The 10 benefits of SharePoint Online

Working with Office 365 and SharePoint Online offers many advantages and smart solutions for your daily work. Curious about what these developments can mean for you? Read here about the benefits of using Microsoft 365 Services.

1. Manage Remote Users Easily

In a regular SharePoint environment there is no built-in method to share files with users outside the domain. This can be set up, but takes time and effort to realize and maintain. With SharePoint Online, it's easier than ever to give access to external users. Users can share sites, folders and individual documents with external users. All they need is a Microsoft Account linked to a business email address. It is also possible to generate so-called Guest Links, which give reading or editing rights without logging in. Access can be stopped at any time.

2. No more need for Network Share with OneDrive for Business

OneDrive for Business is a simple cloud storage space for employees. Anyone who has user rights to a Personal Site -which was first called My Sites- can access OneDrive for Business. This gives users 1 TB of personal storage space. This storage space is separate from the total SharePoint Online space. OneDrive for Business gives employees a personal place where they can sync and share documents and collaborate with people inside and outside their organization. This online place can be visited from many different devices. OneDrive for Business is integrated into Office products and can also be synced in Windows Explorer. SharePoint administrators can regulate users' OneDrive,

3. Always work with the most recent SharePoint version

In the past, Microsoft released a new version of SharePoint every 4-5 years, bringing a large amount of new functionalities to the market. With SharePoint Online and Office 365 there is a continuous release of new versions, improvements and new features. So you always work with the latest version that contains the latest developments, without extra installation or costs. Updates are always announced via the Office 365 Admin portal and are first implemented in SharePoint Online before they become available for local environments.

4. Access your email and documents anywhere

With Office 365 and SharePoint Online you are no longer tied to a device or network. Do you want to work from home, but have you forgotten your work laptop? No problem, just log in via Outlook Web Access and get instant access to all your emails or use SharePoint online to view important documents for your Skype for Business meeting. Or are you on the road and don't have full internet access? Sync your files to Windows Explorer from Sharepoint Online and any changes you make offline will be uploaded automatically as soon as you have internet access again. Ideal!

5. Upscaling and downscaling is simple

In Office 365 you only pay for what you need and only when you need it. You can add and remove users with the monthly subscription. This way you never pay for unused licenses. A new user is added or removed with a few clicks on the button in the Admin portal. The same applies to the storage space within Office 365: you only pay for what you need and in no time you can buy more data space if desired. Purchasing new servers or hard drives has become unnecessary.

6. Reliable solution

Save money with SharePoint Online! Of course, it is essential that a business environment is always available and works properly. Achieving this with the local version of SharePoint often requires a significant investment in the form of hardware and IT professionals. SharePoint Online, on the other hand, is more reliable and has more uptime than you can reasonably achieve with a local environment and requires less investment. If you have an issue -which rarely occurs-, you can create a Support Ticket via the Office 365 portal. You will generally receive an answer within one working day.

7. Convert CAPEX to OPEX

By making the switch to SharePoint Online, you can turn unpredictable investments into predictable usage costs. This creates financial space that can then be used for other important matters within the organization.

8. Good Security

Still unsure about how safe it is to move data to the Cloud? Microsoft has made security a top priority at SharePoint Online. For example, they do not reveal the location of their data centers and use multiple layers of physical security. They work with biometric security, motion sensors, continuous video surveillance and armed security at the data centers, among other things. Microsoft uses BitLocker encryption and secures data traffic with SSL over HTTP. Information Rights Management options allow you to make further encryptions and regulate access to sensitive data. Naturally, Microsoft has a very extensive backup system of many layers in its data centers. One of the important ways in which Office 365 distinguishes itself from other cloud solutions is that no mining is done and no data is used for advertising. The identity of users is protected, among other things, because a strong password is required for Office 365. In addition, multi-level authentication can be easily set up for one, several or all users. This way you always have control over access.

9. No more maintenance required

In general, IT departments have more than enough work. Switching to SharePoint Online frees up hours that would normally have to be spent every week on maintenance and improvements to the local SharePoint environment. This time can then be used to work on other projects that help the company move forward; everyone happy.

10. Use Office directly in the browser

With Office Online you have access to almost all functionalities of your desktop Office products, but in your browser. Open and edit documents from SharePoint or Outlook, view previews or search for your desired documents and much more. You can do advanced collaboration with enhanced co-authoring capabilities. It is no longer necessary to worry about Office licenses, because new licenses can be added or removed quickly and easily.