Editor’s note: IT in Canada has invited Microsoft, as a sponsor of the Cloud Insights website, to provide us with content that can help our readers to better navigate cloud options. The following article contains links to Microsoft resources; additionally, we have placed a Microsoft whitepaper – Security in Office 365 – in our downloads section; you can access it by clicking here, or by clicking on the Downloads link located on the horizontal navigation bar at the top and bottom of this page.How does Microsoft know what customers need, and what we can do to help? Twice a year, through "The Global Relationship Study," we contact customers to see how we're doing and what Microsoft could do better.
One of the areas that came up in the last survey was Cloud Computing. There’s a lot of confusion out there about what the cloud is and what it can do for your organization. When it comes to cloud computing, you may already be using it without knowing. As consumers we use the cloud every day with services like
Hotmail or other web-based email service, social media like Facebook and LinkedIn, and as the ability to view, edit and share document on
Windows Live SkyDrive using
Office Web Apps.
A great way to transition your business into Cloud Computing would be to start with applications. Microsoft has two Cloud apps that will help you with that transition, as well as help your organization reduce costs and set you up to grow further into the cloud in the future.
Microsoft Office 365- Microsoft Office 365 is a personal favorite of mine and includes cost-effective yet enterprise-grade hosted email through Exchange Online, a full collaboration platform with SharePoint Online, and the ability to easily communicate with your team anywhere in the world through Lync Online.
- It’s also a pay-as-you-go subscription service, meaning a smaller cost spread over each month instead of a large upfront payment helping you budget more effectively.
- You can try it free for 30 days to experience it for you and your team.
