How companies enhance remote work with Microsoft 365 Business

Mobile workforces are more productive than ever. Back in 2015, the “Global Mobile Workforce Forecast” report from a firm called Strategic Analytics predicted that by 2020 almost half of the world’s workers would be mobile. Obviously one the key enablers of that mobile workforce revolution is near-ubiquity of broadband in most major cities. Another is the availability of powerful (and relatively inexpensive) mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. But the lynchpin of mobile workforce productivity is the software and apps on those internet-connected devices—the best of which is Microsoft 365 Business.

Described as Office 365 apps plus Windows 10 Professional wrapped up in a suite of cybersecurity tools, Microsoft 365 Business is subscription service for businesses. The nature of Microsoft 365 Business as a single, integrated experience of secure and cloud-powered productivity apps means it is a universal toolkit for remote work. Here are three real-world examples of how your company can enhance remote working for your employees:

You can literally work from anywhere (and on any device)

Access and edit documents offline; when you’re online, the updated documents on your local device automatically synchronize with their cloud-based counterparts. You can even pick up where you left off on a document when switching between devices such as a laptop, phone, and tablet.

This is most obvious when using Microsoft Teams. Think of Microsoft Teams as a hub for corporate collaboration, providing easy access to information remote workers need to be more productive. Teams is amazingly well integrated with every Microsoft Office app that businesses use. A real-world example of this occurred when I was notified by email that I was assigned a task in Microsoft Planner, a task-management app in Microsoft 365 Business. Clicking on the task link, I saw there was a Microsoft Word document I needed to review. Since that document was shared in the cloud, I was able to open a real-time Team chat with the original writer and another co-worker who had done a pass on the same document. From inside that Teams chat, I was able to open the Word document and all three of us where able to co-author the document with ease. At one point, the author sent me an instant message that “it might be easier for me to explain in person” and then briefly spoke with me via the voice chat function to give me some context behind the document—like a phone call but it was all done from inside Microsoft Teams.

So, I was using my Surface Book in tablet mode while waiting to get on a plane, my co-worker was on her Windows 10 desktop PC in the office, and the author was on a smartphone at his home in a city over 2,000 miles from Amaxra headquarters. We use Microsoft 365 Business like this from anywhere and on any device almost every day. No other productivity hub we’ve ever used, including Slack, offers such a fully-integrated and secure mobile work experience.

You only need one login for all your devices

With so much data and information residing in the digital realm, cybersecurity is crucial. However, the problem is that we all have so many passwords across so many applications and most people are barely capable of remembering one password (it is not uncommon for small companies to use dozens of applications). To keep track, there is often a “master sheet” with all of those login credentials which can often become a security liability. I was told of a real-world example at a conference recently where a midsized tech company was using a shared Google Document with all of the various logins needed for employees in an entire division. How were they keeping the document secure? It was ‘hidden’ on the Google Drive under the filename of ‘Kenny Loggins’ because the author thought “nobody would ever think corporate logins would actually be stored in a document called Kenny Loggins.”

But with Microsoft 365 Business, every employee has a single login across all applications and devices. All employees at Amaxra with smartphones are required to have two-factor authentication for their devices. We were able to add this higher level of security across our entire organization with the click of a button. For all Windows 10 devices with compatible hardware, Microsoft 365 Business enables Windows Hello multi-factor authentication to harden your device and login credentials. Windows Hello uses biometrics to allow the webcam on your laptop, tablet, or desktop PC to unlock your device. Alternatively, you can unlock a device using either a built-in or add-on fingerprint reader. Either way, Windows Hello recognizes you then securely logs you into your Windows 10 devices in less than 2 seconds (that’s 3X faster than typing in any relatively-secure password).

You drastically reduce your mobile worker security risk profile

Microsoft 365 Business centralizes control of your company data—whether it’s stored in the cloud, at a computer at work, or on an employee’s personal device such as a tablet or smartphone. By applying consistent security configuration profiles across all of these accounts and devices, you establish a much higher threshold of cybersecurity than what most hackers try to cross.

In addition, you can add BitLocker encryption to Windows 10 devices used by your employees. BitLocker helps protect business data by ensuring your data is encrypted and accessible only by authorized people. For mobile devices with Office apps, the security features in Microsoft 365 Business keeps your employees from accidentally (or maliciously) leaking data to anyone outside of your organization. Amaxra uses the information protection features in Microsoft 365 Business to securely separate business data from personal information on devices. There have been instances when we even selectively remove our business data off a device without touching any personal information. This is a must-have feature for any company when someone leaves the organization.

An Amaxra-deployed Microsoft 365 Business solution amplifies productivity

Unlock the full potential of a mobile first workforce with a Microsoft 365 solution from Amaxra. Our consultants have real-world experience deploying Microsoft 365 for small to midsized businesses and large multinational organizations. We can help you get started with a plan that fits not only your exact business needs but your budget as well.

Migrate to Microsoft 365 Business before May 31, 2019 and receive 15% off per user per month for the next 12 months. Contact us today to lock in the discount.