Cape, Namibia, Mauritius, Zambia and an East African office in Kenya.

Today, Comztek partners with leading vendors across five technology silos, namely: Collaboration, Communications, Consumer, Services and Software, for enterprise, small to medium, as well as SOHO business and consumer customers. Outside of a team of highly skilled technical, sales, and channel experts, the company offers its resellers support by way of the Comztek Technical Service Support (TSS), SLAs, the Comztek Skills Service Agreement SSAs, and a 24-hour support line through a toll-free number.

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