Six Reasons It’s Time

to Move Your Office

Apps to the Cloud
Six Reasons It’s Time to Move Your Office Apps to the Cloud 2

This information will help

business leaders who:
• Are thinking about moving productivity software to the cloud,
but still have questions about the implications and how it will
impact business continuity.

• Are tired of maintaining expensive on-premises environments.

• Want to empower employees to work from anywhere.

Estimated reading time: about 12 minutes

Six Reasons It’s Time to Move Your Office Apps to the Cloud 3

The compelling
promise of the cloud
To run a successful business, you need the right technology. For a long time, this

70%
meant large investments in on-premises hardware, software and servers. This made
it complicated and burdensome to change platforms, update technology or even let
employees work remotely.

Cloud-based solutions address many of these challenges. With your applications in the
cloud, employees can work from almost anywhere and still access the information they
need to be productive.

However, in spite of the clear benefits of working in the cloud, many businesses put off
migrating to the cloud. We get it. It is a big undertaking, but there’s a lot of misinformation
about what it means to work in the cloud, and moving to a cloud-based productivity
solution is easier and more beneficial than you might expect.
of Millennial business leaders believe it’s very
important to work for a company or organisation that
In this eBook, we’ll look at some of the most compelling reasons
keeps up with software and application trends.¹
your business can benefit from moving to the cloud.

¹ Tech Intensity Quantitative Research, Microsoft, 2019.

Six Reasons It’s Time to Move Your Office Apps to the Cloud 4

Contents

Reason 1: Reason 2: Reason 3: Reason 4: Reason 5: Reason 6:

Transitioning to the Moving to the cloud Working in the cloud Access everything from The cloud gives There’s better security
cloud can be simple saves money is straightforward anywhere, anytime – you more ways in the cloud
even when offline to collaborate
Page 5 Page 7 Page 9 Page 11 Page 13 Page 15
 Six Reasons It’s Time to Move Your Office Apps to the Cloud 5

Reason 1:

Transitioning to the cloud can be simple

Move to the cloud at your own pace or use a hybrid approach.
1
Cloud migration doesn’t need to happen all at once. You can pick a workload or
2 system that makes sense and feels like a good first step, such as infrastructure
services, system backups or productivity applications. All of these should move to
3 the cloud eventually, but they can move one at a time. Most implementations start
with a hybrid approach – moving a single workload, such as email. Then you can add
4 other elements as you get comfortable.

5 Starting with a hybrid environment, where you have some of your processes and
platforms on-premises and some in the cloud, lets you and your employees adjust to
6 the change gradually.

As noted, starting with email as a cloud application is a logical first step, and usually
an easy transition for most employees. And when email is hosted in the cloud, it’s
accessible where and when they need it – on their phone, or tablet, a laptop or
desktop, from virtually anywhere.

As working in the cloud becomes more comfortable and familiar, you can decide
when it’s time to take the next step to make it easier to be productive across your
whole business, rather than with just one workload. Being able to access documents,
apps and co-workers from anywhere, on any device, has a definite advantage.
 Six Reasons It’s Time to Move Your Office Apps to the Cloud 6

How to transition productivity

software to the cloud
1
• Identify the top on-premises productivity platforms in use across your • Set a target date for the transition and make sure people across
2 organisation. your organisation know it’s coming and what to expect, as well
as how this will help them be more productive.
3 • Choose just one or two applications to shift from an on-premises version to
a cloud version. Email or calendaring are both good first picks. • Create a quick-start guide that helps everyone understand how
4 to use the new app service.
• Investigate the features that will come with your new cloud service so you
can communicate them to the employees who will be making the transition. • As you roll out the new cloud service, be ready to support
5
employees who are learning how to navigate the new system.
• Recruit the app service to support you in deploying the cloud service across
6
your users, ensuring security and compliance regulations are met.
 Six Reasons It’s Time to Move Your Office Apps to the Cloud 7

Reason 2:

Moving to the cloud saves money

Simplify IT, security and billing while optimising collaboration, remote work
1
and file storage and sharing.

2 In recent years, there’s been an explosion of productivity applications for the

workplace. Everything from video conferencing, chat, scheduling and project
3 management to presentations, spreadsheets and word processing. If your
organisation is suffering from a complicated, disjointed array of applications that
4 don’t work together, it’s time to take a step back and analyse your office ecosystem.

5 The first thing to look at is whether on-premises applications are helping or

hurting productivity. If a video conferencing solution is only available in the office,
6 and most people are working remotely, then it’s not helping anyone while it
continues to cost money. An on-premises version of presentation software means
that co-workers can’t collaborate in real time as they edit and make notes on the
document. This causes delays, frustration and reduced productivity.

With any or all services in the cloud (including system backups, infrastructure
services and productivity software), productivity improves as people are able to
access what they need when they need it. They can also connect to each other in
the context of their work, which improves collaboration.
 Six Reasons It’s Time to Move Your Office Apps to the Cloud 8

How moving to the cloud

saves money
1
• Simplify IT deployment and support. Moving apps to the cloud eliminates • Optimise collaboration. Collaboration becomes seamless when all
2 hours of work for IT. This is because deployment for multiple people at the apps are in one platform in the cloud, and co-workers can easily
the same time can be done online rather than in person for each device. IT connect with each other, their projects, chats and meetings.
3 can provide support virtually in less time than in person and can deliver it
anywhere it’s needed. • Optimise remote working. Apps in the cloud liberate workers to be
4 productive from anywhere. Removing these barriers to productivity
• Simplify security. Close security loopholes when you move apps to the cloud. saves money.
5 This alone saves IT hours, but it’s also easier and faster to monitor, analyse
and respond to breaches in the cloud. • Optimize file storage and sharing. Moving apps to the cloud makes it
easier to access files in the context of your work, such as while viewing
6
• Simplify billing. If you’re using disparate apps on-premises, consolidating your calendar, during a video conference or writing an email.
apps in the cloud will simplify billing while ensuring you’re not paying twice
for the same solution.
 Six Reasons It’s Time to Move Your Office Apps to the Cloud 9

Reason 3:

Working in the cloud is

straightforward
1
Make the transition to working in a cloud-based environment as easy as possible.
2
While it might sound like a big change, on the employee side, working in the cloud is not
3 that different from how they already work. Except that it can be a lot easier. They’ll have
more freedom to work from anywhere, and be able to collaborate more easily. Software
4 is updated automatically, so everyone has the latest improvements and security features.

5 Once you’re in the cloud, it’s easier to connect applications that need to interact with
each other or integrate them into important platforms.
6
On the technical side, getting things up and running is obviously more involved.
But cloud platform providers are there to help, with information and tips on firewall
configurations, reverse proxy requirements, identity options and a phased approach for
your hybrid environments.
 Six Reasons It’s Time to Move Your Office Apps to the Cloud 10

What’s possible in the cloud

• Automatic security updates. Stay up-to-date with the latest patches and • Seamless productivity. If balancing cybersecurity and
1
protections, as well as key international, regional and industry-specific productivity has been a challenge, cloud-based services can
compliance standards and terms, with privacy controls you can adjust. help you address that. A unified system hosted in the cloud
2
makes it easier to deploy features like single sign-on across all
• Maximum uptime of your systems, with support and deployment from apps, so employees can use the same password to access the
3 the cloud provider. Maintain productivity and business continuity, with a tools and resources they use every day.
more reliable experience for your employees and customers.
4 • Unlimited file storage and sharing. No need to invest in
• Web and mobile versions of applications. This is one of the main ways more servers and the infrastructure to support them. In the
5 a cloud environment can help improve productivity. Not only can you cloud, there are no limits on available space for data, or who
configure, deploy and provide support from anywhere, but employees can access it (unless you implement those limits for security
6 can also work and collaborate remotely. reasons, of course).
 Six Reasons It’s Time to Move Your Office Apps to the Cloud 11

Reason 4:

Access everything from anywhere,

anytime – even when offline
1
Access files stored in the cloud whether you’re online or not.
2
Another advantage of the cloud is that it makes your applications and files available
3 anytime. If you were offline when you revised a document, changes are saved
locally to your hard drive. The next time you go online, the updated document is
4 automatically saved to the cloud, ensuring that the files stored there are up to date.

5 True mobility is only possible if your applications and services are in the cloud,
and employees can use them wherever they are. With teammates, customers and
6 vendors spanning the globe, having the information and resources you need at your
fingertips is essential. Cloud environments make this possible.
 Six Reasons It’s Time to Move Your Office Apps to the Cloud 12

How the cloud enables

anywhere access
1
• High-speed internet access. With widespread availability of fast internet • Global data centres. This is how to get ‘access from anywhere’. Cloud
2 service, it’s now possible to access video meetings and share large amounts providers have built infrastructure around the world that makes it possible
of data as conveniently on a phone using a mobile network as on a computer for people to access their information no matter where they are. Someone
3 using a wired network. who primarily accesses email in the cloud from a laptop in Dayton, Ohio,
and finds themselves in Djibouti, Djibouti, can still easily access their email
• Continuous productivity. Whether you’re working online or offline, a cloud- because there is a data centre serving that region.
4
based environment means you can pick up where you left off, sometimes
even on a different device and automatically update your files in the cloud
5
when you’re back online.

6 • Dedicated cloud providers with the capacity to scale compute power,

storage, database and network services as needed. Large cloud providers like
Microsoft Azure have the infrastructure to support millions of applications on
their platforms and the data that goes with them.
 Six Reasons It’s Time to Move Your Office Apps to the Cloud 13

Reason 5:

The cloud gives you more

ways to collaborate
1
The cloud makes it easier to collaborate in real time from anywhere using video, chat
2 and document sharing.

3 If you’ve collaborated remotely on a document, then you understand the benefits

of co-authoring and version control that the cloud makes possible. Of course,
4 collaboration also includes video conferencing and chat, two essential and efficient
ways to connect. Co-workers can exchange ideas and information, share their screen
5 and even record the session.

6 Working together in the cloud makes it easier for individuals on a team to share their
input in the context of the project. It also makes it easier to follow who contributed
what, what the edit was and who needs to review next. Fewer things fall through the
cracks. More projects move forward quickly.
 Six Reasons It’s Time to Move Your Office Apps to the Cloud 14

How the cloud makes it easier

to collaborate
1
• Whether in person or virtual, collaboration is enhanced if people can work • Security in the cloud prevents bad actors from infiltrating
2 together at the same time while looking at the same information. When a video calls, chats or documents. With identity and access
document is hosted in the cloud, it’s not locked on one person’s hard drive. management, collaborators can be assured that those making
3 It’s accessible by anyone who has permission and by multiple people at the notes in the document are teammates.
same time.
4 • Mobile and web versions of collaboration software make it
• Being able to see co-workers via video or chat with them in real time, possible to participate from anywhere.
5 improves the ability to collaborate effectively. With video streaming in the
cloud, you can join video calls from anywhere, so that work can go on even
6 if people aren’t in the office.

• Virtual whiteboarding, a digital canvas that people can sketch on together

and simultaneously, makes collaboration immediate and effective.
 Six Reasons It’s Time to Move Your Office Apps to the Cloud 15

Reason 6:

There’s better security in the cloud

The right cloud platform can deliver better security and protection against
hacking than an on-site security team can.

Even if your company has a large and experienced security team, businesses rarely
1
have one that can assess and protect against the hundreds of possible threats that
come through each day, as many as 983 in one day according to some research.²
2
As cyberattacks become more sophisticated, anticipating and defending against
them becomes more complex. Cloud providers have data and analytics about
3
security threats across their entire ecosystem, which they can use to protect all their
customers. If your systems are all on-premises, you only have the data that relates to
4 you, making it harder to anticipate or identify new threats.

5 In the cloud, cybersecurity defences are both more flexible and harder to defeat.
For example, security in the cloud helps you grant access based on user identity, not
6 device/endpoint. You can apply controls based on role and need, no matter how the
user connects. This means you’re able to protect data regardless of where it’s stored,
how it’s accessed or with whom it’s shared.

Cloud-based security also brings tools to detect and protect against breach, with
improved threat protection and information protection. It also gives you features like
automatic configuration, policy-setting, improved visibility and easier management.

With your business processes in the cloud, not only is your data safer, but automated
updates to apps and operating systems also safeguard your business, so you always
have the most up-to-date protection.

² Positive Technologies, ‘Web application attack statistics: 2017 in review’, May 2018.
 Six Reasons It’s Time to Move Your Office Apps to the Cloud 16

How the cloud is more secure

than on-premises servers
1
• On-premises servers are physically located in your office. Cloud servers • Technology develops at such a rapid pace that it can be hard
2 are hosted by a third party in a dedicated data centre. The difference? for an IT team to focus enough on security to keep up, as well
These data centres are protected by redundant systems, load balancing as ensure there is budget allocated for constant upgrades
3 equipment, failover switches and backup power to handle disruptive to security. With cloud services, all this maintenance is the
events that might compromise server operation. Very few businesses responsibility of the cloud provider.
4 have facilities that are built with the same level of redundancy and
backup systems. • Data centres have multiple backups of your data. If anything
goes wrong, they can restore your files from a backup faster
5
• Data centres have dedicated security experts to defend against than an on-premises server.
cyberattacks at the server level. It’s expensive to hire a security expert to
6
do this with on-premises servers, and the cost is often prohibitive.

• Cloud security providers are held to a high standard of compliance and

must stay current on the latest regulations, tools and techniques. There
is typically stricter industry oversight with cloud security than there is
within an organisation’s security team.
 Six Reasons It’s Time to Move Your Office Apps to the Cloud 17

The cloud is there

Moving to the cloud is an important decision, so it’s smart to get the facts
before you make it. Microsoft 365 will help your people be more productive
and protect your business.

for you whenever Be more productive wherever you are with:

• Office apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint.

you’re ready
1 • Email and calendaring with Outlook and Exchange.
• Chats, calls and meetings in Microsoft Teams.
2 • Cloud storage with OneDrive.

3 Protect your employees, data and customer information:

• Defend against cyberthreats with advanced tools for threat protection.
• Protect and govern data by configuring protection and retention labels.

5 40%
4 hours per week saved reduced risk of a major security
• Secure your data, even when accessed on employees’ personal devices.
due to collaboration and breach with Microsoft 365
5 • Simplify IT with easy security set-up.
communication efficiency.³ holistic security features.²

6
Want to see how Microsoft 365 works?
Request a demo for your organisation.

Request a demo

² Positive Technologies, ‘Web application attack statistics: 2017 in review’, May 2018.

³ Forrester Research, ‘The Total Economic Impact of Microsoft 365 E3, Study Modified for
Small Enterprise Organizations’, July 2019.
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