Want to take a guess how many malicious emails Microsoft blocks every second? It’s a huge number. The company’s just released its latest security stats.
Luckily there’s a simple way to make sure your business isn’t a cyber criminal’s next victim. Watch this week’s tech update to find out what it is.
Many organizations opt for Android to take their office productivity to the next level. After all, they can provide higher flexibility, better workflows, and efficient communication.
All sectors in your business can even benefit from a high-quality suite of Android apps.
For instance, your account representative can use an app to update client information while on sales calls instead of making notes and submitting the information later. This can save a lot of time and can reduce errors that can occur due to extra steps.
Another great thing about these apps is that they help reduce paperwork. Your team won’t have to wait until they go back to the office to fax, print documents, and maintain hard-copy files. They can perform these tasks on the go with less effort, all while also lowering ink, power, and paper consumption.
Numerous companies have gained a lot from using Android apps on their team’s devices, and you can reap the benefits, too. You just need to integrate a powerful yet intuitive suite of apps.
To help you do so, this article will detail the three best Android app suites for boosting office productivity.
Unlike Microsoft Office (a one-time purchase), Microsoft 365 is a subscription service. With Microsoft 365, you don’t have to worry about paying full price when a new update rolls out.
Subscribers automatically gain access to new features, security updates, and tech support (at no additional cost). These can all be accessed through multiple PCs, tablets, smartphones, and Mac devices.
How many devices exactly? This depends on which Microsoft 365 plan you subscribe to. There are currently 4 business plans and 4 enterprise plans, so you can always tailor your subscription to optimise your return on investment.
Microsoft 365 is probably best described as a productivity hub. It provides much more than convenient access to the Office desktop apps that most people are familiar with: Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
Subscribers also gain access to a holistic suite of productivity-boosting features:
You can also consider pairing Microsoft 365 with other productivity tools like Windows 365 (aka “Cloud PC”) and Windows Analytics.
There is also the option of integrating third-party apps with Microsoft 365. In September 2021, Microsoft unveiled third-party integration options for Salesforce and Atlassian’s Confluence Cloud. They join other popular third-party apps like Slack, Mailchimp, Trello, and Evernote.
Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) is probably Microsoft 365’s main competitor. Subscribers gain access to a suite of communication and collaboration apps.
These include worldwide favourites like Gmail, Gdrive, Google Meet, and Calendar, as well as Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites, and more.
Google offers three business plans (Business Starter, Standard, and Plus) and one Enterprise plan (with custom pricing). Since you subscribe to Google Workspace on a monthly basis, there is more flexibility here. You can easily change from one plan to another each month if your business changes considerably over time. Furthermore, all Google Workspace plans feature a free 14-day trial. This is probably the best way to discover if a particular plan is worth the monthly price tag.
It is worth noting, however, that Google Workspace’s entry-level plan (Business Basic) only comes with a measly 30GB of storage per user. (Microsoft 365’s equivalent offers 1TB). Google Workspace’s Business Standard and Business Plus plans are nevertheless very competitive as far as storage is concerned. And both Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace allow you to buy more storage on a per-user basis if you exceed your current quota.
If your business needs specific apps that go beyond Google Workspace’s core and supporting apps, you can head over to The Google Workspace Marketplace. This directory of third-party apps contains hundreds of additional apps that are compatible with Google Workspace. For example, Dropbox, Trello, HelloSign, and MindMeister.
WPS Office can be a huge boon in your workplace, supporting nearly 50 languages. It’s free to install and consists of Spreadsheet, Presentation, and Writer. You can also purchase more features.
Unlike the other apps, WPS Office can even convert PDF to WPS and read Adobe files. This app supports several file types, including HTML, TXT, PPTX, DOT, RTF, and DOC. All documents are compatible with Google Docs and Microsoft Office.
Furthermore, WPS Writer lets you securely store your documents with passwords. You can also edit your files without the risk of data loss due to the auto-save feature. Additionally, the app comes with a spell checker, comments, and it can track changes.
That said, WPS Writer might be the strongest app for boosting office productivity on the Android platform.
While all three suites are an excellent choice for Android users, Microsoft 365 might be your best bet.
It delivers the tools necessary for fruitful collaboration, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint. The ongoing customer support is admirable, too, meaning you can overcome setbacks quickly. With that said, it is always best to carefully consider all your options before committing to a productivity suite for the long run.
Whichever app suite you choose, it is evident that addressing workplace productivity is pivotal. The trend towards digitisation has influenced even the most sceptical and change-resistant.
Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of remote and hybrid working across multiple industries and countries. While everyone is undoubtedly looking forward to a post-pandemic future where the virus has finally been vanquished, it is evident that a new paradigm of work, management, and productivity will also be at hand.
If you wish to increase your business’s productivity and profitability, give us a call today. We can have a non-salesy chat to work out how we can be of help.
This Article has been Republished with Permission from The Technology Press.
If you like looking at all the new features in your Microsoft Teams application, you might have noticed the walkie talkie feature in preview.
Maybe you’ve even tried it out on an Android device?
It seemed like a fun gimmick. Now Microsoft has rolled it out to iOS devices as well, meaning it can be used by every member of your team.
And we believe it has the potential to become a powerful communication tool.
Let’s look at what it is before we explore how you’d use it.
If you were alive back in the 1980s, you’ll remember real walkie talkies. They were the coolest way to talk to your friends on the move – long before we had mobiles, of course.
If you’re too young to remember the 80s, then go watch a few episodes of Stranger Things and you’ll get the idea.
With a walkie talkie you press a button to talk, and everyone who has a device on the same frequency as yours can hear you speak.
They can only reply when you let go of the button. And only one person can speak at a time.
What that gives you is ordered real time voice conversation between a group of people.
This new Teams feature works in exactly the same way.
There’s no need to call anyone. Like a real walkie talkie, you just push a button on your phone to speak, and everyone in your team channel can hear you.
It works on both Android and iOS devices, so long as they’re connected to the internet. It even works if your phone is locked.
Walkie talkie was originally created with front-line workers in mind.
The idea is that when you’re away from your workplace you can quickly and securely communicate without additional devices or being slowed down by the hassle of a phone call (which can mean going through a voice-automated system, or waiting for a mobile to be answered).
We can see this being useful for remote workers too. Doesn’t matter whether your team are in the office or working from home – they can have a voice conversation in real time, instantly.
Just like the old days when everyone worked in the same space.
Can you see how that would help your business?
Before you can use walkie talkie in Teams, you’ll need to make sure it’s enabled. Your administrator will need to do this in the Teams admin center – it’s really easy.
If you’d like us to help you set up walkie talkie for your business, just give us a call.
Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.
In case you haven’t heard, Microsoft’s increasing its subscription prices for Microsoft 365 in March.
It’s the first big price rise for a decade. And you can expect to pay around 20 to 40 per cent more.
In fact, it’s not just a price increase. Microsoft’s also changing the way it sells 365. It’s a complicated situation and there’s bound to be some short-term pain as we all get used to it.
Here are the basic details. You should talk to your IT support partner over the next few weeks to see exactly how it’s going to affect your business.
From March you’ll have a choice of sticking with the rolling month by month contract and swallowing the price increase. Or you can commit to a 12 month agreement.
The big benefit of an agreement is that it’ll lock your current pricing for a year. But there’s a downside – you’ll lose flexibility.
During your contract you can increase the number of licenses you use… but you can’t decrease them.
In real terms, that means if you take on more staff, it won’t be a problem to give them access to the essential business tools they need.
But if your headcount goes down for any reason, you’ll have to pay for the 365 licenses you no longer need.
You also won’t be able to move your Microsoft licensing to another IT support company during that contract.
The other option then, is to have a monthly rolling contract. You can add or remove licenses as needed, but overall, the price will be higher. For some businesses, that flexibility will be worth paying extra for, and better value long-term.
It’s worth thinking through your plans for the next 15 months before deciding.
If you want to talk through which option’s going to be best for you, do give us a call.
Published with permission from Your Tech Updates.
