Remember, Office 365 is Only as Good as Your Internet Connection

Cloud-based productivity apps like Office 365 allow businesses unparalleled mobility and collaboration; that is, if a company’s Internet connection is up for the task. Unfortunately, too many organizations aren’t able to fully utilize their cloud solutions due to poor connectivity, bandwidth, and latency issues, according to a new report from Zscaler.

The report primarily looked at how large companies and enterprises were using Office 365, and the findings should concern business owners that rely on the cloud for their company’s daily operations:

• 64 percent of businesses reported network and cost issues.
• 58 percent had to increase their bandwidth in order to better utilize Office 365.
• 65 percent upgraded their firewalls before deploying Office 365.
• After deployment, 70 percent said latency was a consistent, weekly issue.
• 45 percent were unable to access critical business material after deployment.

As a direct result of companies experiencing connectivity issues when trying to use Office 365, the report found that 70 percent of organizations have started looking for new ways to implement direct Internet connection for intelligent bandwidth allocation.

At the conclusion of the report, Punit Minocha, vice president of business development for Zscaler, states: “Through their own experiences, organizations are finding out that they simply cannot run a cloud application of the magnitude of Office 365 on legacy architecture. To fully leverage the power of Office 365, a majority of organizations are looking to transform their networks from traditional hub-and-spoke implementations to ones that securely access the Internet directly from branch offices.”

What’s this mean for your business? The lesson here applies to organizations looking to implement not only Office 365, but any cloud-based productivity app. Before you follow through with this decision and implement a cloud solution, it’s essential that you have sufficient bandwidth and a reliable Internet connection. If your connection is lacking, then your Internet traffic may be overwhelmed with the demands of your cloud solution, and you’ll experience downtime--which is absolutely counterproductive to why you switched to the cloud in the first place.

Texas businesses shouldn’t be afraid of moving to the cloud, but it is important that the internal IT infrastructure is prepared for it, and that your plan with your ISP supports the bandwidth.

It’s crucial that you consult with an IT professional about what your network can and can’t handle, before adopting a new cloud solution. After all, the amount of extra effort and additional planning that this step requires, will end up costing you significantly less than having to deal with downtime and seek out a solution to your connectivity issues after the fact.

When it comes to having a smooth transition to the cloud and implementing cloud solutions like Office 365 in such a way that maximizes productivity and efficiency, you owe it to yourself and your team to consult with the IT pros at Texas Professional IT Services LLC. To schedule a visit from one of our friendly technicians, give us a call today at (832) 514-6260.