Many companies are questioning whether to host SharePoint on premise or in the cloud.  There are many factors in determining an answer to this, and indeed hosting in the cloud isn’t even a straightforward decision. You have to decide whose cloud you move to for starters.

Each company will have to run its own investigation, however one thing is certain: The cloud is here and it is here to stay.  Companies are either using the cloud, partly using the cloud (a hybrid solution) or are planning on moving there. If you aren’t even considering on moving to the cloud you could be missing out on some major benefits.

SharePoint Online can bring several advantages.

Server Management: What servers? Microsoft does all this for you. No installing anti-virus, patching, backups, scheduling upgrades, upgrading RAM etc. The downside may be unexpected events like upgrades, permissions changes from time to time. However no local environment is without its pitfalls and challenges.

Upgrades: Microsoft, creating new functionality and fixing bugs, releases upgrades every 90 days. These days, at the rate technology is changing, 3 years is a long time between releases, 90 days seems so much more palatable. Also, you don’t have to do anything to upgrade, Microsoft does it for you. (Do keep an eye on how it may affect your custom built apps and branding however!)

Accessible: Login from anywhere, anytime, from any device. Easily access your email from your phone or tablet. It’s all very simple, and super secure.

Scalable: Pay per number of accounts as a monthly fee. You only pay for what you use. Add and remove accounts as you please. The monthly costs vary depending on which package you purchase, but the costs are very reasonable and predictable. And you don’t have to worry about configuring your SharePoint environment right first time.

Contact WebVine for a consultation on how SharePoint Online can work for your business.