The 5 Essential Office 365 Business Apps for Easily Conquering the Cloud

When it comes to moving your business to the cloud it can be overwhelming; this is your business, after all. There was probably plenty of discussion within your company about whether to adopt Dropbox, Google Drive, or Box for a cloud storage solution. That was only a place to store your docs so you and your team can access them from anywhere.

How Do You Decide Which Apps to Adopt?

First take a look at your needs. What would it take to run your business entirely in the cloud? For starters, most companies have processes and tools for accounting, sales, marketing, and project management. There are lots of apps available that meet those needs that live in the cloud. The bigger question for many businesses is how to migrate years of your business’ data to the cloud and manage it once it gets there.

If you use Office 365, you’re already on your way. The good news is that there are companies that do all of this for you. The better news is that Microsoft has created a bundle of products from Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) providers that meet these needs.

This software bundle, called the QuickStart Bundle, covers the core functions of any business: SkyKick for moving your data to the cloud, Xero for accounting and finance, Insightly for Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Smartsheet for all of your project and work management and workflows, and BetterCloud for IT management.

 

“The QuickStart Bundle for Office 365 is a shining example of how Microsoft is working with best-of-breed SaaS partners to make it simpler for our SMB customers to purchase an end-to-end cloud solution,” said Gavriella Schuster, General Manager, Microsoft Worldwide Partner Group. “This is a great opportunity for our channel partners to accelerate their cloud revenue by leveraging the QuickStart Bundle for Office 365.”

The QuickStart Bundle for Office 365 has everything you need to run your business in the cloud. If you’re enjoying the freedom to access and manage your company’s data from anywhere using Office 365, imagine what you can do if your team had access to everything it needed to run the daily business.

From billing to sales to project management to staying on top of your data and cloud usage, the apps in this bundle have got you covered:

SkyKick: Move Your Existing Data to Office 365

 

While it’s easy to get started with Office 365, migrating your existing data to the new system isn’t a simple process. Once you sign-up for Office 365, SkyKick can help migrate your existing Microsoft Office software to the cloud.

The Cloud Management-as-a-Service (CMaaS) solution handles everything involved in migrating the data, including estimating license costs, selecting the right Office 365 plan, and moving data from files and legacy email systems. Once the migration is complete, an IT professional can manage all of the cloud-based apps from a single window.

“Cloud usage is expected to double in the next three years, and the average IT partner will soon have over 5,000 customer cloud touch points to administer, which can be incredibly complex and time-consuming for solution providers to backup and manage. With the release of our new cloud management products, it’s another step forward for us in delivering innovative products to help partners around the world provide a more successful, efficient and safe cloud experience for their customers on one unified platform,” said Todd Schwartz, SkyKick co-founder and co-CEO.

Xero: From Purchase Orders to Payroll and Everything in Between

 

Finance is a cornerstone of every business. And having an app that can help keep you financially on track is essential, so you can spend more time growing your business. Xero provides users with a real-time view of cash flow on a Mac, PC, tablet, or phone. The app also helps manage bills and expenses, payroll, taxes, and inventory tracking.

It also generates purchase orders, quotes and invoices. But even better, it lets you know what happens on the other end, like when the intended recipient has opened an invoice. The app also integrates with over 400 other business apps including PayPal, Square, ZenPayroll and Bill.com.

“Through cloud accounting and our vision of the Financial Web, we have revolutionised efficiency, collaboration and knowledge sharing between small businesses and their advisors. As Xero becomes the hub for small business in the Financial Web, harnessing these partnerships will stimulate small businesses to thrive and grow, and creates innovative ways of solving some very old problems,” said Xero CEO Rod Drury.

Insightly: Online CRM for Small Businesses

 

This web-based SaaS is bringing powerful CRM tools to small business. Insightly does all the heavy lifting of managing infrastructure, so companies that were once priced out and couldn’t manage robust CRM solutions can now take advantage of its many features. Insightly helps increase productivity by providing email tracking, templates, lead management, and even social media leads

“We are a great online CRM for small businesses, and as our customers grow, we grow with them. Insightly has continued to add features and plans that support our users at every stage of their business,” said Anthony Smith, founder and CEO of Insightly.

Smartsheet: Empowering Online Project Management and Collaboration

 

This enterprise-ready SaaS app offers features and flexibility that companies of any size will find useful. Smartsheet, built for managing work of any kind, pairs the familiar, easy to use spreadsheet interface with capabilities like real-time collaboration, file attachments work automation, Gantt chart features, and integration with other leading cloud productivity tools.

Smartsheet’s sharing features let vendors and stakeholders communicate in real-time, eliminating the need to send files and countless emails back and forth to monitor a project’s status. It is used to collaborate, plan and execute a broad spectrum of work, including marketing campaigns, product launches, business operations, manufacturing processes, strategic planning and HR initiatives.

“This bundle of leading third party cloud solutions directly supports Microsoft’s efforts to double down on the discovery, usage and consumption of cloud apps that complement Office 365,” said Mark Mader, CEO of Smartsheet.

To learn more about Smartsheet, sign up for a free 30 day trial.

BetterCloud: A Comprehensive Tool for Cloud IT

 

If you’ve been apprehensive about doing everything in the cloud, BetterCloud will put your mind at ease. The comprehensive platform gathers critical insights, provides intelligent data security and automates management of cloud office apps.

It provides all the tools needed, so IT managers know what is happening on your domain at any given moment. Automated reports provide insight into data access and usage across your business application so you’ll always know what’s at risk and why.

“In order for these organizations to adopt cloud office platforms, the additional functionality and controls provided by BetterCloud are critical,” said BetterCloud CEO David Politis. “IT departments that have historically used Microsoft products are accustomed to a high level of sophistication within their security and management toolset. Now, with BetterCloud for Office 365, they can leverage similarly advanced functionality built for the Office 365 environment.”

This assembly of apps, combined with all the functionality available in Office 365, gives users everything they need to run their business in the cloud. All of these apps are integrated with Office 365 and can be purchased as a bundle from Microsoft reseller partners later this year.

 

Empower your people to go above and beyond with a flexible platform designed to match the needs of your team — and adapt as those needs change. 

The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed. 

When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time. Try Smartsheet for free, today.