Maximizing value from Microsoft 365 [Q&A]
Many organizations have now adopted Microsoft 365 as a central part of their office service provision. But are they getting the most out of the software that they’re paying for?
We spoke to Vadim Vladimirskiy, CEO of Nerdio, about how businesses can use more than just the big services and why it’s important to understand sizing and bolt-ons in order to extract maximum value from their M365 investment.
BN: Why are so many organizations leveraging Microsoft 365?
VV: More organizations are leveraging Microsoft 365 for its productivity, collaboration, and IT benefits. Microsoft 365 delivers a comprehensive suite of tools that empower enterprises to work smarter, faster, and more securely. With applications like Teams, Word, Excel, SharePoint, and Outlook tightly integrated in the cloud, employees can collaborate in real time from virtually anywhere. This level of accessibility supports modern work -- remote and hybrid environments -- while improving team productivity.
Beyond productivity, Microsoft 365 also strengthens enterprise security and compliance. Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Purview, and other tools help organizations protect sensitive information, manage risk, and meet regulatory requirements. IT teams benefit from centralized management tools that simplify user provisioning, device oversight, and application deployment. These capabilities enable businesses to modernize operations, reduce overhead, and support long-term digital transformation strategies.
The technology is making an impact for businesses of all sizes, across all industries. But here’s the rub: while these organizations are seeing significant gains, many of them could be getting much more out of their Microsoft 365 deployments.
BN: So how can enterprises get more out of their Microsoft 365 deployments?
VV: To start with, enterprises should leverage more of Microsoft 365’s services. That means looking hard at apps and services they’re not using but could benefit massively from. Many organizations have a tendency to just employ Microsoft 365’s flagship offerings -- Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, etc. These are fantastic services, but there are a number of other overlooked products that can seriously help your business too.
A couple of big ones are Microsoft Intune and Microsoft Defender, two endpoint security services that protect devices, identities, data, and applications across hybrid environments. At a high level, Intune and Defender provide a simple way to mitigate cyberthreats without having to rely on a bevy of various point solutions.
Microsoft 365 features dozens of apps and services. Often times, products like Intune and Defender are included in a business’s current subscription plan and can be deployed at no additional cost. Leveraging valuable functionalities you hadn’t considered is a no brainer to get more out of Microsoft 365.
BN: What other features should companies lean on to maximize their value from Microsoft 365?
VV: They should make deeper and more deliberate use of Microsoft’s AI Copilot. This is a big one. AI Copilot has been highly integrated into virtually all Microsoft 365 products, delivering a more intelligent and streamlined experience for end users.
Imagine an employee is building a PowerPoint presentation. Using the Copilot integration, they don’t have to go to ChatGPT, grab some info and plug it into the deck. The tool is right there in the app at their disposal whenever they need it. This accelerated workflow makes it easier for employees to actually use AI on a regular basis to enhance productivity, uncover new insights, and automate manual tasks.
Despite this, at some businesses, employees are inconsistent in their use of AI Copilot. It’s critical that company leaders promote continuing adoption. They should provide training, education, and onboarding so workers understand how Copilot can benefit them on a day-to-day basis and have the skills to wield it effectively.
BN: How else can enterprises optimize their deployments?
VV: They should look for help. This could be the most impactful way for organizations to maximize their Microsoft 365 investments: enlisting the aid of an MSP partner with a strong track record. Partners are critical for several reasons, particularly for SMBs that lack the resources of larger enterprises.
Above all, partners serve as trusted advocates and advisers for organizations. They ensure you’re driving the most value out of your Microsoft 365 deployments and doing so at the best price point possible. MSPs help with all the things discussed above and more, leveraging years of expertise to guide organizations to make the right licensing, SKU, and product decisions. They know which use cases will be the easiest to roll out and which will drive the best ROI for your business.
There are also significant cost advantages. Many organizations falsely assume that they’ll always get the best deal by going straight to the vendor. But with Microsoft 365, there’s a lot of complexity around sizing and bolt-ons -- partners understand that nuance and will cut out any waste to shrink bills.
Microsoft itself acknowledges the importance of partners for optimizing Microsoft 365 deployments. The company has several incentive programs that offer funding to support partners and their customers. For example, the Microsoft End Customer Investment Funds is a program that provides funding for customer projects through select Microsoft partners.
BN: How should businesses approach managing M365 going forwards?
VV: Microsoft 365 has demonstrated its value over the years for businesses across the globe, and it’s taken a massive leap forward recently with AI Copilot and other emerging features. Still, Microsoft 365 isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it easy button that many organizations envision. To get the most out of their deployments, organizations should carefully evaluate how they’re using the tech and find a good partner to lead them along the way.
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