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Phaniraj DJ - PeerSpot reviewer
General Manager at TT Systems LLC
Real User
Top 5
Flexible product with an easy setup process
Pros and Cons
  • "The product is flexible and easy to use."
  • "Microsoft 365 Business’s stability needs improvement. There are a lot of system downtimes. It could work better."

What is our primary use case?

We use Microsoft 365 Business to carry out work operations with the help of Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, and all the other features.

What is most valuable?

The product is flexible and easy to use.

What needs improvement?

Microsoft 365 Business’s stability needs improvement. There are a lot of system downtimes. It could work better.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Microsoft 365 Business for three to four years.

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft 365 Business
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft 365 Business. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the product’s stability a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have more than 400 Microsoft 365 Business users. We use it extensively. I rate its scalability a ten out of ten.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. It takes two months to complete the process. We encounter some challenges regarding data backup and migration from existing and new systems. Thus, we use some third-party tools for the same.

What about the implementation team?

We implement the product in-house.

What was our ROI?

The product generates a return on investment in high availability, expandability, and flexibility. We can do the work in less time.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The product’s price could be improved. There are additional costs involved apart from standard licenses.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We have evaluated Linux-based products before. But eventually, we went with Microsoft 365 Business.

What other advice do I have?

It is a good platform. I rate Microsoft 365 Business a ten out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Director Comercial at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Onscreen help and an improved user interface make this suite an improved standard business solution
Pros and Cons
  • "The interface is now more user-friendly than the previous versions of Microsoft Office."
  • "Bandwidth usage is not always the same depending on the network connection."

What is our primary use case?

I am not a technical person, I am from the sales side and more on the commercial side of things. Our company is in Mozambique and we are the main Dell EMC repair center and service provider.  

My main use case for Office 365 is really to type documents with Word, to prepare presentations with the PowerPoint, and also to do spreadsheets with Excel. The product in the suite that I use the most is Word. PowerPoint and Excel to a somewhat lesser extent. But I do use all three frequently.  

We also resell the product so we do deployments for our customers as well.  

What is most valuable?

With Office, the interface is now more user-friendly than the previous versions of Microsoft Office. The functionality and ability to work offline are also great. There are more helpful tools in the interfacer now. For example, if you are working with Excel and you are typing a formula, Office 365 gives you tips as you work if you do something wrong. It will identify what is wrong and then you can apply the corrections. Things like that make the product more intuitive and helpful. The previous version did not have that kind of help to this extent. So, the most valuable features are the ability to work offline, the ability to have tips when writing formulas, and the improved more user-friendly interface.  

I believe one thing I enjoy more about the experience of using the product is that it now the basic features that I use most frequently are easier to find, access, and manage. This helps to make my work easier and speed up productivity.  

What needs improvement?

Microsoft could still work on the bandwidth used with Office 365. It does not seem to behave the same depending on the networks that I am working on. Sometimes I can tell the program uses more or less bandwidth and actually measure the difference. I believe that this can be enhanced to be independent of the network that I am working on. The bandwidth consumption should always be about the same.  

Some features of specific products could be more user-friendly. For instance, in Excel, some functionalities like the Pivot tables are not always so easy to use. Right now if you want to create a new formula, you need to have some knowledge about programming in Visual Basic. It does not seem to me that this should be a requirement. So you can type a command and then set up a new formula that is not listed on standard functions supplied with Excel. For users who do not understand the basics of programming and VBA, that really becomes an impossible mission. They may know that they can create a formula and what they might want it to do but they do not know how to do it. So if they do not find the formula in what is provided, then they really have to forget using Excel for that type of solution. If they knew how to do the programming they can do virtually anything through Excel, but they need to have the ability to do the programming and develop the formula. It does not really have to be that way. Microsoft could expand those capabilities.  

One final issue we have has to do with the backups. Microsoft does not assure the backups of the information that you store at their data centers. So besides deploying Office 365 as a solution, you also need a backup solution specifically for Office 365 on the cloud. We definitely recommend Office 365, but unfortunately in our country — specifically for the public companies — it is not easy to sell because we have some strict policies and regulations regarding data. Public companies cannot store information outside of the country. So, since Microsoft Office 365 is a Cloud product some public companies can not go for that option. They still have to work with previous versions of the product. Private sector companies do not have this type of restriction. We can only recommend the product when interested customers can do it within the proper guidelines.  

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Office 365 for about one year now.  

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Office 365 is a stable product. Besides the issues with the bandwidth use where sometimes the product uses more bandwidth depending on the network, it performs well and it is very stable and very reliable.  

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have done sales and installations for SMBs (Small and Medium-sized Businesses) as well as for enterprise companies. The issues with scalability would be budget and Internet bandwidth. If the money is there it is not an issue.  

How are customer service and technical support?

My technicians deal with Microsoft support if they have to. Mostly they will take care of issues themselves. They have a dedicated contact and a direct portal for support purposes. So that is great. If a technician needs to open a ticket for a customer, the technician can open himself and go straight to the support portal to log the tickets and carry on from there. In terms of response time, I am not exactly sure because I am not directly involved.  

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously, I was using Microsoft on a version from 2016. So it really is not a complete switch of products as it is still the Microsoft solution. It is just a newer version.  

How was the initial setup?

I do not think the installation was easy but that is because we have around a hundred users. I did not manage the installation, but I heard from the technical guys that it is generally easier than the previous versions. We signed an enterprise agreement with Microsoft. With that, we got the keys and we got the centralized management panel from where we deploy the Office on all the endpoints. So this made it easier. For the previous versions, the technical guy had to go to each user machine to make the installation through a compact disc. But with volume licensing installation is centralized and the IT manager deployed remotely to the endpoints.  

What about the implementation team?

We handle the setup and the deployment in house. We have a separate team with more-or-less 30 technicians. Some of them are specifically certified on Microsoft products through the partnership that we have with Microsoft. So, depending on the infrastructure that our customer has, we can send out as many as three technicians if it is to be deployed for say 200 users. When we need to do a mailbox migration, most of them have to be migrated at the same time. In that case, we allocate two to three technicians to do it as quickly as possible. If we are talking about enterprise companies with 1000 users — depending on what the customer requires in terms of delivery time — we might allocate as many as 20 guys. It is more likely we will allocate 10 guys. It basically depends on the customer's requirements.  

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing for the product is a bit of a tricky question. In terms of the total cost of ownership, I can say that it is expensive. It is a fair price, but in our country or another country with economies similar to  Mozambique, the pricing structure may be a little high and prohibitive. The first issue is the volatility of the exchange rate because our currency, the Metical, is very volatile related to the dollar. The problem here is the customer has an agreement and when he realized that he wants to add some other applications or services or something else, he has the expectation of price based on what he signed on the first agreement. But when he sees the new price, it could become a lot higher than expected because of the exchange rate. It would be nice if somehow Microsoft had some flexibility with the initial agreement so that pricing would not fluctuate dramatically because of the exchange rate.  

Another thing that factors into the pricing is that the Internet connection and Internet bandwidth is still very expensive here in Mozambique. So it is not always an easy decision to make the migration to Office 365 due to these two variables.  

What other advice do I have?

I recommend the Microsoft Office 365 product to clients. We are able to do proofs-of-concept with clients who are interested and carry forward from there.  

On a scale from one to ten where one is the worst and ten is the best, I would rate Microsoft Office 365 as eight-and-a-half.  

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft 365 Business
January 2025
Learn what your peers think about Microsoft 365 Business. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.
HoudaNaji - PeerSpot reviewer
Business owner at Quintica
Real User
Top 10
A stable solution that has a responsive technical support team
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of Microsoft 365 Business is that I don't lose anything since everything is on the drive, and I can access it from anywhere."
  • "At least a basic collaboration tool or project management tool should be included in the solution for the price we pay."

What is our primary use case?

I use Microsoft 365 Business for everything in my office, including OneDrive and PPT.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Microsoft 365 Business is that I don't lose anything since everything is on the drive, and I can access it from anywhere.

What needs improvement?

At least a basic collaboration tool or project management tool should be included in the solution for the price we pay.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft 365 Business for nine years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Microsoft 365 Business is a pretty stable solution, and I have never had any issues with its stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution's scalability is pretty fine. Around ten users are using the solution in our organization.

How are customer service and support?

The solution's technical support team was pretty responsive.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I previously used Gmail.

How was the initial setup?

The solution’s initial setup is fine.

What about the implementation team?

To deploy the solution, you have to create an email address. I installed the solution by myself.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We pay a monthly licensing fee for Microsoft 365 Business. The solution's pricing could be made better.

What other advice do I have?

Microsoft 365 Business is a cloud-based solution. I would recommend Microsoft 365 Business to other users.

Overall, I rate Microsoft 365 Business an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Global Head ICT (CITP & MIE) at The Aga Khan Academies
Real User
Excellent support, easy to set up, and very stable with valuable Microsoft Teams
Pros and Cons
  • "Microsoft Teams, without a shadow of a doubt, is the best platform ever. It is also very stable with a lot of options."
  • "They should simplify breakout rooms a bit. Breakout rooms are probably the most important factor. They have done some work on breakout rooms, but they probably have to do a bit more to make them simpler."

What is most valuable?

Microsoft Teams, without a shadow of doubt, is the best platform ever. 

It is also very stable with a lot of options.

What needs improvement?

They should simplify breakout rooms a bit. Breakout rooms are probably the most important factor. They have done some work on breakout rooms, but they probably have to do a bit more to make them simpler.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for the last eight years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. Currently, we have over 1,200 users. We are also rolling it out to students, and our number of users will roughly be from 3,500 to 4,000. These users will be across the globe at the following locations: Geneva, Paris, London, Dhaka in Bangladesh, Hyderabad in India, Maputo in Mozambique, Mombasa in Kenya, and few locations in Canada and the US.

How are customer service and technical support?

Their technical support is extremely good. They walk you through, and if needed, they are happy to talk to you for a couple of hours. It doesn't matter whether it is the middle of the night or early morning.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

For students, we have been using Google Suite, but they are no match with Microsoft. So, we are moving out. A limitation of Google is that it is not present at every location. They were able to deploy it for India and Kenya, but for Mozambique, after trying for six months, they refused. They asked for a lot of information, and we gave them all the information. They kept us waiting for six months, and then they came back and said, "No, sorry, we can't provide." That was very disheartening.

In terms of support, Google is no match with Microsoft. Google probably doesn't provide support.

How was the initial setup?

Its installation is so simple. You just have to turn the service on from the global account, and then a user can just log in to his or her account and download and install it. A user doesn't need support. There is, of course, a bit of difference from user to user, but generally, it is fairly simple. You could just click Next and do it yourself. It takes less than five minutes.

What about the implementation team?

I have done it myself, and I have also seen non-IT users doing it themselves.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Our licensing is annual. We have a Volume Licensing deal with them.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We straight away went to Microsoft.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution without a shadow of doubt. I would rate Microsoft 365 Business a ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Jijin Joseph - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Director at Channelnext
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
A highly scalable and secure product that is easy to use and manage
Pros and Cons
  • "The product is very fast and convenient to use."
  • "The tool is slow sometimes."

What is our primary use case?

We are using the complete suite of the solution, including email, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams. It is the main communication channel for our business.

What is most valuable?

It's an exceptional product. It has more security. The product is very fast and convenient to use. Anyone can work from anywhere. There is no dependency on any of the local resources. It is a completely SaaS-based solution, so it is easy to use and manage.

What needs improvement?

The tool is slow sometimes. The performance could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for three years. I am using the latest version of the solution.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the tool's stability a nine or ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The tool is scalable. We have ten users. We might add five more users by next year.

How are customer service and support?

I do not like the support provided by the product. The response is very slow.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used G Suite and some third-party-hosted applications.

How was the initial setup?

The setup is easy. We need to have a basic skill set to configure the solution. Everyone who has a basic understanding of technology can configure it. We must get a consultant from Microsoft to secure the environment.

What was our ROI?

The ROI is good in terms of security and scalability.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We pay a yearly license fee. The solution is very cheap. We pay AED 3,000 to AED 4,000 for licensing.

What other advice do I have?

I work for a technological company. We specialize in cybersecurity. We are all engineers. I always recommend the tool to others. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
IT Specialist at Global Biotech Products
Real User
Top 5
Can be used on any device and works really well on stand-alone systems
Pros and Cons
  • "The software can be used on any device or any form which is a really big benefit."
  • "They can improve their training materials."

What is our primary use case?

I have been using Microsoft 365 Business for document functions, and finance-related tasks, and Excel for calculations and accounting purposes. Additionally, PowerPoint comes into play for creating presentations.

How has it helped my organization?

It has helped us to work collaboratively. We can now connect a user to work with us and share functions like a team. For example, users can share data, conduct meetings online or communicate with the other company. The environment is really beneficial. 

What is most valuable?

The software can be used on any device or any form which is a really big benefit. Changing to Microsoft 365 Business was really important. The products work really well on stand-alone systems. We share our issues with the Microsoft team and they really help us. The team and work culture have the required experience to cater to all our needs. 

What needs improvement?

They can improve their training materials. Sometimes, seniors are busy, so Microsoft should build training materials in local languages and add more features based on them so that there is a better understanding of functions and features. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Microsoft 365 Business for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the solution’s stability a nine out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate the scalability of the solution a nine out of ten. 

How are customer service and support?

The customer support is good. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We have always used Microsoft 365 Business and never opted for any other solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. Normally, we as a team deploy the solution on the customer’s system. The deployment depends on the speed of the Internet connectivity.

Just one person is required for the deployment. Two people are required for the maintenance. The deployment involves downloading the package from the cloud, installing it on the system, and is followed by the completion of setup. I would rate the setup a nine out of ten. 

What other advice do I have?

I think it is a good solution, however, it requires an understanding of function materials. We use Microsoft almost every day with almost 130 users and in case we have more employees, we are looking to increase the usage. I would rate this product an eight out of ten overall.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Senior DBA & IT Consultant at MA Consulting
Real User
A stable and scalable solution with straightforward use and installation and good tech support
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is nice and straightforward."
  • "There is an error in the languages which creates a very big problem."

What is our primary use case?

Everyone in our organization uses Office, including PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams and Outlook.

What is most valuable?

The solution is nice and straightforward. They are in the process of expanding everything to the mobile to allow for integration between it. 

What needs improvement?

The acrylic solution could be improved. There is an error in the languages which creates a very big problem. In Hebrew one writes from right to left, not the converse. Customers receive emails in which the English word appears at the beginning instead of the end. This makes reading challenging. There is still an issue with the Greek language. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Microsoft 365 Business since the beginning. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Thes solution is scalable. 

How are customer service and support?

The technical support, being Microsoft, is good. Usually, there are no problems with the solution, as it is used by everybody, from secretaries to professionals. 

How was the initial setup?

As the solution is cloud-based, the installation is straightforward. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The licensing costs are not expensive. The prices are okay. Nowadays, Office 365 is available and I see companies working with this. It can also be rented monthly or bought on-premises. 

The payment terms can vary. One who rents Office 365 will accrue a monthly cost. One who rents the on-premises version of Office from Microsoft, as opposed to its cloud-based counterpart, will have the option of paying for it annually or purchasing a single license with support. 

Microsoft offers many features. When one buys a Microsoft license, he pays for everything inclusively, including Windows, Office, databases, BI and other Microsoft solutions. Everything is visible. One does not pay for the individual components but for the solution itself. 

What other advice do I have?

Everybody uses Office. I am not aware of a single customer who does not. I think this rule applies to everyone in Israel uniformly. 

The number of people using the solution matches the size of the population in the country. 

I don't believe that use of Microsoft 365 Business over some other solution is really optional. This said, those using Apple or Mac have the option of going with OpenOffice, but 99 percent of the Israeli market goes with Microsoft and Windows, in which Office comes bundled in it. Perhaps in the United States this is different, as they have a much greater propensity to use Mac.

I rate Microsoft 365 Business as a ten out of ten. everyone uses it and there is really no alternative available. While the market makes available other choices, they cannot compete with Microsoft. There is the OpenOffice option, which I believe is employed with Mac and Apple. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Wondwossen Abebe Kebede - PeerSpot reviewer
Program and performance manager at Ethio Telecom
Real User
Top 10
Performance is good
Pros and Cons
  • "Microsoft has a good reputation as an SaaS provider, and our enterprise team has a solid relationship with Microsoft. 365 Business meets our needs as an enterprise."
  • "Business 365 could potentially affect compliance with local and industry-specific regulations."

What needs improvement?

Business 365 could potentially affect compliance with local and industry-specific regulations.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using 365 Business for a long time. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Business 365's performance is good.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up Business 365 is challenging because you need some technical skills. For example, you have to add a few processes where 365's resources are located, so you can activate it. You have to find the path and then activate the product by writing a command.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We have a premium-level license, so we pay extra to get a higher level of support.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Microsoft 365 Business nine out of 10. Microsoft has a good reputation as an SaaS provider, and our enterprise team has a solid relationship with Microsoft. 365 Business meets our needs as an enterprise. I'm personally confident in Microsoft's reputation.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user