Microsoft’s flexible approach to Exchange, SharePoint, Lync, and Office means each business can get the right mix of cloud and local for its needs.
Ask people what Office 365 is and you’ll get various (and most likely incorrect) responses. One of the reasons for the confusion is that Office 365 today is not what it was at release. Office 365 has multiple sides to it, and “your” Office 365 depends on your needs and the plan you choose. Knowing your options is essential to making wise choices for your environment.
Office 365 is a software plus services offering that provides office applications and related services to its subscribers.
Microsoft recently rolled out three new Office 365 plans for small and midsized businesses. They are Office 365 Business, Office 365 Business Essentials, and Office 365 Business Premium.
Here’s how the new plans break down:
- Office 365 Business Essentials, which includes email and calendaring (Exchange Online); online meetings, instant messaging and video conferencing (Lync Online); team sites (SharePoint Online); 1 TB of free OneDrive for Business cloud storage, and Yammer enterprise social-networking support. It doesn’t include any downloadable Office apps. It will cost $5 per user per month, or $60 per year.
- Office 365 Business, which includes the full set of locally installable Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Publisher) for up to 5 PCs and/or Macs per user; and 1 TB of free OneDrive for Business cloud storage. It doesn’t include Exchange, Lync or SharePoint online. It’s just the software (and storage) sold as a subscription. It will cost $8.25 per user per month, or $99 per year.
- Office 365 Business Premium, which includes the full set of locally installable Office applications for up to 5 PCs and/or Macs per user; Exchange Online; Lync Online; SharePoint Online; Yammer enterprise social-networking; and 1 TB of free OneDrive for Business cloud storage. It will cost$12.50 per user per month, or $150 per year.
Brand-new Office 365 customers can buy these plans now. For existing Office 365 small business customers, Microsoft is planning to move users during the next year (or so) from the current Office 365 plans — Small Business, Small Business Premium and Midsize Business, which cost $5, $12.50 and $15 per user per month, respectively.
Interested in a free trial? Techno Advantage is your expert resource for all things Office 365.
Click here for more information or call us today to discuss how these software packages can change the way you do business! 317.857.0150
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