If you work for or manage a business who relies on email or Microsoft Office to get things done, then you’ve probably heard about Microsoft’s Office 365. And if you are in the Architecture/Engineering/Construction world, we know for a fact that you depend on those business applications to do your job. You and your team have probably been using applications like Microsoft Outlook to manage your email, calendar and contacts, Microsoft Word to create agendas for your meetings, Microsoft Excel to keep track of your budget and Microsoft PowerPoint to put together that perfect client presentation. But if you haven’t made the move to a more flexible, cloud-based solution to utilize these business applications, then you are missing out on the most productive way to collaborate, communicate and create in today’s modern workplace.
Microsoft 365 brings together Office 365, Windows 10, Enterprise Mobility and Advanced Security. It delivers a complete, intelligent solution to empower employees to be creative and work together, securely. This subscription-based model allows for businesses to easily manage their Office licenses, users have access to the latest versions at all times for upgrades, you only have download the applications you need, your team has access and share files online and on the go, and email up-time that far exceeds any platform you’ve been on before. And when you are an Architecture Firm and you are waiting on that file to be emailed to you so you can put it in the presentation that starts in 10 minutes, or you are a Construction Firm on the job site waiting for a change order to come through, or an Engineering Firm on the go who needs to access those drawings again, you need that level of dependability and flexibility.From your IT Director’s or your IT Provider’s perspective, not having to manage an on-premise Exchange server of mailboxes reliant on that servers health, networking health and general internet connectivity is a game changer. Plus, no more major potentially-painful Exchange upgrades and costly migrations. Once you’re utilizing Office 365 for your email management, you are free to utilize the latest version of Outlook as you see fit for your firm.
As a Microsoft Partner with both Gold and Silver Competencies, we have experienced almost every Exchange and Office 365 environment out there. Firms who have merged and need to manage both domains under one roof, outdated on-premise environments who are ready to embrace the cloud, firms who are using consumer-level email to run their business and are ready to move their team forward, and everything in between. We’ve compiled a list of FAQs we’ve collected over the years to help your firm as you’re making the move to Office 365.
So What is Office 365?
Office 365 is an integrated experience of apps and services, designed to help you pursue your passion and grow your business.
- Get apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more, updated monthly with the latest features and security updates.
- Use cloud-powered email to reach customers and coworkers wherever work takes you.
- Collaborate in Microsoft Teams, the new hub for teamwork where you can chat, organize meetings, and share files.
- Save files to OneDrive with one terabyte of online storage, allowing access across devices and on the go.
- Run your business with the Business Apps, empowering you to manage customer scheduling, invoicing, referrals, and more, all from one place.
How reliable is Office 365?
All Office services are available with a 99.9% uptime, financially backed, service guarantee.
What Version of the Microsoft Applications do I get?
With an Office 365 subscription, you get the latest Office apps—both the desktop and the online versions—and updates when they happen.
What devices can I install Office 365 on?
Office 365 Business, Business Premium,ProPlus, E3 and E5 subscribers can install Office on up to 5 PCs or Macs, 5 tablets, and 5 smartphones. Includes Windows devices, Mac, iPad®, iPhone®, and Android™
Can I save and share my files in Office 365?
OneDrive makes the work you do available to you from anywhere—and to others when you collaborate or share.
Does Office 365 support domain-based email addresses?
You can add the domain name you own to Office 365 to create domain-based email addresses.
What are some of the plans and per users costs in Office 365?
Our most popular plans for our Architecture Firms, Engineering Firms and Construction clients with the email functionality include:
- Office 365 Business Premium (Retails for $12.50/user/month. Consuro pricing is $11.88/user/month, offering a 5% discount)
- Office 365 E3 (Retails for $20/user/month. Consuro pricing is $19/user/month, offering a 5% discount)
- Office 365 E5 (Retails for $35/user/month. Consuro pricing is $33.25/user/month)
- We also commonly add additional licenses to these plans such as Advanced Threat Protection ($1.90/user/month additional)
How can I purchase licenses?
Consuro is what Microsoft calls a Tier 1 Cloud Service Provider (CSP) Partner. We have a direct relationship with Microsoft to handle the procurement process of all Office 365 licenses (excluding government, education and non-profit licenses) and act as the first line of support for Office 365 should any issues or outages arise. Email us at sales@consuro.com or call 877-877-9876 for a migration and licensing quote.
What if I currently have Office 365 licenses but I want to purchase them through Consuro instead?
We commonly have clients switching from other Office 365 resellers to Consuro, and the process is easier than you think! Whether you are with a larger firm like AT&T and are frustrated with the lack of human interaction and flexibility or you have gone separate ways with your local provider, engage the Consuro team and we can send you a Reseller Authorization Link and work with you to transfer the licenses to our management. You’ll still have access to your Office 365 Admin portal, you will just receive your monthly bills from Consuro and reach out to our team to add, remove or change license quantities.
We commonly have clients switching from other Office 365 resellers to Consuro, and the process is easier than you think! Whether you are with a larger firm like AT&T and are frustrated with the lack of human interaction and flexibility or you have gone separate ways with your local provider, engage the Consuro team and we can send you a Reseller Authorization Link and work with you to transfer the licenses to our management. You’ll still have access to your Office 365 Admin portal, you will just receive your monthly bills from Consuro and reach out to our team to add, remove or change license quantities.
What is the term licenses commitment for Office 365 licenses?
At Consuro, we offer Office 365 licenses to our clients on a monthly basis. This makes it easy to purchase what you are actually using at the time with the freedom to add licenses as you grow (reflected on your next month’s bill) or remove any licenses should you downsize. No more expensive, annual renewals where you are also playing the guessing game as to how many licenses you might need that year.
What if I purchase a Business Premium License for a few users and want to switch them to E5?
No problem!! If you need to upgrade (or downgrade), you can transition your users to a different plan at any time.
Can I mix and match different Office 365 plans?
Yes, you can mix and match Office 365 plans. Please note that there are some license limitations at the plan level. The Office 365 Business, Business Essentials, and Business Premium plans each have a limit of 300 users, while the Enterprise plans are for an unlimited number of users. For example, you can purchase 300 Business Premium seats, 300 Business Essentials seats, and 500 Enterprise E3 seats on a single tenant.
Can I purchase Office 365 add-on services to supplement my business subscription?
Many customers purchase a business SKU and then depending on their need they can choose to buy any number of add-on Office 365 Services to round out their Office 365 implementation. Available add-ons include Advanced Threat Protection, Advanced Compliance and Audio Conferencing.
How to I migrate my current email to Office 365?
As a Microsoft Gold Partner, Consuro specializes in migrating your email to Office 365, whether you currently manage an on-premise Exchange Server, are with Google’s GSuite or Gmail, with a hosted-solution like Rackspace, or other mail solutions. Migrations are usually turn-key, offering our clients the knowledge transfer they need to manage their Office 365 environment, end-user portal training and additional Advanced Threat Protection/Security training as well. Email us at sales@consuro.com or call 877-877-9876 for a migration and licensing proposal specifically for your business.