So, picture the scene, I have just delivered a seminar about Microsoft 365 and have asked for questions and I get told …
“Well Clive, we use DropBox …”.
Now I do not have anything against DropBox or Google Drive or any other professional cloud storage system but let me tell you a few things about Microsoft’s cloud offering.
Microsoft 365 for Business
This article is about Microsoft’s business offering but many of the points apply to OneDrive, which comes with the personal subscription to Microsoft 365.
There are two classes of storage supplied with Microsoft 365 for Business for each user:
- SharePoint – company-wide cloud storage
- OneDrive – company owned cloud storage allocated to that user
SharePoint
This is a powerful tool for data storage, availability, authentication of users and authorisation of their rights to access that information. SharePoint and the Microsoft system also provide tools for accountability and compliance. However, to get the most from this you need to know how to set the system up. Your own IT team can do this, or Microsoft provides plenty of training material and online forums – or you can get some professional advice and help.
Sharing
You can share your documents from OneDrive and SharePoint. Anyone you share with will need a Microsoft account – and a Microsoft 365 license if they want to edit the document in the full desktop app. Nothing unusual there, nothing to complain about, I need an Apple account to use my iPhone and a Google account to access their software, so why be surprised when you need a Microsoft account to get the best from Microsoft software.
Obviously, people in your organisation will all have Microsoft licenses (if the organisation subscribes) and so the full experience of collaboration and real-time editing become available. We live in a Microsoft business world so most people will have at least a Microsoft account if not a 365 license of some kind.
OneDrive and SharePoint are not a backup
The disaster of losing data is reduced by keeping files in the cloud, but when your computer completely fails, is destroyed, lost or stolen, you will need a true back-up. Microsoft do have some recovery options for lost data but they state this is not a backup replacement.
A back-up that a professional organisation can rely on must be:
- Remote and stored compliantly
- Automatic
- Have retention
- Be monitored and managed
My professional opinion
Our team at Octagon Technology have been using 365 for years and have found it to be a flexible secure tool we can rely on. It enables our “work from home” and “work from anywhere” company structure to operate both internally for our business and externally to deliver professional IT services to all our clients.
Highlights:
- Works on any device
- It incorporates Authentication, Authorisation and Accountability
- Teams video meetings, calls and more – we were using this long before the current crisis.
Clive
Clive has worked at Octagon Technology since 1995. His special responsibility for data privacy and security is a commitment and promise he wants to deliver to his clients. Therefore, to understand these issues better and keep his knowledge up to date he is currently studying on a distant-learners course for a MSc in Advanced Computer Security and Digital Forensics at Napier University.
It has always been Clive’s ambition to deliver responsive and reliable technology. Therefore, he is always involved in designing, researching and testing technology solutions, particularly where more complex problems exist, to deliver the results their clients need.
Our offer
We can supply the range of Microsoft 365 products and we supply Microsoft 365 Business Standard for £9.40 per month (paid monthly not annually) and can add a professional, secure, cloud backup that is independent of Microsoft.
Our engineers are experienced in setting up systems for clients who all have different requirements, which we can understand and configure securely. We can do this remotely and safely – we were doing this before the current crisis, so we have the experience.
Check out the Microsoft page for what you get in Microsoft 365 Business Standard.
If you would like a video meeting with Clive to discuss how Microsoft 365 can work for you, or if you have any other IT questions, I would be happy to organise this for you.
Free Friday
We still have places left for the webinar tomorrow. Our Free Friday session this week is an introduction to “what if” analysis using a spreadsheet program. The session will start at 11am via Microsoft Teams tomorrow.
Very little prior knowledge is assumed, so come along and see how powerful this tool is!
Join us online and learn about:
- what effect small changes to your forecast make
- different scenarios
- version history
- practical live demonstration
This LIVE demonstration will last approx. 30 minutes and will be followed by the Q&A session.
Next week (5th June) we will be talking about the flexibility of creating an appointment in the Outlook Calendar. We will cover:
- Invitations
- Teams meeting
- Document collaboration
- OneNote integration
If you would like to join us online tomorrow and/or 5th June then please let me know and I will add your name to the list – kamila@octagontech.com
Kamila
General Manager
