Drive your business to success with the Cloud

You have made the transition to Cloud computing, so now comes the harder task – getting the best possible results you can from it.

Whether you have adopted the Cloud just in an attempt to keep things modern or because old servers were desperate to be replaced it is now essential that you use it to its full potential. Microsoft 365 is the best way to do that, because it can help you increase productivity amongst your team as well as help move the business forward in the modern age.

All businesses have different challenges they must overcome but all share two; document management and communication. Both concerns have grown in severity since the sudden change to remote working which many businesses underwent.

As we explained briefly in the previous blog in the series, most have only discovered just a small percentage of what is possible within Cloud services.

We will now explore some parts of the Cloud that you may not know so much about to help you get more value from these tools. We will share our opinion on three key features that we believe to be a must, the advantages of those features in 365, and what they have to offer within the Cloud to assist you in providing an effective, efficient, and productive working platform for your team.

OneDrive

OneDrive is essentially your personal space in the Cloud where you can organise files and folders and is typically personal to you It is at the very core of the Cloud’s capabilities; it is a platform that allows you to store and access individual files from anywhere. The best features of OneDrive are that you can do it all through the browser, and, instead of having to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network), you can easily access files through a shared folder based in the SharePoint library.

SharePoint

Again, we touched on SharePoint in Microsoft 365 briefly in our last article, so now let’s really explore it in detail.

SharePoint in Microsoft 365 is designed for businesses of all sizes. Any business can subscribe to a Microsoft 365 plan and include it as part of their subscription so there is no need to install it on-premise. It makes it possible for your team to share documents and information with colleagues, partners, and customers alike, from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. Let’s break down some of the reasons why SharePoint is so good now, rather than just list what it is for.

1. Improved data management

Today’s workforce is surrounded by data every step of the way from it’s inception to the finished service or product you are aiming to achieve. Most of this data consists of emails, or, if not, then it’s customer support requests, marketing reports, and other documents. When an attempt is made to organise everything this can create an overwhelming working experience. Yes, you can create a file system on your desktop to keep track of your documents and that’ll work, but what if one of your remote workers needs access to a file to complete their role? There will be no way for them to gain access.

The data that your organisation receives varies and comes in different formats, from different sources, about different subjects, and belongs to different teams, so it is no wonder it can be impossible to organise and keep track of when trying to do this manually. SharePoint makes it possible to take control of the exact data you need – meaning there is no longer the need for you to sift through everything else to find what you need.

2. Collaboration

Team size is irrelevant in the modern world of work. Whatever the size, it is essential that your team know how to communicate and collaborate as effectively as possible. If they don’t then the ramifications could mean failure for your entire organisation. It can be difficult, for example, when one member of your team sends a document over to another member for review and then remembers that something needs adding to the document. You now have the predicament of neither the sender nor the recipient knowing which is the most up-to-date version of the document. There are version controls in SharePoint as standard – it will track every single edit made to a document, the time it occurred, and the person responsible.

Microsoft Teams

Teams – The Teams function in Microsoft Teams – they could have chosen a better name, I know – allows communities, groups, or teams to join through a specific URL or invitation that must be sent by either a team leader or administrator. Teams in Teams is designed as a place for everyone to consolidate their information and go to for client information.

Channels – Within a Team in Teams, members can set up Channels – yes, I know it’s getting more confusing. Channels are conversations that allow team members to communicate without having to use emails or a group message. Users can reply to Channels posts with text as well as images, GIFs and custom-made memes, allowing for serious work chat or light conversation between colleagues, depending on the Channel.

Chat – Chat is – surprisingly – a place to Chat. It allows for a place for users to have an informal chat with emojis, or have a serious work conversation, and is a one stop shop for all styles of communication. Within Chat you can flag a message as important or urgent for your colleagues and – impressively – can file share. Being able to do all of this in one easy-to-use place is invaluable to a business.

These are just a few of the reasons how using Microsoft Teams can really help you to use your Cloud platform to its full potential.

Microsoft Teams is by far one of the most popular Cloud tools on the planet. A combination of its friendly interface, its document management capabilities, and the communicative possibilities it allows, makes it a simple choice for most business owners.

365 and the Cloud

4TC take time to understand the daily challenges that your business faces. We then provide cost-effective tech solutions to these issues that will help you save time, protect vital data, and enable you and your staff to be more effective with your time management. We will ensure that your staff are using the technology at their disposal in a way that works for them, whilst making sure that they are educated on how to use it as productively as possible. The right Cloud solution has the power to revolutionise your business forever – utilising your IT to its full potential is essential to guaranteeing that you and your business can thrive and grow into the future. If you would like to find out more on how 4TC Services can provide affordable tech management for your business, drop us an email or call us now for a full demonstration.