Cloud Solutions

Microsoft 365 (previously called Office 365) is Microsoft's expanding line of productivity applications and cloud services available on a subscription basis. Microsoft 365 applications and Azure services are offered in a selection of bundles, known as subscription plans, aimed at customers ranging from students and households to global corporations.

The most popular Microsoft 365 apps can be run on a variety of computers including Windows PCs, Apple Macs, tablets, and smartphones. These multi-device applications include Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook. PC-only applications include Access for database management and Publisher for desktop publishing. To address individuals with multiple computing devices, many Microsoft 365 packages allow you to install Microsoft 365 applications on several devices. As an example, Microsoft 365 Business and ProPlus packages permit every Office app to be run on up to five devices.

Progent can provide quick and easy online access to a support consultant with expertise in Microsoft, Mac, iOS, and Google Android technology. Progent can help you to evaluate the many packages offered with Microsoft 365 and configure your IT system with Microsoft 365 so it delivers maximum competitive advantage. Progent has experience supporting multi-vendor networks that incorporate Windows, macOS or OS X, and Linux technology. Progent can also help you to build and maintain hybrid environments that transparently combine local and cloud-based resources.

Microsoft 365 Applications and Cloud-based Services
Microsoft 365 packages are available to serve a broad range of users including businesses of all sizes, schools, state and local government, home and nonprofits. Some subscription plans, like Microsoft 365 Business Essentials, has no apps but only cloud services. Others, like Microsoft 365 Business, includes apps but only the OneDrive cloud service. The top-of-the-line Microsoft 365 Enterprise E5 bundle includes seven applications and seven cloud services. Progent's consultants can help your organization to pick an Microsoft 365 plan that makes sense for your situation, assist you to move from outdated versions of Office applications, and help you streamline the management of Microsoft 365 and other system resources to create an efficient, secure and reliable IT environment.

Key Microsoft 365 Applications
The most obvious difference between Microsoft 365 apps and their associated Office releases is that Microsoft 365 apps are subscription based instead of perpetually licensed. In addition, permanently licensed Office apps are supposed to be installed on only a single PC or Mac at a time and are not patched automatically or upgraded for free when a major version is released. For example, upgrading from Word 2013 to Word 2019 requires you to purchase a new license for Word. Incremental updates to Microsoft Office titles are made available to Microsoft 365 users faster than to owners of perpetually licensed editions. Also, Office suites bought with a perpetual license do not come with any of the Azure-based services that are included with Microsoft 365.

Applications available with different Microsoft 365 bundles include:

Microsoft 365 Word offers the ability to write and view Office files across Windows, Google Android, Apple Mac, and iOS devices while maintaining a common look and user experience. Users can also collaborate on Office documents, find out which team members are editing shared projects, and observe changes made by others as they happen. Just as with Microsoft 365 Excel and Microsoft 365 PowerPoint, you can easily share without leaving your documents. Additionally, you can review who has permission to access a specific document and who is now working on it. For documents you own, you can quickly modify edit rights. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 Word consulting services.

Microsoft 365 Excel now allows subscribers to use the powerful Exponential Smoothing (ETS) algorithm to create forecast charts for predicting trends using past data. New data types that are tied to current online databases in real time include Stock and Geography. The Stock data type downloads the latest stock price, change in price, and other equities data. Geography allows you to select a country and extract specified demographic or economic information like population or gas costs. As in the case of Microsoft 365 Word and Microsoft 365 PowerPoint, Microsoft 365 Excel also supports Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) images. These can be turned, colored, and scaled instantaneously with no deterioration in quality. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 Excel consulting expertise.

Microsoft 365 PowerPoint lets you work with 3D objects and includes an expanded selection of animation effects such as swinging and turning. Like Microsoft Office Excel and Word, Microsoft 365 PowerPoint enables you to convert sketches into uniform shapes for charts, diagrams, and other objects. Microsoft 365 PowerPoint for Mac includes the capability to embed and edit movies from inside PowerPoint. PowerPoint's Media Browser offers easy access to a wide range of sources like iPhoto albums, iTunes playlists, and iMovie collections as well as shapes, Clip Art, and other graphics.

Microsoft 365 Outlook offers significant enhancements to previous versions of the Outlook email client application by adding useful features like audio cues, automatic downloading of OneDrive attachments, display responses to a meeting invitation for people who are not conference organizers, streamlined email organizing, plus more intuitive group creation and shared calendars. Also, Microsoft 365 Outlook subscribers can hear their messages read aloud while the segments being read are visibly highlighted. Office intelligent services, when activated, allows Microsoft 365 Outlook clients to dictate messages. Microsoft 365 Outlook for Mac now supports push email, online archiving, the ability to suggest a different meeting schedule in response to a meeting request, and multiple calendar visibility. Full Screen Mode permits multiple open emails and permits subscribers to run two Outlook instances in split-screen. Learn about Progent's Microsoft 365 Outlook and Outlook on the web consulting and training expertise.

Microsoft 365 OneNote for Windows 10 is incorporated in the majority of Microsoft 365 product bundles, pre-installed in Windows 10, and available for download as a no-cost mobile application. The older OneNote 2016 release, which has some features not at first provided in OneNote for Windows 10 likes Record Video, continues to be available at no cost but is no longer being updated. OneNote for Windows 10 introduces a new configurable interface common for Windows 10, Apple Mac, iOS, Android, and Web. Other features offered only on OneNote for Windows 10 include enhanced ink-to-text, a notification center that shows changes in your open and recent notebooks, automatic transformation of freehand drawings into standardized shapes, and a digital ruler to create straight lines and make measurements.

Microsoft 365 Access, offered exclusively for Windows PCs, allows you to use Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and an extensive set of templates to streamline business processes and create advanced forms and reports. Microsoft 365 Access includes the connector library to integrate data from a broad range of leading business apps and data sources for creating quality reports from within the familiar Access environment. Support for storing Access data in both SQL Server and Azure SQL gives you an enterprise-class back end plus SQL syntax for Access applications deployed either on premises or in the Microsoft Azure cloud. Microsoft Access 365 now comes with an updated Linked Table Manager, allows you to add new charts and management reports, and permits you to link or extract data from Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 Access development and troubleshooting expertise.

Microsoft 365 Publisher, available only for Windows PCs, is a popular do-your-own desktop publishing system that takes advantage of the familiar Microsoft Office environment to deliver an intuitive platform for creating and sharing modern-looking documents such as datasheets and newsletters that call for precise image placement control. Because documents can be stored in the cloud, you can distribute a document simply by sending a link. Publisher's wide use and simplicity make it possible to meet deadlines on time-sensitive projects without having to rely on instant access to a desktop publishing expert for making eleventh-hour changes.

Microsoft 365 Cloud Services
Microsoft 365 cloud services permit you to take advantage of Microsoft's extensive cloud infrastructure to host mission-critical servers like Microsoft Exchange, Teams and Skype for Business. These services provide enterprise-class levels of availability and security while saving the significant upfront costs and management effort associated with setting up and maintaining robust local computer facilities. For cases that require some systems to be kept on-premises for regulatory compliance, performance, or other reasons, most Microsoft 365 virtual server platforms can be deployed using hybrid network models that transparently combine on-premises and cloud-hosted resources.

Microsoft 365 Exchange Online offers email hosting and allows mailbox sizes ranging from 50 GB to whatever you can afford. Important features include custom email domain addresses, shared calendars and contacts, a web version of Outlook, single-click archiving, and easy creation of collaboration groups. The online Exchange admin center allows you to manage email configurations for your organization and gives you full control over critical areas such as user rights, security and compliance, mail flow, making mailboxes and imposing limits, team work, address books, Voice mail, monitoring and reporting, and backup. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 Exchange Online integration and administration consulting.

Microsoft 365 OneDrive is Microsoft's popular file synchronization and sharing service. Microsoft 365 subscription plans usually come with 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage, enabling you to store, access, and share data across Microsoft Windows, Mac, or iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. By automatically synchronizing your files to your desktop, OneDrive lets you edit documents even when you are not connected to the Internet. OneDrive simplifies sharing and co-editing, tracking all changes to prevent inconsistency issues. You can begin a co-authoring project on any device and move seamlessly to another device at any time. For enhanced collaboration, an array of tools allow you to annotate and highlight documents. Powerful discovery tools enable you to locate files fast, and tracking tools offer useful information like the number of people who viewed or shared a document.

Microsoft 365 Skype for Business provides cloud-based voice, HD video, and conferencing. Online Plan 1 includes IM, real-time presence, peer-to-peer VoIP, and video calling, plus federation and directory search. Online Plan 2 adds pre-scheduled and ad hoc conferencing with audio and video calling as well as screen and application sharing on iOS and Google Android devices, PCs, and Apple Mac computers. For hybrid networks that combine a local Skype for Business Server with Skype for Business Online services, you can deploy a cohesive environment via a Split Domain implementation. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 Skype for Business Online solution design and integration expertise.

Microsoft 365 SharePoint Online combines content management with intranet publishing to allow businesses to distribute and share information and to promote collaboration. The SharePoint admin center has been enhanced with interactive usage analysis, Message Center posts, and a Service Health dashboard designed to simplify management. Also, you are able to now connect current team sites to Microsoft 365 Groups, enhancing SharePoint sites with group discussions, calendar, and Planner. Features to support cloud coexistence now include hybrid taxonomy and hybrid auditing as well as an updated development model for building SharePoint solutions locally, in hybrid implementations, and in Microsoft 365. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 SharePoint Online configuration and development services.

Microsoft Teams is the successor of Skype for Business, offering a single hub for conversations, contacts, and information with persistent chat, file sharing, plus integrated IP voice and video conferencing. Microsoft has designed the cloud architecture supporting Teams to deliver quicker meeting join speeds than Skype and to enable integration with Microsoft Cognitive Services such as transcription, translation, speech recognition, and machine learning. Progent can help you to try out Microsoft 365 Teams to evaluate the advantages of migrating to this next-generation collaboration platform. Learn more about Progent's Microsoft Teams migration consulting.

Microsoft 365 Yammer is a social network platform designed to be used within an enterprise and limited to clients who have a verified corporate email address. Postings can be files, links, media, PowerPoint shows, and SharePoint content. The Discovery feed helps you find content that relates to your work or concerns as indicated based on groups you have joined, conversations you contribute to, and colleagues you communicate with. You can locate discussions, files, interest groups, followers, and other information related to a given colleague. Group Insights show you how activities like posting, viewing, and liking are trending over time. Notifications alert you about pertinent events like updates in your groups, comments in your discussions, and new followers.

Microsoft 365 Power BI is a set of cloud services compatible with Microsoft 365 that allows businesses to build sharable dashboards and on-demand reports that offer up-to-date consolidated views into key facets of your business. Microsoft 365 Power BI dashboards can aggregate information from a broad array of internal and external sources such as Excel, in-house SQL Server Analysis Service, Azure, or popular sources such as QuickBooks, Google Analytics and Salesforce. Dashboards and reports developed on Power BI can be updated continually via data streaming. You can save and share your visualizations in the cloud with OneDrive. Power BI Online mobile applications are offered for Windows devices plus iOS and Google Android smartphones and tablets. Learn about Progent's Microsoft 365 Power BI Online design and development expertise.

Basic Activities for Microsoft 365 Migration
Progent can provide the support of a Cloud Solutions Architect to assist your company to plan a smooth migration to Microsoft 365 tailored to your environment. Before presenting this migration plan, Progent's cloud consultant will carry out a set of information gathering exercises that include running tools such as IdFix, the Exchange Best Practices Analyzer (ExBPA), and custom scripts for reviewing your Active Directory, messaging, and Mobile Device Management (MDM) environment. Critical information that cannot be found using these techniques will be found via interviews with your IT team.

Key activities performed by Progent in developing an optimal Microsoft 365 migration strategy can include:

• Lead a Project Kickoff session with your IT staff to agree upon project goals, services to be utilized, customer and contractor responsibilities, timelines, etc.
• Develop a Risk and Issue Tracking document.
• Create an Exchange Hybrid migration strategy explaining how new services and required changes to the IT environment will be implemented.
• Review the current Azure Active Directory Connect Identity Management setup and identify any gaps.
• Identify and develop a plan for mail-enabled applications such as multifunction printers, monitoring systems, and other systems that currently submit SMTP messages.
• Develop end-user alerts to be published by your Service Desk.
• Identify existing Exchange mailbox volume and item counts to inform plan for email migrations.
• Review your network bandwidth reports to verify there is sufficient bandwidth and nominal latency to support Microsoft 365.
• Examine your current Mobile Device Management (MDM) system to make sure it will operate with the Microsoft 365 services and features.
• Utilize the IdFix utility to surface potential AD problems and uncover duplicate email addresses and UPNs, invalid formatting for object attributes, and UPNs that have non-routable domains.
• Lead an Architecture Review session with your IT staff to identify issues that could prevent an efficient migration.
• Develop a plan to permit email to be directed to Dynamic Distribution Groups.
• Provide a list of ports and IP ranges for firewall rules.
• Help you to find mailboxes that have been given elevated rights to another mailbox.
• Develop an execution plan that defines the processes involved with your migration to Microsoft 365.

Progent's ProSight family of Remote Management and Monitoring Services
Progent provides a family of budget-friendly, flat-rate services intended to enable small and medium-size businesses to benefit from the same advanced technology deployed by many of the industry's leading corporations. The ProSight suite of outsourced network management services covers all key areas of modern networking including email content filtering, security and compliance, cloud-based backup and disaster recovery, infrastructure management, virtual server hosting, and network resources documentation management. Learn more about Progent's remote management and monitoring (RMM) services.

Get in Touch with Progent for Microsoft 365 Expertise
If you are trying to find a Microsoft 365 consultant, call Progent at 800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.

Public Cloud Integration Solutions from Progent
The options available for public cloud services are increasing continually, making it a serious challenge for information system managers to select the right cloud strategy for their business. Progent has worked extensively assisting businesses of all sizes to plan, implement, and maintain hybrid environments that integrate multiple cloud services from leading public cloud providers. Progent's cloud integration experts can help you to evaluate the comparative benefits and shortcomings of competing public cloud offerings and can help you create a cloud-centric or hybrid network that delivers maximum business value.

Public cloud products supported by Progent's consultants include:

Progent's Azure planning and integration experts can assist you with any stage of Azure cloud migration such as needs analysis, prerequisites assessment, system architecture, pre-production testing, implementation, automated administration, performance tuning, software license management, disaster recovery preparedness, security planning, and regulatory compliance assessment. Progent can assist your IT staff to set up and troubleshoot firewall appliances and VPN tunnels so your users can safely access to Azure-based services, and Progent's Microsoft-certified consulting experts can help you set up key Microsoft technologies to work in Azure including Microsoft Windows Server, Exchange Server, SQL and Skype for Business. Progent can also assist your organization to create a hybrid environment that transparently combines physical datacenters with Azure resources.

Microsoft has made a strong effort to enable seamless hybrid environments that integrate Microsoft 365 Exchange Online and on-premises Exchange deployments. This permits you to have some Exchange mailboxes hosted at your physical datacenter and other mailboxes resident on Microsoft 365. Progent's Microsoft-certified Exchange consultants can help your organization with any phase of planning, implementing and debugging your hybrid Microsoft 365/Exchange solution. Progent's Exchange specialists can deliver as-needed support to help you resolve stubborn technical issues and also offer comprehensive project management outsourcing or co-sourcing to make sure your hybrid Exchange initiative is completed on schedule and within budget. For more information about Progent's online consulting services for hybrid Microsoft 365 Exchange and on-prem Exchange environments, go to Microsoft 365 Exchange Online integration with on-prem Exchange.

Progent's Amazon AWS cloud integration consultants can provide affordable online consulting to assist companies to integrate Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud services including Amazon EC2 for virtual machine hosting, Amazon S3 for scalable low-latency storage, and Glacier for low-cost long-term archiving. Progent can help you with every aspect of Amazon AWS integration including requirements analysis, readiness assessment, system design, testing, configuration, centralized administration, performance optimization, software license management, disaster recovery solutions, and security. Progent can provide advanced expertise with firewall configuration and VPN technology and can help you deploy all-cloud or hybrid environments that efficiently incorporate Amazon AWS services. Progent offers as-needed expertise or Progent can provide project management outsourcing or co-sourcing to help you migrate smoothly to the Amazon AWS cloud platform.

Amazon Marketplace Web Service (Amazon MWS) is a collection of APIs that allows Amazon sellers to streamline their operations by automating key sales functions such as listings, orders, shipments, inbound and outbound fulfillment, and finances. By leveraging Amazon's extensive online selling environment and automating their sales, vendors can broaden their market, reduce their cost of sales, improve response time to customers, and add to their bottom line. Progent's Amazon Marketplace Web Service (Amazon MWS) developers can collaborate with your development staff and provide application programming, workflow integration, project management support, and mentoring to help you cut development time and costs and get to market quickly.

Progent's Google Cloud Platform (GCP) planning and integration consultants can provide affordable online and on-premises consulting to help businesses to move all or part of their core IT infrastructure to Google Cloud Platform (GCP). This can save time and hardware expense and allow the use of Google's cutting edge machine learning tools. Progent can assist you with every aspect of Google Cloud Platform integration including requirements analysis, readiness evaluation, architectural design and review, testing, deployment, centralized administration, performance optimization, software license management, backup/restore mechanisms, and security strategies.