Microsoft 365: a world of possibilities – but also complexities
Microsoft 365 has lots of great apps and features that can help organisations like yours transform the way they work. For some organisations, however, managing the platform once it's been rolled out or using the various apps themselves can be complex, especially for SMEs with limited in-house IT and training resources. Based on our experience, here are the five biggest hurdles to maximising Microsoft 365 benefits.
1. Collaboration and hybrid working haven't improved as expected
Many organisations roll out Microsoft 365 to help improve collaboration and communication or support hybrid and remote working. Typically, the aim is to help people work more efficiently and productively, whether they're in the office, at home, or on the move.
But you may not be seeing all the improvements you were counting on if your implementation wasn't tailored to your organisation. Perhaps you haven't got the right licencing, or Microsoft 365 hasn't been properly integrated with other business systems, or users haven't been properly trained. Issues like these may mean your processes are still inefficient or require manual workarounds.
2. You still have cybersecurity and data protection concerns
The platform comes with an array of cybersecurity and data protection features, but you could be experiencing gaps – with endpoint security management, for example – if the built-in capabilities haven't been fully aligned with your organisation's security and compliance policies.
3. You can't keep pace with new releases
Even if your company is large enough to have its own in-house IT resources, the team may be struggling with the complexity of managing the Microsoft 365 platform. They may also find it difficult to keep pace with the almost weekly release of new features and updates – which could mean users missing out on useful new functionality. On the other hand, if you dedicate resources to handling these regular releases, the IT team could fall behind on other important tasks.
4. Your users feel overwhelmed by Microsoft 365
If your IT team can't keep pace with new releases, then your users probably can't either. Even if your IT team manages to integrate new features into your platform, have you got the capacity to make sure everyone knows they're available and how to use them? And have your employees really embraced Microsoft 365? Or are there still quite a few who don't really work with it and continue to fall back on old applications and processes?
5. New joiners are missing out on training
You may have managed to drum up enough resources to train employees when Microsoft 365 was first rolled out, but are they still available to train new joiners? If not, then it will be difficult for new people to start doing their best work straight away; and they may never become truly proficient in Microsoft 365 apps. You could even find staff retention becomes an issue if there's a lack of proper training.
Optimising your Microsoft 365 environment with the support of an external partner
If any of the above challenges sound familiar, or you have other concerns about your Microsoft 365 environment, it may be worth turning a trusted partner like Konica Minolta to optimise your implementation. You'll then no longer have to worry about the complexity of Microsoft 365 – something you've no doubt experienced.
Our consultants will work with you to understand your original objectives, your current challenges, and any missed opportunities. Based on the outcomes, they'll develop a customised proposal to optimise your Microsoft 365 implementation to better meet your needs.
We can also support you over the longer term: we can, for example, manage the regular Microsoft 365 releases, provide devices for new joiners, and help you use Microsoft 365 apps to develop customised workflows and intranets.
What sets us apart?
Across our European businesses we hold all six Microsoft Cloud Solutions Partner Designations. This underscores our comprehensive capabilities across all Microsoft Cloud Solution areas, and shows we have expertise and experience in optimised Microsoft 365 implementations.