Microsoft Partners Foresee Gain in Office 365 Use

Office 365 adoption

Microsoft Partners Foresee Gain in Office 365 Use

The adoption of Microsoft Office 365 is expected to increase in the coming months, with partners planning to build new service offerings to meet customer needs.

“Buy” Recommendation

97% of survey respondents expect their clients’ use of Microsoft Office 365 to increase in the next 12 months, with more than one-half anticipating no less than a 30% increase in adoption.

New Frontiers

57% seek to open new revenue streams by offering cloud/Office 365 solutions to customers, and 48% want to build new service offerings upon these solutions.

Expanded Portfolio

Among those building new service offerings upon cloud/Office 365, nearly four out of five are adding strategic/business process consulting services, and 53% are providing cloud management.

Adoption Drivers: Budget-Minded

68% said their customers are adopting Office 365 for cost savings, including an increase of storage efficiencies by migrating email to the cloud and eliminating on-premises infrastructure.

Adoption Drivers: Splendid Toolset

49% said their customers are opting for Office 365 so they can access the latest versions of apps, and 44% are seeking to expand collaboration capabilities.

Formidable Barriers

62% cited security concerns as one of the biggest obstacles in the customer adoption of Office 365, and 39% cited concerns about the migration of customized environments. More than two-thirds pointed to concerns about effective data migration.

Major Challenges: Talent Search

41% said they find the need to “up-level” their teams’ skills represents a significant challenge in creating strong cloud/Office 365 competencies, and 40% feel that this market’s revenue stream is insufficient so far.

Major Challenges: Competitive Environment

38% said they’re challenged by competition within Microsoft’s professional services and FastTrack program, while 38% said they’re challenged by prospects of heavy investment in new competencies with an unclear sense of return. 

School’s in Session

74% are training themselves to prepare for Office 365, while 62% are also taking advantage of Microsoft-provided training.

Pay It Forward

23% are actively engaging in sharing best practices about Office 365 with peers.