What are the disadvantages of Office 365?

Microsoft 365 is one of the most popular productivity suites in the world, holding almost half of the world market. It’s a powerful toolbox that comes with many advantages.

It’s not without its faults, though. Microsoft 365 has a few disadvantages you’ll need to work around, but you need to understand them.

Confusing version names and benefits

Microsoft’s naming conventions almost seem designed to be confusing, and many of the names for its product offerings change over time. For example, Microsoft 365 used to be Microsoft Office 365.

There are two tiers of 365 for personal use and four for business use. Microsoft has a chart on its site that shows what each tier includes, but it can be hard to know what features you’ll actually need. We routinely advise our clients on questions like this. Get a technology provider you trust to advise you so you don’t buy something you don’t need or paint yourself into a corner.

Everything is in the cloud

Because 365 is cloud-based, it requires internet access. If you’re in a place where internet access is unreliable or unavailable, 365 loses much of its best functionality.

This isn’t a problem for most users, but there are edge cases where this matters. Rural internet, like satellite, is affected by weather, which can be a problem for people or companies that aren’t based in urban areas with good internet access. And for the remotest of remote workers—people working on far-off construction sites, oil wells, or other projects far from infrastructure—cloud-based might not be a great option.

Again, these are edge cases. It’s rare, but if you’re dealing with one of these situations, you might want to consider alternative options.

Too many options

In some ways, one of 365’s best attributes can be a double-edged sword: it’s so powerful that it can be daunting trying to take advantage of its best features. If you sign up on your own without training, there are a dizzying array of options and tools at your disposal. You can get lost in the weeds.

We want to ensure you can use all your investment, not just part of it. Let us walk you through the process and set you up right.

Microsoft 365 is powerful, but understanding the disadvantages lets you work around them. We can help. Talk to TeamLogic IT today, and we’ll get you set up with the solution that’s right for you.