4 Myths About Migrating Microsoft 365 Applications to the Cloud

Most organizations that choose to move to the cloud do so because they have decided they need it for business agility and want the cost savings that come with it. For Microsoft 365 users, shifting their applications to the cloud provides just that - scalable resources, greater support across device types, and enterprise tools for securing business data. Still, there are, unfortunately, many lingering misconceptions about the migration process. Don't let your business growth be held back by any of them.

Here Are 4 Common Microsoft 365 Myths, and Why Your Business Actually Benefits from Moving These Applications to the Cloud:

1. Legacy and Cloud Versions of Microsoft 365 Are the Same

Microsoft 365 is the Office 365 you already know, plus productivity tools that will help you work more efficiently. Whether at your desk or on the go, you have the tools to focus on the work that matters to your mission. And, since Microsoft 365 lives in the cloud, these tools stay up to date, are simple to use and manage, and are ready to work when you are. These include:

• SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business for collaboration, websites, workflows, and enterprise file sync and share (available across all plans)

• Advanced analytics, with Power BI and Microsoft MyAnalytics (available with all enterprise plans)

• Advanced security, with Advanced Threat Protection and Customer Lockbox (available with Enterprise E5 plan)

Plus, with many Microsoft 365 plans, you can install the latest full Office applications on your devices, so you can work offline or online in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook too.

2. Storing Data On-Premises Is Safer than the Cloud

Security and up-time come standard with Microsoft 365 in the cloud. Even if your organization has a growing security team, organizations can rarely assemble a team large enough to uncover and protect against the hundreds of possible alerts that come through each day. Microsoft 365 gives you the option to use tools such as Advanced Threat Protection, which secures mailboxes against sophisticated attacks in real-time. Every email attachment or link is automatically evaluated for suspicious activity, and malicious content is neutralized before the chance of a risk. The Microsoft 365 platform is also designed to reflect the latest regulations and industry best practices, such as HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley, Federal Information, Security Management Act (FISMA), ISO 27001, European Union (EU) Model Clauses, etc.

3. Cyber Criminals Can Easily Access My Cloud Data

This is a top fear about the cloud among many organizations, but it is unfounded. Your IT team manages access, sets up rights and restrictions, and provides smartphone access and options. They can set privacy controls that allow you to configure who in your organization has access and what they can access. Further, your organization remains the sole owner. You retain the rights, title, and interest in the data stored in cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure. Strict controls and design elements prevent your data from mingling with that of other organizations, and Microsoft is the first major cloud provider to adopt the world’s first international standard for cloud privacy. The standard establishes a uniform, international approach to protecting privacy for personal data stored in the cloud. 

4. We Have to Learn New Tools to Manage SharePoint Online

SharePoint Online shares the same familiar administration and management tools, whether your deployment is in the cloud, on location, or in a hybrid of the two. Although your customizations aren’t populated to the cloud, all the administrative controls remain the same. When moving to SharePoint Online, you no longer need to bother with controlling the workload implementation—instead, your IT team can focus on controlling its configuration. With the convenient, one-time, expert-led implementation that SharePoint Online handles, your IT team can reallocate the time they used to spend on implementation and can concentrate on building strong, strategic tools for the organization. SharePoint Online simply abstracts the infrastructure, enabling you to focus on the solution. For more information about migrating your business to the Microsoft Azure cloud, reach out to iCorps for a free consultation.