Pros and Cons of Using Microsoft 365 In Dental Offices

Pros and Cons of Using Microsoft 365

Taking your dental office to the cloud can be a big step for businesses. However, the positives are undeniable. Not only will your organization be future-proof, but you will also enjoy the many benefits of using modern and updated tools and apps for your business.

One such tool or suite of tools is Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 is one of the many organizational, collaboration, and productivity solutions out there for organizations of all sizes. But before you jump the bandwagon, let’s find out if it’s really as good as people swear it to be.

Pros and Cons of Using Microsoft 365 In A Local Dentist Clinic

Just like any other tool or set of tools out there, Microsoft 365 is far from being perfect. As a matter of fact, the only way to objectively look at it is if you look at both its positives and negatives. That way, you will know if the solution is perfect for you.

Pros:

• Ability to Work Anywhere
• Secure Data Storage and Processing
• Easy Collaboration
• Pay for What You Need

Cons:

• Online only
• Compatibility issues with line of Business Applications
• Frequent changes may be overwhelming
• Most people use only a few of the apps/tools

Pros Of Using Microsoft 365

Ability To Work Anywhere

The pandemic has changed how we work. From allowing remote work to going full cloud-based solutions for businesses. One of the biggest changes is allowing workers to work anywhere – even from home. Due to being a full cloud-based suite, Microsoft 365 allows workers to work anywhere but still be connected to the rest of the team. This means that as long as a team member has an Internet connection, they will be able to access their emails, files, and Microsoft 365 apps and tools on any device. For businesses that rely on remote employees, have multiple locations, or have team members that travel a lot this can be a big game-changer.

Secure Data Storage and Processing

Nowadays, everything is valuable for people with criminal intentions. This includes both your customer and business data. That is why one of the biggest factors that affect the decision making of organizations is the level of security. Here are a couple of security features Microsoft 365 includes in their suite.

1. Encrypted email – Only the people that should read an email will be able to read it.
2. Mobile Device Management – Now that more and more people treat their smartphones as their secondary work devices, it’s not rare to lose important data through device theft or loss. Mobile Device Management allows your IT team to control all Microsoft 365 apps and tools in a phone to protect important data. With this, you can remotely wipe a phone of any sensitive data to prevent anyone from getting access.
3. Data Loss Prevention – This refers to a group of policies that checks and ensures all sensitive information (including customer data) does not leave your organization through normal avenues like email.
4. Advanced Threat Analytics (ATA) – ATA is a feature that uses machine learning and analytics to search out for and alert you of any suspicious activity within your network. This includes scanning emails as it enters your network to check for malicious links or attachments. If it sees anything suspicious, it will automatically inform you about it. In the case of a malicious attachment, the employee will still be able to receive and read the email but the attachment will be removed. This prevents any potential data breach issues due to human error.

Easy Collaboration

Working in a team often means working together on a project. With Microsoft 365, team members can easily collaborate on a project through its slew of tools. The best part about this is that there’s only one version of a file that will exist and changes are applied in real-time. You can also share a file and give other people direct access to the files instead of sending them over as attachments. So say goodbye to multiple copies of one file. Microsoft 365 keeps versions of a file in case you need to go back to an older version to see changes.

Pay For What You Need

The tiered pricing of Microsoft 365 is a big blessing for businesses who don’t have deep pockets. The subscription format allows businesses to only get a plan that has the apps or tools they need for the exact number of people within their organization that needs them. There are also zero hidden charges and you only get a bill totaling all the licenses you have availed for the month.

Cons of using Microsoft 365

Online Only

This is a common concern for cloud-based IT solutions overall. If you have no Internet connection (or a slow one) you may have issues accessing the apps and tools or your data. Microsoft 365, however, is trying to address this issue by allowing users to use their tools offline and once they get an Internet connection all changes they made update the copies online. For example, users can read, sort, and reply to emails without an Internet connection. As soon as they get back online, replies are automatically sent and every change made is applied.

Compatibility Issues with Line of Business Applications

A lot of proprietary or general line-of-business applications and tools may not be compatible with the latest versions of the Office 365 programs. The good news is that with a little bit of tweaking, you can use an older version of Office programs. This requires the help of an IT team as it can be a confusing task for a regular employee.

Frequent Changes May Be Overwhelming

When an employee or team member gets used to a certain tool, they might find it perplexing to see changes to the app or tool. While updates are almost always a good thing, it can be detrimental to productivity. This is true for some lesser-known programs but the most used ones receive frequent but small changes that most people don’t even notice.

Most people use only a few of the apps/tools

While not exactly a bad thing, it’s still worth mentioning. A lot of people who use Microsoft 365 only use a couple of tools or programs. usually, it’s just email, file and data storage, and access to the popular Office programs. While not exactly a bad thing, people often feel like they are paying more than what they are using.

You might have been convinced of getting Microsoft 365 for your business due to this article but the next step is not to go and sign up right away. If you want to maximize your usage of Microsoft 365 without wasting money, you need to talk to your trusted IT consultant first. This ensures that you are getting the right license for your needs.

If you are a dental office from Northern Virginia, Metro Washington DC, and Maryland and you are looking for an IT partner who can help you set up Microsoft 365 for your dental office then NOVA Computer Solutions is the team to call. NOVA has a team of professional IT support specialists with years of experience in assisting businesses of different sizes in setting up, managing, and troubleshooting Microsoft 365. Give us a call and let us help you and your business get ahead of the competition.