If your Houston business is using Microsoft 365 primarily for Outlook and Word, you're getting maybe 20% of the value you're paying for. Microsoft 365 Business Premium — the plan most Houston SMBs are on — includes a remarkable suite of tools that most businesses never activate. Here are 10 features that could transform how your team works.
Microsoft Teams Phone — Replace Your Phone System
Microsoft Teams Phone turns Teams into a full business phone system with direct inward dialing (DID) numbers, auto-attendants, call queues, and voicemail. For Houston businesses already using Teams for chat and video, adding Teams Phone eliminates the need for a separate VoIP provider. You get one platform for all communications — chat, video, and voice — with one admin portal and one monthly bill.
Microsoft Defender for Business — Enterprise Security Included
Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes Microsoft Defender for Business, an enterprise-grade endpoint detection and response (EDR) solution. Most Houston businesses have this sitting unused in their tenant. Defender for Business provides behavioral-based threat detection, automated investigation and remediation, and a centralized security dashboard. Activating it costs nothing extra and dramatically improves your security posture.
SharePoint and OneDrive — Ditch the File Server
SharePoint and OneDrive provide cloud file storage with version history, co-authoring, and granular permissions. Houston businesses still running on-premise file servers are paying for hardware, maintenance, and backup infrastructure that SharePoint replaces entirely. Files are accessible from anywhere, automatically backed up, and searchable across your entire organization.
Power Automate — Automate Without Code
Power Automate (included in Microsoft 365) lets you build automated workflows between your Microsoft apps and hundreds of third-party services — without writing a single line of code. Houston businesses are using Power Automate to automatically save email attachments to SharePoint, send approval requests for expense reports, sync data between Microsoft 365 and their CRM, and generate weekly reports from Teams activity.
Key Takeaways
Microsoft 365 is one of the most underutilized investments in most Houston businesses. If you're not sure what you're paying for or how to get more value from your Microsoft 365 subscription, Implex IT offers Microsoft 365 optimization assessments for Houston businesses. We'll audit your current usage, identify unused features, and create a roadmap for getting more from your investment.
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Based in Houston, TX, our team of certified IT professionals helps local businesses stay secure, efficient, and competitive through managed IT, cybersecurity, cloud solutions, and AI strategy.