Public cloud services like Microsoft 365 are great, but a common misconception amongst organisations is that once applications are moved from on-premise to the cloud, support, backup and maintenance are taken care of…
This is not the case.
In fact, you must handle both ticket requests and support issues, add and remove users, tackle billing and licensing, configure and implement the environment; not to mention manage the security, backups, and recovery requests, with only “how-to” articles and video tutorials to help you. You might not realise it, but cloud misconfigurations are by far the biggest threat to cloud security, causing disruptions and ultimately hindering workplace productivity.
When you combine these hurdles with the added difficulty in hiring and retaining staff that are able to handle management of your Microsoft 365 environment with no hiccups and zero downtime, it makes good business sense to consider Microsoft 365 as a managed service.
In this blog, we explore the top seven issues organisations face when implementing and managing Microsoft 365 and how these challenges can be alleviated by a managed service provider (MSP) like Daisy, where our specialists can handle the high maintenance and (potentially costly) work for you.
1. Return on investment (ROI)
The last thing you need after carrying out assessments, getting stakeholders to agree and then implementing a solution with as much potential as Microsoft 365, is a myriad of issues, errors, and complaints. You want a smooth transition which immediately drives value and ROI deeming the project a success as quickly as possible. Not only could issues and complaints harm the productivity and efficiency of your organisation, but they could also reinforce negative feelings towards change. In this fast-paced period of innovation, unwavering adoption of new tech is so important that organisations can’t afford to have key stakeholders drag their feet.
Microsoft 365 licence bundles are often complex with many features left unused, but by working with us as your MSP, we can advise on usage and features to help drive adoption within your organisation.
2. Expertise
With 95%1 of businesses struggling to find the right cloud talent and 90%2 reporting a lack of skills in multiple cloud disciplines, it’s no wonder many organisations are looking for a solution to this issue. In fact, more than 60%3 of organisations are turning to managed services to ensure they are using the latest tech and have access to the best in the business.
By working with us we will provide expert technical knowledge to ensure your Microsoft 365 suite which included over 40 apps and services is maintained and managed effectively.
3. Cyber security
Cloud misconfigurations are by far the biggest threat to cloud security, but once you’re over the first hurdle of initial configuration there is still active management and change to deal with.
Despite many wanting Microsoft 365 to be a set and forgotten affair, this is not entirely the case. With our managed service, you will work with a dedicated specialist and team to oversee all eventualities and react quickly to keep things running smoothly – which is better than having to call on staff late at night or over the weekend. Which brings us to our next point…
4. 24x7x365 support
Microsoft provides you with a basic level of online support for Microsoft 365 as standard, through “how-to” articles and video tutorials. When issues and errors start being reported, this often initiates the daunting task of having to resolve problems yourself by trawling through documentation without the proper knowledge or confidence to remedy the issue.
This is where working with us as your MSP can help take away the day-to-day burden of your already overstretched IT team, providing you with an easily accessible 24x7x365 service desk function for incident management, requests for change and service requests.
5. User experience
Seemingly routine tasks like adding users, or more complex tasks like configuring advance features all add up and can negatively impact productivity if done incorrectly. These things also affect your investment and are not normally accounted for in the initial business case assessment.
With us as your MSP, you have the option to ‘do-it-yourself’ and add licences and subscriptions via a simple and intuitive web portal, or you can sit back and let your us handle it all.
In the ‘do-it-yourself’ scenario, you have the flexibility to control your cloud estate easily and seamlessly from a single dashboard. You can add Microsoft 365 licences in just a few clicks, allocate them to users, and view event logs. You can also analyse billing through analytics and reporting, so you have complete visibility of your estate.
For those who don’t have the time or capacity for this, we will acquire the licences on your behalf and correctly assign and remove them as necessary from your account. What’s more, we will also provide general assistance for any subscription, licensing, and invoicing queries.
6. People cost and training
It’s easy to ignore the additional costs that come with hiring someone already trained in a certain skill – or for that matter, the cost of the training itself. Both the cost of the trainer and trainee’s time carrying out the training plus the administration costs of putting it together. These costs can add up quickly and there’s no guarantee of quality at the end of it. Is this really where organisations should be investing their capital?
We can provide consistent, high-quality training that is hard to replicate in-house. It’s our job to build trusted relationships with you by providing a highly professional and cost-effective training and education service that enables your users to get the most out of your Microsoft 365 environment.
7. Data Protection
A surprisingly large number of businesses believe that it is Microsoft’s responsibility to protect their Microsoft 365 data, this is not the case. This responsibility lies with you, to ensure you preserve and safeguard Outlook email, SharePoint, and OneDrive data etc.
As a reputable MSP we will include a backup solution for Microsoft 365 to provide backup and restoration functionality of your public cloud-based Microsoft 365 accounts. With us you get complete access and control of your Microsoft 365 data and no risk of unnecessary data loss.
Why us for Microsoft 365 Management?
Our aim is to help you get the most out of your Microsoft 365 investment with managed services and enterprise-class support. You have the choice of one of three support packages to fulfil a wide range of service level and budget requirements: Essentials, Enterprise and Enterprise Plus. Each of the options delivers key features to help optimise your IT resources.
Our team of experts will be on hand to guide you were necessary and will work closely with you every step of the way to help you determine which support package best meets the requirements of your organisation and the users within the business.
Sources
- Mckinsey
- IT Pro
- Global News Wire