In a recent collaboration, Smart Towkay and Tech Data helped SMEs slingshot their digitalization efforts forward while netting them significant cost savings. As a service to our readers, we helped these firms browse for and procure new laptops with the Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG), guiding them through the application process.
*Note that the PSG laptop grant which is under Remote Working Solutions has expired since Dec 2020.
Smart Towkay understands and received many users' feedback about their Microsoft subscription with the respective providers if they should continue or canceled after the subsidized 1-year subscription period and we noticed some subscription prices are not the most competitive in the market.
Thus, we did the price comparison across all platforms and scouted for the most competitive rates for our Smart Towkay users!
Users that want to enjoy subsidized Microsoft 365 Basic/Business Standard/ Premium packages can enjoy up to 15% off list price with our collaboration with Tech Data. Sign Up Here!
Why You Shouldn’t Just ‘Renew’ Your M365 Business Standard License
The laptops acquired under the PSG scheme came bundled with Microsoft 365 Business Standard (monthly subscription of $15.79 bef GST). However, the one-year subscription will soon expire for many participating SMEs.
When this happens, business leaders will have to pay FULL price to renew the Standard plan through Microsoft.
Alternatively, they can switch to a subscription from a Service Provider like Tech Data, save up to 15% off list price, and unlock a local support team ready to assist with rollout, migration, and technical issues.
Tech Data and associated resellers also offer plan flexibility which translates to immense cost savings. You can increase the number of licenses during peak periods or team expansions, then cut back once ad-hoc projects have been completed. Instead of locking into Microsoft’s one-year commitment plans, SMEs can save thousands of dollars per year.
What is Microsoft Business Premium?
Microsoft 365 is an integrated solution that brings together best-in-class productivity tools, security, and device management capabilities for small to medium-sized businesses. It includes:
A set of business productivity and collaboration tools:
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access
Exchange, OneDrive, Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint.
Enterprise-grade device management and security capabilities:
Simplified device deployment and user setup:
Other entitlements:
Who Should Consider Adopting Microsoft 365 Business Premium?
Microsoft 365 Business Premium is a comprehensive, cloud-based security solution that lets you:
Secure the devices that connect to your business and help keep your data on iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac devices secure, and your Windows devices up to date.
Microsoft 365 Business Premium is fully integrated with Office 365 to provide you with a familiar location for administration, billing, and 24x7 support. It consists of enterprise-grade technology built for businesses with fewer than 300 employees. Of course, there are plans that cater for over 300 employees and Tech Data can help you to customize solutions based on your unique company's requirements.
Microsoft 365 Business Standard vs Business Premium
Microsoft 365 Business Premium is a more robust plan than the Business Standard and gives your business some impressively deep features that the latter lacks. Some voted favorite features are Mobile Device Management and Microsoft Defender.
Microsoft has a myriad of licenses and price plans catering to organizations of different sizes and scales. However, SMEs are best served with Microsoft 365
Business Premium as it is built with enterprise-grade technology on application protection and device management for SMEs with less than 300 employees
Control What Can or Can’t Be Done on Company Devices
Intune is Microsoft’s cloud-based tool for both mobile device management and mobile application management.
With it, you can manage all the devices – not just Windows PCs but also smartphones, tablets, and laptops – which connect to your corporate network by deciding what services are accessible from employees’ personal devices.
On company-owned devices, there is an even higher level of control. A common policy is to restrict what can be installed on these devices without approval from the company’s IT department.
Remote wipe can also be enabled such that a device that has been lost or misplaced will not cause the data it contains to fall into the wrong hands.
Intune offers more in-depth capabilities and the experts will surely be capable of implementing it to its full potential if need be. The ability to increase both safety and productivity through greater control of devices and files is an advantage that is well worth partnering with an experienced service provider like us to obtain.
Protect Your Company from Cyber Threats
With remote work becoming the norm, SMEs have become prime targets for cyberattacks. 43% of all attacks in 2020 were targeted at these businesses, inflicting damages well over S$200,000 per attack on average.
The resultant downtime and loss of trust spell bad news for a growing brand.
Upgrading to Microsoft 365 Business Premium shields you and your employees from sophisticated cybersecurity threats, including those hidden within email attachments and links.
Microsoft Defender helps mitigate threats such as malware, viruses, and spyware over your apps, emails, the web, and cloud. You also get the option to restrict the copying or saving of valuable information to unauthorized apps.
Investing in increased security will not only guard against these unsavory scenarios. It grants you peace of mind, and you can’t put a price on that.
Enjoy up to 15% off list price for below if you signed up with Tech Data:
Explore how your company can spend less and be more resilient with Tech Data. Sign up today!
About Tech Data
Tech Data connects the world with the power of technology. Our end-to-end portfolio of products, services and solutions, highly specialized skills, and expertise in next-generation technologies enable channel partners to bring to market the products and solutions the world needs to connect, grow and advance. Tech Data is ranked No. 90 on the Fortune 500® and has been named one of Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies for 11 straight years. To find out more, visit www.techdata.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Read also: P-Max Grant: Claim Up to S$10,000 For SMEs to Hire/ Retain New Local PMETs - **EXTENDED** FOR 2021
Read also: COVID-19: Temporary Bridging Loan - SMEs Should Read This Before Applying - 2021 Edition
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