Microsoft 365 Optimization: A User’s Guide

More than 1.3 million U.S. companies leverage the power of Microsoft Office 365. If you are one of these businesses, this article is for you.

While many use Microsoft 365, few businesses truly understand the full capabilities of this cost-effective, secure cloud solution. When you unlock the true potential of Microsoft 365 features, you’ll be positioned to optimize your business operations.

Let’s take a look at what Microsoft 365 could do for your company, including:

1. Maximizing Productivity with Microsoft Teams
2. Enhancing Collaboration Through Microsoft SharePoint
3. Optimizing Your Online Experience with Microsoft Edge
4. Harnessing the Power of Your Data with Microsoft Power BI
5. Working Smarter, Not Harder with Microsoft Copilot
6. Fortifying Your Microsoft Security Posture
7. Leveraging Advanced Features and Automation in Microsoft 365  

CASE STUDY: Office 365 Takes the Burden Off a Small IT Team

Maximizing Productivity with Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is the hub for teamwork in Microsoft 365, offering a seamless blend of communication, collaboration, and productivity tools. To enhance your team's productivity, start by organizing your projects into dedicated channels. This allows for focused discussions and easy access to relevant documents. Integrating apps such as Planner for task management and automating routine processes with Power Automate directly within Teams can significantly boost efficiency.

We also suggest using Teams meetings and leveraging live captions for accessibility and recording sessions for future reference. Use Together Mode to create a more engaging meeting environment and encourage your team members to customize notifications to stay informed without being overwhelmed. Continuous training and adoption of Teams' best practices can lead to substantial improvements in productivity and reduce the friction of collaboration with remote or hybrid employees.

CASE STUDY: Microsoft Teams Delivers Complete Communication Solution

Enhancing Collaboration Through Microsoft SharePoint

Microsoft SharePoint serves as the backbone for content management and collaboration within Microsoft 365. To enhance collaboration, create a structured document library system with metadata tagging, which allows for easy searching and sorting of files. Employing version control ensures that team members are always working on the most recent document, while simultaneously preserving previous versions.

To further boost collaboration, utilize SharePoint's integration with Microsoft Teams to provide a unified experience. Customizing SharePoint sites with web parts like Yammer feeds or Power BI dashboards can enhance communication and data-driven decision-making. Additionally, setting up workflows for document approval processes can streamline operations and reduce manual overhead.

Optimizing Your Online Experience with Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge is more than just a browser; it's a tool that can be tailored to improve your business's online experience. Use Edge's enterprise-focused features, such as Collections, to organize and share web content effectively. The built-in Immersive Reader can aid in increasing focus and understanding of web articles, which is particularly useful for research and learning.

Edge's compatibility with Chrome extensions allows for customization to fit your specific business needs. Take advantage of Edge's privacy controls and security features such as tracking prevention, which can help protect sensitive business data while browsing. Additionally, Edge's integration with Microsoft 365 ensures seamless access to your Office content and the ability to securely search across your organization's data right from the browser.

Harnessing the Power of Your Data with Microsoft Power BI

In today’s data-driven world, Microsoft Power BI is designed to transform large oceans of data into calm and navigable waters. Power BI is a comprehensive suite of business analytics tools that enable businesses to connect to both cloud-based and on-premises data sources. It empowers users to craft visually immersive and interactive insights, fostering a culture of informed decision-making.

With Power BI, businesses can easily visualize their data and share discoveries, ensuring that everyone can access the analytics they need to make strategic decisions that will benefit the organization.

Working Smarter, Not Harder with Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft Copilot is a generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot based on a large language model. We’ve seen early adopters begin to implement this cutting-edge tool, designed to work with all of your favorite Microsoft applications such as Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, Sharepoint, etc.

If you are looking to increase your organization’s productivity, give Copilot a try. In fact, a query asking Copilot what it could do generated this list featuring a wide range of tasks:

Productivity and Organization

• Email Management: Draft, organize and manage your emails
• Calendar Management: Schedule meetings, set reminders, and manage your calendar
• Document Creation: Help you create, edit, and format documents, spreadsheets and presentations

Information and Research

• Web Searches: Find information on the web and provide summaries
• Data Analysis: Assist with data analysis and visualization
• Research Assistance: Help gather and synthesize information for reports or projects

Creative Tasks

• Content Creation: Write articles, blog posts, and social media content
• Design Assistance: Create posters, flyers, and other visual content
• Idea Generation: Brainstorm ideas for projects, events, or campaigns

Technical Support

• Coding Help: Assist with coding tasks and debugging
• Software Guidance: Provide tips and tutorials for using various software applications
• Troubleshooting: Help diagnose and solve technical issues

Fortifying Your Microsoft Security Posture

Security in Microsoft 365 is paramount, especially with the rise of remote work and cyber threats. We suggest you start by ensuring that multi-factor authentication is enabled for all users to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

In addition, you should regularly review and adjust your security policies and access controls to match the needs of your organization. And create a culture of security awareness by educating your employees on security best practices, such as recognizing phishing attempts and managing sensitive information.

Leveraging Advanced Features and Automation in Microsoft 365

To fully leverage Microsoft 365, be sure to embrace its advanced features and automation capabilities. For instance, you can explore Power Apps to build custom apps that cater to your unique business processes without extensive coding knowledge.

Consider automating repetitive tasks with Power Automate, freeing up valuable time for your workforce to focus on higher-value work. And don’t forget to delve into AI capabilities within Microsoft 365, like AI Builder or MyAnalytics, to enhance productivity and personal work patterns. By continuously exploring and adopting these advanced features, your business can stay ahead in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Microsoft 365 has helped businesses of all sizes be more productive in their daily activities. And Microsoft Copilot is the newest app added to Microsoft’s suite of tools. Download our How to Get Started With Microsoft Copilot user’s guide to learn more about how to leverage this unique AI-enabled integration for Microsoft’s suite of tools.