I was at a client’s office and they were talking about purchasing new computers and the bulk of the budget would be allocated to a new e-mail server.  This is an issue that many clients have to deal with and to add insult to injury they also need to hire IT professionals to update and maintain the server.

I talked to the client and we discussed Cloud applications (SAAS) such as Office 365 and Google Apps to replace a mail server and reduce the need for another server.  My client was thrilled with the idea and will investigate both applications which will help her company handle mail and will also allow the employees to view and send mail on the various platforms that employees use (Windows Computers, iPads, MAC Computers, Android Phones, iPhones, Blackberry…).

I have been using Office 365 for quite a while and I have found that it meets and exceeds my needs.  I no longer have to worry about a backing up my files.  If I am away from the office my Outlook is up to date on various platforms and I don’t have to plan ahead to access information.  In addition to the mail/calendar features I also have used SharePoint to store files that I may need when I’m out of the office.  I no longer worry about last minute changes in plans since I have access to my schedule, mail, contacts, and data as long as I have access to the internet!