Microsoft 365 (Office 365) Consulting
Your company is ready to take the next step in your digital transformation journey, but you may not be completely sure how to reach your destination. You know that Microsoft 365 is the next item on your “to-do” list, but you’ll likely need a guide to help you get the most out of this experience.
This is where a team of IT experts specializing in Microsoft 365 consulting can step in to assist you in maximizing your investment, whether it’s during the initial transition or through ongoing support along the way.
Companies seek Microsoft 365 consulting services for the following purposes:
Helping move workflows to Microsoft 365
Ensuring maximum productivity and security from existing Microsoft Office 365 applications
Setting them up to securely use Microsoft 365 from anywhere
Inspiring them to adopt superior workflows based on Microsoft 365 features
Ensuring workflows meet or exceed industry and regulatory compliance standards.
What Are the Responsibilities of a Microsoft 365 (Office 365) Consultant?
An experienced consultant responsible for effectively delivering customized Microsoft 365 solutions is at the center of ensuring that the suite’s applications and infrastructure are implemented correctly.
Companies typically turn to Microsoft consulting services when they lack the appropriate resources and knowledge in-house or realize that they aren’t fully leveraging the platform’s potential. Since Microsoft 365 is constantly evolving and changing, you will likely need an expert who can continue to provide you with the latest updates and ongoing expertise even after a successful transition to the platform.
If you're looking for long-term strategic guidance and support, a qualified Managed IT Services Provider (MSP) offering recurring monthly services is often the best option, as opposed to a one-time project.
What Are the Most Popular Microsoft 365 Consulting Services?
The term "consultant" doesn't fully capture the role of the team of IT professionals who help companies like yours with Microsoft 365.
Here’s a brief list of the most requested services offered by Hipposoft:
Microsoft Office 365 Assessment: Our consultants conduct a thorough review of your internal processes to determine whether you’re using the most appropriate subscriptions and licensing for your workflows.
Microsoft Office 365 Migration: Companies transitioning to Microsoft 365 often use an older on-premise version of the Microsoft Office Suite or another data storage and collaboration platform. The process of migrating your data (emails, documents, spreadsheets, databases, etc.) from your current environment to Microsoft 365 is called “Microsoft 365 Migration.” This process requires careful planning and execution by an experienced team, as otherwise, data can be lost or corrupted.
Microsoft Office 365 Deployment: While an individual user can purchase a Microsoft 365 subscription and set it up on their home computer within minutes, deploying Microsoft 365 across an entire organization is an entirely different matter. With the scale of deployment comes an increase in complexity.
Microsoft Office 365 Optimization: Expert configuration of your Microsoft 365 environment and applications can be the difference between high productivity and efficiency loss. Hiring a qualified Microsoft service team to configure, automate, and integrate your workflows and Microsoft 365 features increases your chances of achieving your digital transformation goals.
Microsoft Office 365 Governance, User Management, and Security: Microsoft has built many of the necessary management and data security features into the platform. However, your IT team still plays a role in ensuring that user credentials are managed and that role-based data and workflow access is established and maintained.
Microsoft Office 365 Adoption: Employees are not always excited about learning new applications and ways of working. A Microsoft 365 consultant can help your team adopt and get the most out of applications like SharePoint, Power BI, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook, etc. This is achieved by demonstrating how Microsoft 365 will make their workdays easier and providing training to ensure they feel comfortable with the platform.
Microsoft Office 365 Management and Maintenance: Continuous monitoring and attention are required for any technology that supports your ongoing workflows. The same applies to your Microsoft 365 instance. Our team can provide security and operational monitoring, data backup tracking, and incident response services to ensure you get the best functionality and security from your Microsoft 365 subscription.
What Draws Businesses to Microsoft 365?
While Microsoft 365 does have downloadable apps that work on your devices similar to the old Office suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.), most of the advantages it provides to your company stem from the fact that it is cloud-based. Thus, the benefits of cloud computing are also the benefits you can take advantage of by using M365.
You can easily add or remove users to Microsoft 365 to reflect your company’s growth or market fluctuations. This scalability helps you manage both ownership costs and the rapid deployment or removal of Office 365 applications, as well as providing data access for employees. The mobility aspect is also a major draw for businesses seeking help from Microsoft 365 consultants. When your employees can do their work from home, on the road, or from remote offices, your business processes aren’t hindered by location.
Your company is likely part of the majority that is heavily reliant on technology and cannot tolerate prolonged unplanned downtime. With its 99.9% uptime history, Microsoft 365 ensures you can do more. Since Office 365 is cloud-based and built on Microsoft’s cloud architecture, much of the necessary cybersecurity management is handled by Microsoft. The IT security tasks left to the customer can be easily handled by an Office 365 consulting firm. Preventing data loss, mobile device management, email encryption, and more are tasks our team handles daily for our clients.
Does Microsoft 365 Work for Small Businesses?
Yes, Microsoft 365 is a great solution for small businesses. It offers all the advantages of Microsoft Office, such as easier connectivity and collaboration, but it is subscription-based, meaning you only pay for what you need.
This means that whether you’re working independently as a freelancer, have a small team of 5-10 employees, or are part of a global organization, the 365 platform can scale with you precisely over time.
