As they say, nothing is permanent but change.
Microsoft recently announced its first “substantive” price increase since it launched Office 365 ten years ago. This long-overdue price change seeks to reflect the additional value Microsoft has provided to their clients over the last decade.
Since the debut of Microsoft 365, Microsoft has introduced 24 new apps to the suites such as:
- Microsoft Teams
- Power Apps
- Power BI
- Power Automate
- Stream
- Planner
- Visio
- OneDrive
- Yammer
- Whiteboard
Microsoft has also delivered over 1,400 new features and capabilities. They’ve made changes in three key areas: communications and collaboration, security and compliance, and AI and automation.
1. Collaboration and communication
The introduction of Microsoft Teams in 2017 as the only integrated solution that allows you to meet call, chat, collaborate and automate business procedures all inside the flow of work has been a game-changer. Using the power of Office apps, Teams has become the new front end for many users in business and personal and educational purposes.
Microsoft also introduced real-time collaboration in the desktop applications for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Moreover, the growing range of features like mentions, assign tasks, and auto-save have streamlined the collaborative experience for users.
2. Compliance and Security
Today, schemes and scams are evolving faster than ever. The cybersecurity environment is more complicated than ever. With the increasing volume, sophistication, and scale of cyberattacks, businesses must prioritise security and compliance.
To help with this constant cyber warfare, Microsoft has added extra attack surface reduction features to Microsoft 365 to help companies defend against ransomware and other threats. They’ve also added features like data loss prevention (DLP) for email and documents, sensitivity labels, and message encryption to make sure that company data remains safe. They’ve also developed robust compliance capabilities to assist businesses to manage risk and comply with ever-increasing regulatory demands.
3. Artificial intelligence (AI) and Automation
Microsoft’s productivity and collaboration tools have been enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to help everyone achieve their goals over the past decade. With the use of AI, Microsoft 365 has been able to help users become better writers, designers, and presenters. Similarly, Excel now automatically makes maps as well as charts and tables, while Outlook automatically sorts email and removes clutter. There’s also the AI-powered real-time translation, captioning, and transcription that make collaboration and communication more accessible and engaging for everyone.
Starting March 1, 2022, Microsoft will update their list pricing for the following commercial products: Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Office 365 E1, Office 365 E3, Office 365 E5, and Microsoft 365 E3. These price hikes will be implemented globally, with specific regional market changes. At this moment, there are no price increases for education or consumer products.
But inevitably, these price increases will affect Wyntec services as well.
As leaders around the world seek to equip their employees for a more flexible, hybrid world of work, it is clear that every organisation will require a new operating model that spans people, places, and processes. Microsoft has been offering great value to all businesses, big or small. With the continued development of their software and programs, Microsoft has enabled us to enter the realm of the modern workplace.
Similarly, Wyntec is committed to building on the value we have provided over the last decade by delivering continuous innovation that helps our customers succeed and thrive today and in the future. We promise to help our clients settle in the new normal and adapt to the changes that come their way.
