Business owners often ask Red Level Networks president Dave King: “What is Office 365? Just the latest version of Microsoft Office with a crazy payment plan?” But as King explains, “Office 365 is not just a piece of software.” It’s a software suite supported by a set of enterprise-level services. This blend of software and service makes Office 365 a powerful solution, especially for mid-size and larger businesses.

Office 365 Is More than Software

Office 365 does include the newest version of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.—the familiar productivity suite that 90 percent of all businesses rely on. But unlike previous versions of Office, these programs are hosted and actively maintained by Microsoft. New versions are automatically installed with zero downtime. Your software and files are always up-to-date, and you can access them from almost any device with an Internet connection.

In addition to the productivity suite, Office 365 also includes hosted email, cloud storage, mobile productivity apps, and integrated SharePoint, Lync, and Yammer solutions for robust online collaboration and secure data sharing.

As King explains, “In the traditional model you’d buy some software, install it, and then wait three years until the next version came out to get the feature enhancements you need. With Office 365, versions are being released on a quarterly basis. They’re continually improving the product, all for one standard subscription cost.

This is commonly called “Software-as-a-Service” (“SaaS”) or “cloud computing.” Gmail, Google Docs, iTunes Match, and YouTube are all familiar consumer-grade cloud services. Cloud solutions are very popular because of their ease of implementation, constant upgrades, and accessibility: You get enterprise-level capabilities without maintaining an enterprise-level IT department. These services are available at any time on a wide array of computers and mobile devices.

Office 365 Goes Beyond Software-as-a-Service

But SaaS solutions often have severe limitations. For example, many of these services cannot be accessed offline—which is a major pain for business travelers, off-site workers, and anyone who is regularly out in the field working with customers. With Office 365, you can switch job sites and computers, and go from working offline to online, confident that your documents and tools are automatically staying in sync.

A more fundamental problem with many SaaS and cloud solutions is privacy and accountability: From credit card and contact information to extremely sensitive personal and health data, most businesses handle information that they must be able to reliably secure.

At one time, securing your business, employee, and customer data was simply a matter of protecting your office computers and local network. As cloud and SaaS solutions become increasingly common, regulatory compliance becomes increasingly tricky. Microsoft Office 365 is certified under:

• ISO/IEC 27001 information security standard
• The EU Model Clause (the European Union’s Data Protection Directive)
• HIPAA-Business Associate Agreement (the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
• FISMA Authority to Operate (the Federal Information Security Management Act covering government agencies and contractors)
• PCI DSS Level One (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)

Your Guide to Office 365

For most businesses, this is a very different way of approaching software. Red Level Networks has built their business around providing their clients with customized, hassle-free data center and offsite tech support solutions. As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Red Level is prepared to leverage Office 365 to create a tailored solution for your business.