Concerned about the misconceptions about its cloud service, Microsoft recently launched campaigns showing the top myths and facts about moving to Microsoft SharePoint Online (as part of Office 365 platform). We have summarized below the myths directly related with SharePoint Online, providing you a better understanding how to plan your next steps.
MYTH – I need to pay for another subscription for SharePoint Online.
The reality: SharePoint Online is already included in your Office 365 subscription, you don’t need any additional commitment. Please note that some advanced features like Business Intelligence may require a specific plan level.
MYTH – If our data moves to the cloud, our business will no longer have control over our technology.
The reality: When you move to the cloud, headaches and time spent maintaining hardware and upgrading software are significantly reduced, Instead of spending the budget on servers and workloads, your IT team now can think strategically and support business managers in a much more agile fashion.
MYTH – Keeping data on-premises is safer than in the cloud.
The reality: On-premises systems aren’t always more secure. Many companies are routinely hacked and don’t know it due to lack of expertise or governance problems. Microsoft has invested in top experts to manage their cloud, providing you access to a solid solution that follows industry-leading standards and the latest regulations. SharePoint online is compliant with Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and other standards for more information check Office 365 Trust Centre.
MYTH – I have to move everything to the cloud; it is an all-or-nothing scenario.
The reality: The best practice for companies moving to the cloud is step-by-step, adopting a hybrid approach, and to scale up or down as needed, without wasting your onsite technology investments. There are multiple methods and processed to move to SharePoint Online gradually.
MYTH – Corporate spies, cyber thieves, and governments will have access to my data if it is in the cloud.
The reality: Your company remains the sole owner of the data and privacy controls allow you to configure and audit who has access and what they can access. Microsoft doesn’t mine the data or keep it after you deleted it. A new data centre in Canada is announced by Microsoft and planned for 2016 launch. Using a hybrid approach, it will be a perfect time to start using SharePoint Online for less sensitive data and get ready for having everything in the cloud by 2016.
MYTH – Cloud migration is too much for my business to handle.
The reality: When you start considering how to move petabytes of data to the cloud, it’s easy to see why some people think “going cloud” is too big a challenge. But new technology has provided simple ways to move data, tools and processes, and there an array of online tools to help you too. A planned phased approach is the best practice to go to the cloud smoothly.
MYTH – Continuously updating Office 365 will break my critical business applications.
The reality: Microsoft has worked hard to ensure updates do not impact areas that would impact other software applications. For example, since 2013 monthly releases of Office 365 have not resulted in object model or API changes. If your business critical solutions work today with Office 2010 or Office 2013 platforms, chances are they will work with Office 365. Also, Microsoft has providing support, tools, and early access to ensure that their future solutions will work with Office 365.
Conclusion
We hope we have helped you to separate facts from fiction when it comes to Office 365 platform. If you still have questions about how SharePoint Online can help you to achieve your goals, feel free to contact us. We will be happy to schedule a consultation with experts and explain the benefits of using Microsoft services.