Microsoft 365 is common in enterprises, with the majority of Fortune 500 companies choosing M365 for its feature-rich and scalable productivity suite. However, the Microsoft licensing structure can be confusing from a management perspective. Ask yourself: Are you truly maximizing your Microsoft 365 investment and getting the most from your licensing?
Microsoft 365 offers a comprehensive suite of productivity tools as well as other advanced features. TenHats can simplify license management, optimize costs, and ensure that your business leverages the full potential of Microsoft 365. We scale as you grow from Basic to Enterprise.
What’s Included in Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 (M365) is a comprehensive suite of productivity and collaboration tools designed for businesses of all sizes. At its core, it offers a range of essential applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint that have become staples in modern workplaces. Newer additions, like the AI-powered Copilot, have expanded the core app lineup.
These applications are available across desktop, web, and mobile platforms, ensuring users can work seamlessly regardless of their device or location.
Microsoft Teams is another key component of M365, serving as a central hub for teamwork. Teams integrates chat, video conferencing, and file-sharing capabilities to support real-time collaboration among team members. This is supported by OneDrive, which enables easy file access and sharing across devices by providing each user with 1 TB of secure cloud storage.
Advanced features
M365 offers several add-ons and enhancements for businesses requiring more advanced features. Microsoft Defender provides advanced threat protection for devices and endpoints. Compliance tools such as eDiscovery and data loss prevention help organizations meet regulatory requirements and safeguard sensitive information.
Power BI enables your business to make data-driven decisions by offering advanced data analytics and visualization capabilities. SharePoint allows for the creation of intranets and team sites, further enhancing collaboration and document management within organizations.
Additionally, Microsoft Bookings simplifies appointment scheduling with its web-based calendar that integrates seamlessly with Outlook. Exchange Online rounds out the offering with business-class email hosting, featuring custom domain support and advanced calendaring functions.
This comprehensive set of tools and features makes Microsoft 365 a versatile and powerful platform for modern businesses seeking to enhance productivity, collaboration, and security.
The Challenge: Microsoft 365 Licensing
Despite its ability to revolutionize your business, Microsoft 365 licensing presents several challenges for businesses. Licensing plans range from Business Basic to Business Premium, with each offering different combinations of apps and services.
This diversity of M365 licensing can lead to significant billing complexity. For example, organizations may inadvertently pay for unused features or overlook valuable tools already included in their subscription. This issue is made worse by the rapid evolution of M365, with new features and services constantly being added to the platform.
Understandably, keeping up with these changes and understanding how they fit into existing licensing structures can be overwhelming for many organizations.
Another major challenge is keeping track of user licenses and ensuring they align with actual usage. Many businesses struggle to accurately monitor user activity and service usage across various applications like:
- Exchange
- SharePoint
- OneDrive
- Power BI
While the Microsoft 365 Admin Portal gives you the basics on your license counts, we dig deeper with usage reports.
The complexity of licensing can lead to cybersecurity risks. Improper configuration or underutilization of security features included in certain license tiers can leave organizations vulnerable to threats. For instance, misconfigured Conditional Access policies or Advanced Threat Protection settings can expose sensitive data to unauthorized access.
As Microsoft continues to introduce new features and pricing updates, staying informed and managing licenses effectively becomes increasingly crucial for businesses to optimize their Microsoft 365 investment.
TenHats: Your East Tennessee Cloud Solutions Provider
TenHats stands out as East Tennessee’s premier cloud solutions provider. We’re the region’s only Microsoft Direct Cloud Solution Provider (CSP), allowing us to offer unparalleled expertise.
As a CSP, our team maintains a direct relationship with Microsoft, enabling us to:
- Manage licenses
- Provide comprehensive support
- Offer bundled services tailored to your needs
This status allows us to deliver the best pricing on Microsoft 365 products and services, ensuring that you receive optimal value. As an example, we recently saved a client 20% just by trimming unused add-on licenses and bundling SKUs.
At TenHats, our approach to cloud solutions is both comprehensive and proactive. We conduct thorough audits of your IT environments, analyzing tool usage and spending patterns to identify areas for optimization. This process helps ensure that you aren’t paying for unused features while maximizing the value of their subscriptions.
We also offer a range of security tools and assessments, addressing the critical need for robust cybersecurity in today’s digital landscape.
As your full-scale IT partner based in Knoxville, TenHats provides managed IT services that extend beyond just Microsoft products. We offer:
- 24/7 technical support
- Cybersecurity implementation
- Cloud environment development
- Disaster recovery planning
This holistic approach allows your business to focus on its core operations while we handle your IT needs, from routine maintenance to complex cloud migrations. By leveraging TenHats’ expertise, your East Tennessee business can stay competitive and adapt to evolving technological challenges.
