Office LTSC Professional Plus 2021
Amazon Web Services | MS Windows Server 2025 25.05.06Windows, Windows Server 2025 Windows Server 2025 - 64-bit Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
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Collaboration and productivity are boosted by evolving features and AI-enabled tools
What is our primary use case?
We are using Office 365 primarily for Teams collaboration and data sharing. This is mostly for meetings, as they are extensively used in our office.
What is most valuable?
The features of Office 365 are continuously evolving, but version control, document control, and various SharePoint features are valuable. We also utilize Power Apps to gather the necessary information from various users. The AI-enabled meeting notes feature has significantly improved our productivity. Teams meetings are an indispensable part of daily work for communication and collaboration.
What needs improvement?
There is no specific area of Office 365 that needs improvement as of now, but it sometimes becomes difficult to find the latest used files. The search functionalities could be improved. Also, the amount of storage available with Power Apps is limited, and more integrations with AI and better search functionalities could enhance its scalability.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Office 365 for approximately four years. It was a rollout in phases, so it has been a while since its adoption.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
I did not personally participate in the deployment process, as it was managed by our IT team.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability of Office 365 an eight. Occasionally, there are hiccups, like issues loading Teams, but overall, it is quite stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Depending on use cases, Office 365 could be improved in terms of scalability. More AI integrations and improved search functionalities are needed. I would rate its scalability a seven.
How are customer service and support?
I rate the technical support ten out of ten, as I've never needed to reach out for assistance after years of usage.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Skype, but switched to Office 365 for better collaboration, data availability, and accessibility. It's about more than just meetings; it’s about collaboration.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup experience was somewhere between a seven and an eight. As I didn't undertake the setup myself, I'm basing this on the overall feedback.
What about the implementation team?
Our IT team performed the implementation. It's a large enterprise, so I was not personally involved.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I did not evaluate any other options myself. The IT team may have done so.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Office 365 an eight overall. It enables users to access firsthand information they seek. I would definitely recommend it to similar users. The overall product rating is an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Intuitive interface offers seamless access and collaboration across devices
What is our primary use case?
Our company uses Office 365 for almost all operations, including Office, PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and collaboration with Teams.
What is most valuable?
Office 365 is popular and easy to use due to its intuitive interface. The collaboration with OneDrive allows us to access anything, anywhere, in the same format across devices, including mobile phones. It is very efficient and helpful for most people.
What needs improvement?
Office 365 can be too heavy at times. I have had issues with Teams, such as experiencing many blue screens two months ago.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Office 365 for at least five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I encountered connectivity issues specifically with Teams, which affected stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Office 365 is clear enough for scaling out, especially with SharePoint.
How are customer service and support?
I have never interacted directly with Microsoft support, as I often rely on internet resources or colleagues for troubleshooting.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The installation of Office 365 is very easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Office 365 might seem expensive, but it is valuable and efficient for our customers. The experience gained is significant for saving time.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We also use tools like Teams and have used Skype and Office 365. Sometimes, we work with GitLab and Teradata.
What other advice do I have?
I rate my overall experience with Office 365 as an eight out of ten. Microsoft products are beneficial and help save time due to their efficiency. I rate the overall solution an 8 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Ensures seamless communication and convenient document access for organizational efficiency
What is our primary use case?
I normally use Office 365 for email. We utilize all the Office packages online, including PowerPoint, Word, and Excel for our documents. These Microsoft work applications are essential for our day-to-day communication and documentation needs.
How has it helped my organization?
Office 365 provides instant access to essential applications such as emails and documents at any time, regardless of location. This ensures that communication is seamless and efficient, making it powerful for our organizational needs.
What is most valuable?
All services offered by Office 365 are useful, including Outlook email, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. Their cloud accessibility significantly enhances convenience. Having instant access to emails and documents is powerful for our work requirements.
What needs improvement?
The user interface of Office 365 is very good and easy to use. I think they should reconsider the pricing as it tends to go up annually. Visibility in pricing is a concern as charges might increase without users being aware.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Office 365 for several years, more than ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Office 365 is excellent. It ensures that communications are always running, providing almost 100% uptime. This is crucial for accessing emails, documents, and presentations anytime needed.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Office 365 offers considerable scalability. I rate it eight out of ten as it deploys quickly and is convenient for our small team of about five people.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't used customer service for Office 365. With Microsoft Azure, I faced some issues, mainly due to pricing and a lack of visibility in services and support levels.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before using Office 365, I used on-prem solutions with client software installed on laptops, which were not cloud-based. For other solutions, Linux was cumbersome, so Office 365 was the preferred choice.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Office 365 was very easy, rating it nine out of ten. It was a straightforward process with predefined steps and prompts, making installation smooth.
What about the implementation team?
Implementation was straightforward, following predefined installation steps and prompts.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The subscription prices for Office 365 are revised annually and tend to be on the higher side. Pricing visibility is a concern. The licensing deals could be improved for better user satisfaction.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
No other options were evaluated before choosing Office 365, as I have been a Microsoft and Office user for a long time.
What other advice do I have?
Microsoft offers great applications, but pricing should be more transparent. It is critically important for communications and documentation to be stable, making Office 365 invaluable. I would rate Office 365 as an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Seamless device switching and cloud saving boost productivity and usability
What is our primary use case?
I use Office 365 for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in different client projects.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are its usability and interoperability. I can switch between multiple devices and continue my documentation seamlessly. For example, I can work from a client device to my current device and other devices, saving it to the cloud and reusing it anywhere without searching or saving it separately. It is very handy.
What needs improvement?
In my opinion, Microsoft can make Power BI available in Office 365 as a basic version instead of making it a separate licensed product.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Office 365 for about four to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability of Office 365 as nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Office 365 has a scalability rating of nine.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support from Microsoft is rated six to seven because it takes more time for them to address issues. Listening to the issue and then addressing it takes a long time.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup for Office 365 is very simple.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would rate the price of Office 365 as five. It is neither inexpensive nor costly.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I don't believe other competitors are near to Office 365. It is easy, usable, and simple to set up. Google is catching up, but it will take some time.
What other advice do I have?
The final rating for Office 365 is eight. The pricing and technical support are factors for reducing two points.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Compatibility across companies enables effective productivity and report management
What is our primary use case?
I use Office 365 as a productivity tool for correspondence, presentations, and spreadsheets. It is used by everyone individually based on their needs such as writing emails, doing reports, or handling calculations and spreadsheets. We don't use AI extensively.
What is most valuable?
I find Office 365 valuable because it is compatible across all companies, which is essential for our organization. It serves as a stand-alone correspondence, presentation, and reporting tool. The flexibility to adjust subscriptions with headcount changes is an advantage for cost management.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see improvements in the complexity of Office 365 administration. The backend can be daunting due to frequent changes in module names, which can be disruptive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Office 365 for more than fifteen to twenty years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
There have been no deployment issues. The initial setup nowadays is much simpler compared to a few decades ago.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There have been no performance or reliability issues with Office 365. It functions well even when not connected to the internet, except for Outlook which cannot send emails.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There have been no scalability issues with Office 365. If there is an increase in users, we just subscribe to additional licenses.
How are customer service and support?
I seldom consult Microsoft tech support and there's not much detail provided about contacting them. We usually interact with our vendors instead.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We started with Google but found it difficult to manage two platforms. Switching to Office 365 allowed us to consolidate everything in one place.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward and simpler than it was a few decades ago.
What was our ROI?
The flexibility to increase or decrease subscriptions with headcount changes makes the process more manageable and cost-effective.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The cost is not very reasonable. The pricing could be more flexible, and features needed are sometimes only available at higher subscription levels not suited for our company size.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We originally evaluated Google before switching to Office 365, due to difficulties in keeping track on both platforms.
What other advice do I have?
For our environment, we have no choice but to use Office 365 as it's manageable with our company size. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate Office 365 an eight or nine. Nothing is perfect, and a ten would lead to complacency.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Compatibility across organizations facilitates seamless communication and efficient management
What is our primary use case?
I use Office 365 as a productivity tool for correspondence, presentations, spreadsheets, and reporting. My team individually utilizes different functionalities depending on their tasks, such as writing correspondence, emails, reports, and doing calculations and spreadsheets.
What is most valuable?
The most beneficial aspect of Office 365 for me is its compatibility across companies, ensuring seamless communication and collaboration because the majority of people use the product. While there may not be anything exceptionally special about it, its widespread use makes it necessary. Furthermore, the ease of managing subscriptions allows flexibility in handling workforce changes, such as reducing the number of subscriptions when headcount is lowered, enabling easier management.
What needs improvement?
I cannot think of any specific features or functionality that needs improvement off the top of my head. Nowadays, the initial setup is much simpler compared to decades ago, though the backend and admin of Office 365 can be daunting. The frequent changes to module names like SharePoint and Exchange Plus can be tough as they make familiar features look different.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Office 365 for more than fifteen to twenty years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
The initial setup of Office 365 is much simpler nowadays compared to previous decades.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have not faced any serious performance or reliability issues with Office 365. Even without an internet connection, I can still work with the tools, except for Outlook, which cannot send emails. Overall, there is no problem.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There have been no limitations or scalability issues with Office 365. If there is any increase, I just subscribe to additional licenses.
How are customer service and support?
I seldom consult Microsoft tech support because it is not clearly stated where support is available, or whether it is free or chargeable. Hence, I generally talk to our vendors for assistance. The issues are not major since Office 365 is primarily a productivity tool.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I started with Google but found it difficult to keep track of both platforms. I moved to a subscription-based model with Office 365 for a single platform to settle everything.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is much simpler nowadays compared to the past decades.
What was our ROI?
The flexibility offered by the subscription model enables cost savings when reducing the headcount, as I can easily manage the licenses online. This flexibility is advantageous compared to the traditional way of managing software versions.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is not very reasonable as it could benefit from being more flexible. Sometimes I want specific features that are only available at the next level of subscription, targeting companies with a few hundred or thousand users when those features should be more widely available.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I evaluated Google before switching and found synchronizing email between Outlook and Gmail difficult at first. Early on, Office 365 had just started with cloud services and Gmail was more established.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Office 365 because for an environment of our size, there is not much choice. Handling multiple platforms would be a nightmare for us. For a smaller company with just a few employees, Google could work, but for us, having a single platform is preferable. I rate Office 365 around eight or nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Utilizing communication and document tools effectively for sales
What is our primary use case?
I use Office 365 strictly for sales. As a small office, we utilize products like Outlook and Word.
What is most valuable?
The valuable features I use most are Outlook, Word, print to PDF functionality, and Excel. For our meetings, we use Teams regularly, and it serves as a good platform for our ongoing meetings and project management.
What needs improvement?
Moving from the original Outlook to Outlook 365 was problematic because I couldn't transfer a lot of my previous emails. This is an area where improvement is needed to make the transition smoother. On the Zoho end, I find it is not intuitive and not a great CRM, especially compared to ACT CRM, which I found more intuitive and easier to use.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Office 365 since I began my current role, but I do not recall the exact time frame.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would say the stability of Office 365 is relatively good, about ninety percent stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We are a small office, so scalability is not applicable to me.
How are customer service and support?
I do not interact directly with Microsoft support; it is always through our technicians, so I cannot provide a rating on their customer service.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I came from an ACT CRM and I thought it was more intuitive than Zoho.
How was the initial setup?
I found the initial setup of Office 365 a bit cumbersome, so I used a technician. It took about four hours over the course of a week.
What about the implementation team?
One person, our technician, handled the deployment.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate Office 365 as eight. I recommend Office 365 to other businesses.
Enhanced productivity with a variety of tools and automatic updates
What is our primary use case?
I primarily use Office 365 for emailing and utilizing tools like Word and PowerPoint.
What is most valuable?
Office 365 has many new features compared to previous versions, such as updated graphs and PowerPoint templates. The solution is mostly updated automatically. There are some automatic updates, reducing the need for manual updates. I have been using Office 365 for more than two or three years. Overall, it offers a range of tools useful for productivity, including Word, PowerPoint, and other features.
What needs improvement?
From a performance point of view, Office 365 can be too slow, especially when used intensively. It consumes too much memory, causing other applications to underperform. Technical support could also be better. I have previously raised many tickets regarding issues with Microsoft tools and experienced delayed responses.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Office 365 for more than two or three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Performance could be better. It is the main concern regarding stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Office 365 has a mixed scalability. It is not highly scalable, but there are no severe restrictions either. It does have some limitations when scaling.
How are customer service and support?
Customer service could be improved. While I have raised many tickets on Microsoft tools, the response has been delayed. I would rate it five out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Office 365 is not very difficult to implement. One person can handle it. The maintenance is not frequently needed.
What about the implementation team?
One person can handle the initial setup and maintenance.
What was our ROI?
The solution might provide 30 to 40 percent savings.
What other advice do I have?
The overall rating for Office 365 is eight out of ten. My main concerns include performance, support, and the desire for more integration with GitHub and AI features. Additional AI integrations would be beneficial. These could include AI for summaries or integrations with platforms like GitHub.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Collaboration and productivity have improved through effective use of standard tools
What is our primary use case?
We are using Office 365 for collaboration, their mail services for communication, and the Office 365 suite for fulfilling all client requirements.
What is most valuable?
The effective collaboration within our management through Teams is beneficial. Even though email is standard, Teams has significantly helped with collaboration. The tools such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel assist in documentation and presentations. Office 365 improves productivity and collaboration.
What needs improvement?
PowerPoint could have more features to assist users in design. AI features within Word and Excel could be improved as well. Enhancements to AI-based summarization in Teams would be beneficial.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been dealing with Office 365 for a long time.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Office 365 is stable. We do not have any issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Office 365 is scalable. We started with fewer numbers and have scaled up as needed.
How are customer service and support?
Our Technology Services team coordinates with Microsoft for ticket resolutions. Personally, I haven't dealt with tech support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
What was our ROI?
We see value for money in improving productivity and collaboration.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I am not part of the cost management. The cost is handled by the admin team, and I do not have insights into it.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate my overall experience with Office 365 as 8 out of 10. I would recommend Office 365 for its capabilities in handling collaboration, secure document sharing, and using standard tools like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel for documentation and presentations.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Office 365 Enterprise
Office 365 is one of my most used applications. I love the way that I can leverage the Cloud capabilities of my Office applications to access from anywhere. I have access from my phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, etc., and it is always easy. Outlook is nice when I do not have access to a laptop or phone (rare), and One Drive is my file collaboration solution. Although I like the functionality of One Drive, it can be frustrating if your IT team goes overboard on security. :) The single-sign-on we utilize at work keeps me signed in to all apps, and the applications load quickly and efficiently. Office 365 plus the 64-bit 2016 versions of the Office desktop applications is a great combination that I could not function without. I use Outlook, One Drive, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Yammer, and Skype for Business every day, so without them, I would be "dead in the water.
What do you like best?
I like how collaborative Office 365 allows me to be on my projects. Currently, a co-author and I are working in real-time on a project. I could see her typing and commentary while I was making corrections to the APA at the bottom of the page. We can also work asynchronously on projects, store them, and return to them. The ability to work in a browser ensures that I can review, make slight edits to the document, print, and then save. As a person who is moving from a campus computer to my computer, to my printer at home, to my office printer at work, this is about as fast as having a flash chip with me at all times, but I never forget it. It also integrates well with Citation software, similar to Word 10. We have a lot of files we share, and I like how easy it is to access from any location I'm at, as long as I'm logged into my university account.
What do you dislike?
One of the things I struggle with regarding Office 365 is what is the real difference between Office 365 and Google Docs/Sheets other than the price and privacy. At my university, Office 365 is free as long as you are a student or a researcher. As soon as I leave the school though, I'll lose access to Office 365, most of the work I've saved on the system. And while it's... nice? to have so much technology (meaning Access and the other programs that come in the suite) I never use Access but I "have to" have it. I wish it integrated better with my Google Calendar so I could have an app on my phone but if that feature is available I don't have it.
Recommendations to others considering the product
If you are going to be a full-time single user of Office 365, this might make sense if it automatically updates to the latest Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Publisher. It would make sense to pay a yearly/monthly fee to continuously have Word rather than having to buy the expensive office suite every few years or so. But, if you don't need to update to the latest software, if you aren't someone who needs Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Publisher to be at their most flexible, and if you get around on Google just fine, I don't know if it makes sense to buy it as a single user. However, for large universities or companies that need flexibility, and collaboration for their employees, then Office 365 might be right for you.
What business problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?
I work on a lot of collaborative research projects and Office 365 lets me share files and reading and work with others. However, I really don't like their "calendar" system integration with Outlook, but I've never liked the Outlook calendar. I always use my Google calendar and I wish there was a way to sync those two, but as far as I know there isn't.
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