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Overcoming the limitations of Office 365

POSTED ON

20th October 2018

The benefits of moving to Office 365 have been well-documented for a good while now. Microsoft’s all-singing, all-dancing business software now has more than 120 million active users around the world, with 50,000 small businesses signing up every month. Not only is it packed with productivity and collaboration boosting tools, it’s familiar too – revolutionising the way people do business without having to step too far out of their comfort zones.

But, like so many things in life, it’s not perfect. There are limitations to Office 365, like the fact that with so many different configurations to choose from it’s hard for the average business customer to know where to start.

Then there’s the security aspect. Ask most people why they’re hesitating about upgrading to Office 365 and you’ll get the same answer – security.

Microsoft might be the biggest name in the game, but they’re not immune to hackers. In many ways the software giant has been a victim of its own success. Customers want to get on board with the digital transformation, but developers are struggling to keep up with the cyber criminals on the lookout for new prey.

According to cyber security specialists ECSC, 50% of all new logged calls received relate to Office 365. With the GDPR still fresh in everyone’s minds and the first fines expected to be enforced by the end of 2018, it’s no wonder people are nervous.

More cyber-attacks are being reported every day, so how can you possibly keep on top of things like ransomware, email phishing and advanced threats?

The answer lies with third party solutions. By investing in some carefully chosen add-ons, you can enjoy all the benefits of Office 365 without having to worry about security.

Here are two of our favourites:

Mimecast

While office 365 already offers email encryption, it’s not always easy to use – particularly when it comes to decrypting messages. In order to ensure sensitive data can be opened by the right parties, organisations often need to pay for TLS (transport layer security) connections for their business partners.

Mimecast’s email encryption services have been designed to work in perfect harmony with Office 365 email, enabling organisations to share sensitive information quickly, easily and safely – without the need for any additional software or hardware.

Datto Backupify

Data loss isn’t always down to cyber criminals. Every day, thousands of files are  overwritten or deleted by stressed-out workers. Then there’s employees going off sick and taking their valuable data with them, leaving laptops on trains or breaking their mobile phones.

We might have been led to believe that in this day and age everything is automatically backed up, but it’s simply not the case. With Microsoft Office 365 there’s no guarantee that data will be backed up or retrieved if lost – and even if it can be, the process is often a long and complex one. Backupify goes above and beyond industry standards to ensure that all Office 365 data is safe, backed up and easy to recover.

We believe that prevention is far better than cure. We also believe that all users of Office 365 should be able to enjoy its benefits without putting their business-critical data at risk. To find out more about how third party solutions can help you make the most of Office 365, contact us today.