How Microsoft Office 365 Will Take Your Business to the Next Level

In today’s business world, it is important that a successful business owner have knowledge in all aspects of their company. This means being skilled not only at word processing and basic computer programs, but also customizing a successful website, designing a logo and marketing plan, and even how to use social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook .

This is where Microsoft Office 365 can help.

Office 365 is a suite of subscription-based cloud computing tools that allow users to view and edit documents from any device, communicate with employees and customers using Lync, share calendars using Outlook, design professional-looking websites for free, and even access the latest version of Microsoft Office online.

Migrating to Microsoft Office 365 is easy with an IT Company that offers migration services.

In this article, we will take a look at all of the tools that come with Microsoft Office 365 and how they will not only save you money, but help grow your small business.

Microsoft Office Suite

The first tool in this suite is arguably one of the most used products by any size of business; Microsoft Office. Well, now it’s available to all businesses, especially those with a small IT staff.

Office 365 comes with the latest version of Microsoft Office 2013 , which includes all of the great features you’ve come to love including creating and editing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations; along with newer tools such as Outlook 2013 , OneNote notebook software (which allows users to take notes and organize them online), and the cloud-based file storage system SkyDrive .

All of these Microsoft Office tools can be accessed via your computer, tablet or smartphone. Even if you only have one computer with Office installed on it, the rest of your employees will be able to log in online and work on their documents. So even if you are working late at the office and send an important document via email to your employee, that person can work on the document at home and return it before the deadline.

Site Creation & Cloud Storage

You may wonder, “If Microsoft makes some of the best website creation software on the market, why do they need to create a tool specifically for small businesses?” The reason is that the latest version of Microsoft Sites is not only targeted for small businesses, but also allows you to create and edit sites from any device.

This means your employees can easily update their company blog or add new products without having to wait for IT support or even pay an expensive monthly fee to a web developer. The best part is that this tool is offered free of charge with Microsoft Office 365 , and includes a site hosting plan featuring 10GB of storage.

Collaboration Tools

The new version of Microsoft Lync allows businesses to not only communicate with customers, but also collaborate online. This means all members of a business team can chat or have video conferences using this web-based application. You no longer have to purchase multiple copies of Lync for everyone in your company, and it also allows you to integrate existing programs such as Skype .

Another collaboration tool is Microsoft SharePoint , which is an online version of the popular file collaboration platform. With this subscription plan, you get 1GB of storage plus additional features including content management tools and document sharing. Many companies use Microsoft SharePoint to create intranets for their employees, and it is the perfect way to keep projects organized .

Business Smartphone Apps

For businesses that want a smart office without costly upgrades, Microsoft has partnered with many major manufacturers including Samsung , Nokia , HTC , and HP just to name a few. These smartphone manufacturers have created smartphones running Windows