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MukeshKumar5 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cyber security manager at Apparel
Real User
Top 20
User friendly, quick to configure, and stable
Pros and Cons
  • "Microsoft 365 Business is user-friendly."

    What is our primary use case?

    The main use of the solution is for business applications. 

    What is most valuable?

    Microsoft 365 Business is user-friendly.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using the solution for approximately two years. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution is stable. 

    Buyer's Guide
    Microsoft 365 Business
    December 2024
    Learn what your peers think about Microsoft 365 Business. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
    824,067 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    I find the solution scalable. 

    How was the initial setup?

    One of the most valuable features of the solution is that it can be quickly procured and installed. This is because is SaaS-based and does not require installation. There is only the configuration that is required. 

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

    The solution requires a license which is expensive. 

    What other advice do I have?

    I would advise people before purchasing Microsoft 365 Business to evaluate it to make sure it contains and supports applications required by their organization. 

    I recommend the solution to others.

    I rate Microsoft 365 Business an eight 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
    President at Farstar SAC Consulting Inc
    Real User
    Good uptime, easy to onboard new people, and easy to set up
    Pros and Cons
    • "As a small business, the big thing for us is the ability to onboard new people easily. So, it's a matter of minutes to add new users, buy a new license pack for them, assign the licenses to them, and get them logged on. It takes 10 to 15 minutes."
    • "In Teams, it is a little tricky to set up a guest or to become a guest on someone's domain, but if people do that, then you have an improvement in the shared access. The real pain, which is not a big thing, in Teams is if you're a small business user, it is really hard to get somebody on a different domain into your list of contacts. You can't just chat with them or start an instant meeting. That is easier to do with Zoom, which I also use. The real issue in Teams is that if you're not on the same domain, a lot of the good functionality falls apart. You have to actually be a guest in the other person's domain. I have a large customer, and they created a guest account for me in their domain so that I can chat with people inside their organization as though I was inside their organization, but not everybody is willing to do that. Some of my customers are Aerospace and Defense, and nobody gets on their domain."

    What is our primary use case?

    I'm using all the fundamental stuff such as Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint, and Word. I use Excel an awful lot for data analysis.

    What is most valuable?

    As a small business, the big thing for us is the ability to onboard new people easily. We have people come on board for both short and long term projects. Getting them a corporate identity through email is important and it needs to be painless.

    Through the admin portal, it's a matter of minutes to add new users, assign a license or buy a new license, and get them logged on. It takes 10 to 15 minutes. 

    What needs improvement?

    A lot of the administration is done through the web interface, and that can be a little clunky sometimes. It is changing. They have a legacy interface and the new interface. So, it takes a little while to get used to one over the other, but it is not a huge thing. In the end, it usually works out.

    In Teams, it is a little tricky to set up a guest or to become a guest on someone's domain, but if people do that, then you have an improvement in the shared access. The real pain, which is not a big thing, in Teams is if you're a small business user, it is really hard to get somebody on a different domain into your list of contacts. You can't just chat with them or start an instant meeting. That is easier to do with Zoom, which I also use. The real issue in Teams is that if you're not on the same domain, a lot of the good functionality falls apart. You have to actually be a guest in the other person's domain. I have a large customer, and they created a guest account for me in their domain so that I can chat with people inside their organization as though I was inside their organization, but not everybody is willing to do that. Some of my customers are Aerospace and Defense, and nobody gets on their domain. So, if you're in two different domains, the communication sucks, and you're better off picking up your phone, which is bad. If you go back to the old model of Skype, you could add people, and then you could chat with them whether they were in your domain or not.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using this solution for about five years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It is quite stable. I had no issues, and uptime is good.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    I haven't really dealt with tech support. It has been more around admin and billing, but it has been good. I probably needed some help from tech support a long time ago. They have multiple ways to connect. They can connect with you by email, or they can do a Remote Desktop or RDP. You can basically send them your cell phone number and tell them when you're ready for a call, and they'll call you. So, it has been really good.

    How was the initial setup?

    Setting everything up initially was pretty straightforward. I didn't get the domain name through Microsoft, but I was able to link everything to a domain that I had purchased from a totally different organization. 

    Essentially, I got the exchange servers connected to a domain that I had purchased from somewhere else. It was pretty easy. The most complex part was where you have to go and set up some of the detailed information relating to the domain name. You have to change some mappings and settings in the MX record when you link it to the domain. You have to go back to where your domain is being hosted and modify the MX records based on the information that Microsoft gives you. It validates that you've got it right and tells you what is working or what is not working. It tells you which settings are or are not correct. So, even though creating MX record entries is a little bit complex, they walk you through it really well

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

    I have one of the higher level business licenses, and then I have a number of very basic, lower-cost cost subscriptions for our short term team members. We're a small organization of a dozen people.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    We considered Google but almost all of our customers are Microsoft shops.

    What other advice do I have?

    I come from an organization of 1,200 people, and around the time I was leaving, everything was being migrated to Office 365. The fact that Teams is bundled with the package now is a big thing because a lot of larger organizations are using Teams, so it lets you connect to them rather well.

    I would rate this solution a nine out of 10.

    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?

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    Microsoft 365 Business
    December 2024
    Learn what your peers think about Microsoft 365 Business. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
    824,067 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    Victor Arceo - PeerSpot reviewer
    IT Operations Section Head at Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation
    Real User
    Allows our team to work together regardless of location
    Pros and Cons
    • "I appreciate the mobility of this solution."
    • "I suppose it could be more secure; every solution could be more secure."

    What is our primary use case?

    We mainly use this solution for video conferencing on Microsoft Teams. We also use SharePoint quite a bit — for email. 

    Within our organization, there are roughly 1,350 employees using this solution. Currently, we have a team of four technical engineers that take care of all maintenance-related issues. 

    What is most valuable?

    I appreciate the mobility of this solution. We started using it due to the pandemic. Once COVID-19 hit, we began working from home. 

    What needs improvement?

    I suppose it could be more secure; every solution could be more secure.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We just migrated over to Microsoft 365 Business last year. 

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    This solution is very scalable. 

    How are customer service and technical support?

    We are very satisfied with the technical support. 

    How was the initial setup?

    The installation was very straightforward. All that was required was a one-time installation. It took roughly one month to get everyone up and running.

    What about the implementation team?

    We installed this solution on our own, although, Microsoft technical support helped. 

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

    The licenses could be cheaper. Right now, we're on a yearly subscription. 

    What other advice do I have?

    I would absolutely recommend this solution to others. Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give it a rating of nine. 

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer1538412 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Project Manager at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
    Real User
    Stable, good interface, and good performance, but needs better pricing
    Pros and Cons
    • "Its interface looks clean, and its performance seems quite fast. It is faster than our previous app."
    • "Its price could be better for companies that are not using it massively."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use it for normal office applications.

    What is most valuable?

    Its interface looks clean, and its performance seems quite fast. It is faster than our previous app.

    What needs improvement?

    Its price could be better for companies that are not using it massively.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We started to use it around last year. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It is stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    I don't know if it is scalable or not. In terms of users, we are in the transition process to upgrade to this solution. Currently, not all users are using it. If it is given to our whole staff, we would have 30,000 users. We plan to keep using this solution and expand its usage.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    We have our own technical team, and we contact them for any issues. If they need further help with a specific issue, they contact Microsoft support.

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

    We have been using only Microsoft products. We were earlier using the other version of Office.

    What about the implementation team?

    It was done by our technical team. We don't need a team to manage this. We just need to manage the license and contract. We have a small team that does the license and contract management.

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

    We have an enterprise license, and we get some price off for that. Its price could be better for companies that are not using it massively.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would recommend this solution. I would rate Microsoft 365 Business a seven out of ten.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    On-premises
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer973497 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Manager at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Real User
    This is a familiar suite of business tools that you can install and use without training
    Pros and Cons
    • "Microsoft products are familiar to most users and intuitive to use."
    • "The Teams feature should be more flexible in integrating with other communications products."

    What is our primary use case?

    We take care of our business tasks and communications using the full office environment.  

    What is most valuable?

    Teams is also a part of the Office 365 suite from Microsoft that I was actually using separately from Office before we moved to the Office 365 product.  

    What needs improvement?

    The thing I think can be improved is the Teams functionalities. Teams software is like Zoom and it is more-or-less the same idea. It is less intuitive in comparison to what I was used to in Zoom. Zoom has a much more intuitive interface and is user-friendly in how you create meetings, how to participate, and how you invite people to join groups. You can do conference calls with many parties more easily using Zoom.  

    Inside the organization where everyone else also has Teams, it is a very good tool. But if I want to have someone join that is not in my organization or using another connection method like a phone number, it is tricky. You cannot dial to regular phones which is a feature that exists in Skype for Business.  

    The integration with other products is less fluid compared to Zoom and Skype for Business. Those products are more flexible and I am able to dial regular phones. Zoom is a much more flexible product and I may like it more because it is familiar.  

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using the complete suite for the last seven months.  

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It is a mature and stable product. There are no concerns with stability.  

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    I have no complaints about the scalability. The entire company is using the product and we are a company with about 800 employees. Maybe some people in the production areas are not using it because it is not important to their work, but all the office people are working with this tool.  

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

    We previously used other versions of Microsoft products. Let's say we have been using Microsoft products for the last 10 or 15 years, which is common practice for many companies. It is company policy and not something that I can influence. No one asked me my opinion. It was the organization's decision to move to 365. We are all using Microsoft tools.  

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup was straightforward. We did not use an integrator, reseller, or consultant for the deployment. We have an IT team inside our company that helps us to use the tools and do installations.  

    We did not need to have any very special implementation strategy. We could just install the software to start using it. There is no deployment of hardware along with the software so the implementation time is very short.  

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    The Microsoft Office 365 suite is a pretty nice product. It is working fine, no real complaints. It is a sophisticated product. You have to explore on YouTube how to use some tricks and tips to work with it more efficiently.  

    What other advice do I have?

    Overall I am satisfied with Office 365. It is a very convenient and common product — so nothing special to give advice about that most people do not already know. You really do not need any tools, any skills, or any special training to start using it.  

    Of course, later on, you can learn about some tips and tricks to enhance your experience and productivity. But in general, it is very nice.  

    On a scale from one to ten where one is the worst and ten is the best, I would rate this product as a nine-out-of-ten.  

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Dawit Getachew - PeerSpot reviewer
    Web Master & DevOps Engineer at MMCY Tech
    Real User
    Top 10
    A user-friendly interface, robust security features, and scalability for small to medium-sized companies, but potential downsides include additional costs for specialized tools
    Pros and Cons
    • "I am highly satisfied with the security features and user-friendly interface."
    • "There is potential for it to offer even more features such as compliance reporting and device management."

    What is our primary use case?

    There is a focus on major products like SharePoint and Active Directory for tasks like managing databases and accessing user accounts.

    What is most valuable?

    I am highly satisfied with the security features and user-friendly interface.

    What needs improvement?

    There is potential for it to offer even more features such as compliance reporting and device management. Given the rapid growth of other companies, especially in product management, I believe that Microsoft 365, being widely used by organizations, could incorporate additional features to compete effectively with these fast-growing companies in the market. It could enhance its functionality, possibly through the inclusion of an Apex Gateway.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using it for one year.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It provides excellent stability capabilities. I would rate it nine out of ten.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It is quite scalable for medium or small-sized companies. There are eight hundred individuals in our company that actively use it.

    How are customer service and support?

    My colleagues often discuss this, since they are usually engaging with the support team. They express positivity about it, although there have been some minor complaints, particularly about speed. I would rate it seven out of ten.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Neutral

    How was the initial setup?

    It is user-friendly and straightforward, making it accessible even for those less experienced in system administration. I would rate it eight out of ten.

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

    The base price is reasonable, but when it comes to the specialized tools for servers, the cost can become quite high.

    What other advice do I have?

    Overall, I would rate it seven out of ten.

    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: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
    PeerSpot user
    Abiyekoko - PeerSpot reviewer
    Independent Consultant - Digital Transformation at Jennifer Yalden
    Real User
    Top 5
    Has a straightforward initial setup process and efficient integration features
    Pros and Cons
    • "The product's most valuable features are quick integration and video calls."
    • "The platform's pricing needs improvement."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use the product to collaborate for client meetings via video calls using Teams. We can also use it for storage and share documents with other colleagues.

    What is most valuable?

    The product's most valuable features are quick integration and video calls.

    What needs improvement?

    The platform's pricing needs improvement.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We have been using Microsoft 365 Business for ten years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It is a stable platform.

    How are customer service and support?

    The technical support team responds to the queries.

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

    I use Google Docs sometimes.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup process is straightforward. It takes a few minutes to complete once connected to the internet.

    What about the implementation team?

    The product can be implemented with the help of an in-house team.

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

    The product's pricing could be better. 

    What other advice do I have?

    I recommend Microsoft 365 Business and rate it an eight out of ten.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer931254 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Partner IT Transformation Consulting, Principal Analyst, Cabot Partners at a outsourcing company with 1-10 employees
    Real User
    Consistent design with good cloud services but it can be difficult to get support when needed
    Pros and Cons
    • "I like that it is easy to transfer to different devices, such as a different laptop. Everything is cloud-based, which I appreciate."
    • "Most Microsoft applications are not the most user-friendly."

    What is our primary use case?

    I primarily use the solution for the Microsoft Office Suite and Outlook.

    What is most valuable?

    I used to use 365 when I was at IBM, and, at later stages in my career, at other companies. I used to have my own license at home. Now, I have my own consulting firm. Recently, I got a laptop. I felt that transferring all the information from one laptop to the other was a painful experience. I got 365, as it is in the cloud, and due to that, I can just download my user information and I'm ready to go. 

    The solution is stable. 

    I like that it is easy to transfer to different devices, such as a different laptop. Everything is cloud-based, which I appreciate.

    While I like the fact that Microsoft is constantly updating its services, I also like the fact that Excel is pretty much the same since I started using it on Day One. 

    What needs improvement?

    Coming from larger companies, if you had 365 questions for Microsoft, it was hard to get a hold of them. The one way I could get answers was by talking to a friend, or one who has used 365 as well. Microsoft has no time for the little guy. I can Google to look for answers, however, you run the risk of getting answers that are baseless. It would be easier to use if you could get better help if you need it. 

    Most Microsoft applications are not the most user-friendly.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've used the product for a while. I've always used Microsoft for the most part.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The stability has been fine for the most part.

    How are customer service and support?

    As an individual user, getting a hold of technical support can be difficult. Once, I actually found a number and I waited for an hour and a half. The guy who helped me, I can't thank him enough. He went beyond. I was extremely happy about the assistance. That said, typically, it's hard to get help.

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

    I've used G Suite before as well. However, I'm a Microsoft guy. I'm 65, so I've used Microsoft all my life. G Suite is extremely good, however, as I see it, I'm not comfortable with it. I see the younger people getting faster with it. 

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

    The cost of the solution is approximately $120 a year.

    What other advice do I have?

    I'm an end-user of the solution. We mostly work with IBM, which is a bigger part of our offering.

    While there's a way to use it on an enterprise level, I can only speak to individual usage. I personally like the fact that it's on the cloud and it's easy to access my documents from anywhere. 

    I'd rate the solution at a seven out of ten. For the most part, the solution has been great. 

    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