The difference also lies in the flexibility presented to clients. In this regard, a company can select different subscription plans that suit specific business goals. The platform developed three options for enterprises: Microsoft 365 E3, Microsoft 365 E5, and Microsoft 365 F3. They differ on the scale of available tools, with Microsoft 365 E5 providing the best-in-class productivity apps and advanced security, compliance, voice and analytical capabilities. With their help, you can secure your enterprise and stay cost-effective. Let’s discuss some of the Microsoft 365 online services available for business subscription plans in order to grasp how they can suit day-to-day operations in a company.
Microsoft 365 online services for businesses
The scope of online services provided by Microsoft 365 relies on your preferred plan. Let’s take a closer look at the most popular ones with businesses, due to their extended and on-point functionality.
- Exchange Online is a business-class email platform that saves storage capacity from 50 GB to 100 GB in the subscribers’ mailboxes. It also provides high-level security in terms of data loss prevention and protection from malware. Interested in finding out more about the issues of corporate communications security? Learn more on 8 Ways to Protect Your Email From Spoofing and Forgery.
- OneDrive is a cloud storage with the capacity of saving up to 1 TB of data. You can share this space internally and create guest links for external users. You can also opt for a Business Premium subscription, which opens up access to desktop versions of Office 365 applications for PC and Mac, along with advanced security tools and additional configurations for device management.
- Microsoft Teams is a video and audio conferencing platform that allows you to host events with up to 300 participants. You can also use it as a tool for creating team sites and for sharing information via SharePoint. The business package also includes features such as reporting, registration pages, and email confirmation. The number of daily Microsoft Teams users reached nearly 150 million in 2021.
- SharePoint refers to a collaborative document management platform. It makes it possible for the company to securely store information and tune cooperation within different teams and departments. Over 200 million subscribers relied on its services in 2021, with 86% of the users choosing its cloud-based version.
With these cloud services, businesses can effectively integrate low code/no code development for specific small-scale projects.
Microsoft Power Platform for low code/no code development
Over the last few years, the low code/no code development market has grown extensively. This dynamic is being spurred on by companies’ increasing need to create budget-friendly applications. Low code/no code development is the right choice in this case. Below is a table showing the revenue low-code development technologies that were brought in 2019-2021.
|
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
Low-Code Application Platforms (LCAP) |
3,473.5 |
4,448.2 |
5,751.6 |
Intelligent Business Process Management Suites |
2,509.7 |
2,694.9 |
2,891.6 |
Multiexperience Development Platforms (MDXP) |
1,583.5 |
1,931.0 |
2,326.9 |
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) |
1,184.5 |
1,686.0 |
2,187.4 |
Citizen Automation and Development Platform (CADP) |
341.8 |
438.7 |
579.5 |
Other Low-Code Development (LCD) Technologies* |
59.6 |
73.4 |
87.3 |
Overall |
9,152.6 |
11,272.2 |
13,824.2 |
Figure 1. Low-Code Development Technologies Revenue (Millions of U.S. Dollars)
Data processing, data analysis, and their integration into the organization’s decision-making, are crucial for stable and continuous business growth. According to Gartner, low code development applications will constitute more than 65% of all development activities by 2024. What’s more, the low code development market is predicted to expand dynamically in the following years, reaching $187 billion in revenue by 2030. In 2021, low-code application platforms generated up to 30% more revenue than in 2020, bringing $5.8 billion to the stakeholders. As hands-on applications become increasingly necessary in the market, non-programmers can benefit from the multiple advantages of Power Platform – Microsoft’s playground for low code development.
The expansion of non-traditional approaches to coding is predicted to grow in the foreseeable future. The most popular purposes for using low code/no code applications, including data modeling and productivity apps, are shown in the graph below.
Figure 2. Usage of Low-Code for Applications Worldwide in 2021
What technology stands behind low code/no code development? In contrast to programming languages, low code/no code apps heavily rely on drag-and-drop interfaces. They make it possible for citizen developers (or non-professional developers) to organize data inquiries and workflow processes that are readily available to users. This approach also allows a business to connect newly crafted low code/no code programs with broader business processes. For example, marketing professionals can create applications that automatically access customer data and launch targeted communication with Microsoft 365 services, including SharePoint, Office 365 and SQL Server. They serve as data sources for low code/no code applications and can be easily connected via web interfaces or mobile applications.
Low code applications provide an extensive range of options regarding automated data gathering and management, standardized data security, or work processes automation. Interestingly, 38% of all applications are used in data modeling and visualization (see Fig. 2). Sometimes though, no code development doesn’t suit the needs of your business or enterprise. Although it may seem like a beneficial solution for small-scale projects, traditional coding is often a must for more nuanced and time-consuming challenges. Moreover, accuracy and realistic expectations towards no code development are central to your data project’s success.
Fusion developer teams can also assist your company in setting up applications for goals that require a combination of traditional coding and low code/no code technologies. Collaboration between code-first developers, citizen developers, and IT developers can help your business gain tech solutions that suit your business objectives in the shortest terms. This approach can be optimal for strengthening your company’s competitive edge. You can also opt for IT consulting services to ensure the smooth implementation of technologies.