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There are two kinds of entrepreneurs and executives looking at Microsoft (News - Alert) Office 365: Those who currently utilize the desktop MS Office suite and are contemplating switching their heaps of documents and data over to the cloud and those who currently use another cloud-based suite and don't know whether their choice was exactly the most prudent. Regardless of where you sit in this spectrum, you want to know two things: What you get out of switching over to Office 365, and what the catch of making this move would be.

If you've already migrated data to the cloud, you know exactly what to expect. But if you haven't, here's the rundown: It's simply not as painful as it seems. The process is very efficient and not so labor intensive, especially when dealing with something as inoffensive as Office 365. But what's a decision if not informed? Let's hop onto reasons why you should or should not use Office 365.

Reasons for Office 365:

• An Internet connection is pretty much all you need to run this software. It's able to run on practically any platform and doesn't require a whole lot of hassle with wires, installation media, and other stuff you really don't need to bug yourself with when you're running large operations. This, in turn, makes you more free to reinvest in other ways as in-house expenditures shrink.
• If something's wrong with the software, it's not on your end. Microsoft will do all it can to keep Office 365 running smoothly.
• The environment is a collaborative metropolis where your users will communicate through instant messaging, audio, and video found in the Lync component of Office 365.
• Everything's backed up, meaning that you don't have to bother with the hassle of getting the equipment in-house to handle that.

That sounds all fine and dandy. Of course, there are also reasons you might not be struck with joy at the idea of using a cloud-based software solution like Office 365:

• Once your router decides to go kaput, you're on your own. Microsoft doesn't come by and fix your networking problems. If you no longer have Internet access, you can say goodbye to any productivity you were hoping for today. Since no one can access Office 365, they're sitting ducks until you bring back the net.
• Microsoft is bound to have a couple of periods in which its routers will also go bonkers, albeit rarely enough. This shouldn't really be an issue unless you have situations in which you can't wait an hour for things to come back to normal.

Aside from these points, you’re pretty much in the green if these things don’t bother you. Office 365 presents a very powerful solution with collaboration capabilities like no other software presently on the market.

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