All the businesses are trying harder to stay ahead of their competitors, and this competition has forced businesses to implement Microsoft 365 in their businesses. Migrating to Microsoft 365 can modify how you work. This solution will allow you to collaborate with the team members in real time. If you fail to migrate to Microsoft 365, it may cause an obstacle in your business, and you will fall behind your competitors. This shows how much Microsoft 365 is important for business productivity. After you have decided that Microsoft 365 is the best fit for your organization, search for Microsoft 365 partners who can assist you in deploying the support process. We know that selecting the best Microsoft 365 partner is a hectic process, as there are countless partners and resellers across India who offer Microsoft 365 for business. To sort out your confusion, we have brought some tips through which it will become easy for you to select a perfect Microsoft 365 migration partner.
In this article, we will understand the benefits of migrating businesses to Microsoft 365 and what factors you should consider when selecting a vendor when buying M365.
Main five benefits of using M365
Microsoft 365 has become popular, and all businesses have started using M365 to increase their productivity and efficiency. Millions of people are using it, and do you know the reason why? It is because it includes a lot of benefits, and some of them are:
1. Accelerate Collaboration
This is one of the major benefits that M365 has: employees can share files and documents better with the help of One Drive, SharePoint, and Microsoft Teams anywhere and at any time. This helps team members better collaborate with each other and provide better outcomes.
2. Improve security
All the businesses have started implementing that software, which has an advanced mechanism for protecting organizational data from cyberthreats. So, this is also one of the major reasons why businesses have shifted their focus to M365, as it includes features like multi-factor authentication and data encryption to secure businesses from cyberthreats. This will not only increase security but will also allow managers to relax regarding their business.
3. Scalability
M365 is scalable software that can allow businesses to grow according to their needs and changes. Either it’s a small or large business. M365 has the capability to cater to the needs of all businesses with its tools and services.
4. Accessibility
All the documents saved on one drive are accessible to the employees, even if they are working remotely. This accessibility feature has made the lives of businesses easier as it allows employees to quickly respond to new challenges and topics.
5. Integration with other Microsoft Products
The Microsoft 365 plan also includes other productivity tools like Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and many more. All these products help improve the effectiveness of the business. And the advanced feature of theirs lets businesses make strong decisions.
Steps to Migrate to Microsoft 365
Till now, we have learned about the benefits being provided by M365, and now we will see what steps are included in migrating your business to Microsoft 365:
1. Plan:
Planning is crucial before taking decisions, so before starting the migration process, Ask yourself how you will be able to run your business smoothly during the transformation of your business to Microsoft 365 products. This step will help you avoid obstacles during the migration process.
2. Select the perfect Microsoft 365 plan:
After planning, select which Microsoft 365 plan will suit you best, as there are different kinds of plans that cater to the different needs of different industries. Before selecting a plan, consider the number of employees, the kind of data, and the applications according to your requirements.
3. Organize your data and the applications:
Before you switch to Microsoft 365, ensure that you have organized your data and applications in a proper manner. And it also includes updating or removing an application that is not compatible with Microsoft 365.
4. Make use of Microsoft Fast Track service:
Microsoft Fast Track is a free service that assists users in planning and executing migrations to Microsoft 365. It consists of all the tools and expert support that help users switch easily to M365. It is commonly used by those who have purchased M365 from Microsoft, whereas those who have chosen Microsoft 365 migration from vendors get guidance automatically from them.
5. Verify:
Once you have shifted your business to Microsoft 365, ensure to check and verify that everything is going well as you expected, and if you are facing any issues handling your business through it, contact the vendor as soon as possible.
6. Give training and support:
As you have migrated to M365, it becomes important for you to provide training to the employees regarding the usage of the tools and services of Microsoft 365. For this, you can conduct workshops or create training materials that will assist them in increasing their productivity.
Tips to choose a migration partner
Selecting the right migration partner is essential, as it helps businesses accomplish their targets on time. Moreover, the right partner will ensure projects are moving on track, and it will also play an important role in moving businesses to great heights. There are many factors that you should consider before selecting the right migration partner, and some of those tips are:
1. Expertise and Experience:
Make sure the partner you have selected has in-depth knowledge and experience dealing with an industry like yours. The best Microsoft Partners will recommend you the best solution that will cater to all the requirements of your business and will solve all the queries related to what the company needs. Implementing Office 365 is a golden opportunity because M365 also includes EMS, that helps companies move forward and accomplish all tasks on time.
2. Offer a deep analysation of the data:
There are many Microsoft partners across India, and all of them provide different services while deploying M365. It becomes crucial for the one to choose a partner that will provide them with in-depth analysis of the data, and this can only be provided by those who have many years of experience. It is an important service for you as it will help you understand how the present data of yours will affect the kind of migration you are deploying.
3. After installation support:
Some of the partners do not provide any support to the businesses after they have provided them with Microsoft 365 plans. So before finalizing the deal, don’t forget to ask whether they provide after-installation support or not. If they charge extra for it, please don’t select them as your vendor. There are other vendors also in the market that provide businesses with after-installation support and charge no extra amount for it.
4. Have number of Microsoft 365 migration types available:
When you are selecting the right migration partner, first check which types of migration plans they are providing. There are different types of plans available according to the timeframe, budget, technology, number of users, and amount of data. It is important that they offer migration from a hybrid to staged migration. All of this will depend on how much data you need to migrate.
5. Find out whether the price is reasonable or not:
This is one of the major factors to consider while choosing a M365 migration partner. Though there are many resellers, to be ahead of the competition, every business may say that they are providing the software at reasonable prices, but if you have opened a new business, you may fall into a trap, and it will end up leaving you in guilt. Afterward, you may find that there are other vendors who are also providing the M365 at a reasonable price.
6. Offer a training:
A right partner will provide a deep understanding and knowledge to the new users, and it becomes the responsibility of the partner to offer training at no extra cost. By giving training to the employees, the partner is ensuring that all of the members have an efficient knowledge of using M365 correctly. Thus, it will increase their productivity.
Bottom Line:
While migrating to Microsoft 365, there are many risks as it becomes a complex process at the enterprise level. So, to ensure a smooth process during the implementation of Microsoft 365, it is crucial for businesses to outsource a partner who will help them at every step. Besides, there are a number of benefits, such as increased efficiency in IT departments, cost effectiveness, full support, and many more.
