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Verizon adds Office 365 to Small Business Essentials, gives small businesses more mobile productivity tools

michael gorman
Former Editor-in-Chief
Updated ·4 min read

Fresh off unveiling Office 365's cloud app model last month, Microsoft has teamed up with Verizon to add the productivity suite to Big Red's Small Business Essentials service. Similar to the Governmental version of Office 365, small businesses can gain access to Office web apps, SharePoint website design tools, Exchange email and calendar service, plus Lync messaging. Best part is, it's just six bucks a month per user, and most all enterprise customers are taken care of: the tools are available on Android, BlackBerry, iOS and Windows Phone. Want to know more? PR awaits after the break.

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VERIZON WIRELESS ENHANCES PORTFOLIO OF MOBILE TOOLS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES WITH MICROSOFT OFFICE 365

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – Verizon Wireless today announced an enhancement of their mobile portfolio tools for small business customers with the addition of Microsoft Office 365.
Office 365, which is part of Verizon Wireless' Small Business Essentials portfolio, is Microsoft Corp.'s cloud productivity service that includes email, instant messages with presence, video and voice conferencing, and document sharing. By offering Office 365, Verizon Wireless' small business customers can take advantage of productivity in the cloud while on the go.

Office 365, which supports mobile operating systems including Windows Phone, Android™, iOS and BlackBerry®, helps enable businesses to collaborate with customers, co-workers and employees in real time while having access to email, contacts, calendars and other important business data. Information is synchronized across all devices including smartphones, tablets, PCs or Macs.

For small business customers, Office 365 delivers enterprise-grade technology at a predictable monthly price. It also helps elevate mobility and productivity to another level while giving the business integrated mobile device management and robust IT controls when connected through Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network.

"Our small businesses and entrepreneurs consistently rank two priorities the highest when it comes to using productivity tools to run their business: simplicity and cost effectiveness," said Michael C. Schaefer, executive director, Wireless Business Solutions, Verizon Wireless. "We included Office 365 with Small Business Essentials to address these needs. Plus, we also want to emphasize it is scalable – which is ideal for companies in the growing segment of up to 50 employees. With all of our SMB-related products and services, our goal is to help customers expedite their workflow so they can work smarter, faster and more efficiently. Customers also have the advantage when they utilize our fast 4G LTE network, which is available in over 330 markets across the United States."

Many businesses across various industries already utilize Microsoft Office. Now those same tools, plus voice and video conferencing with Lync Online and collaboration with SharePoint Online, enable information to be easily accessed and shared virtually anywhere, on nearly any device on their network.

"With Office 365 included in Verizon Wireless Small Business Essentials, companies are empowered to be more mobile, more productive and more secure," said Kirk Gregersen, general manager, Microsoft Office Division. "Verizon Wireless' small business customers will be able to take advantage of this cloud-based productivity solution with minimal investment, leaving them more time to focus on their businesses."

For internal and external business communications, Office 365 capabilities that are included in Small Business Essentials are:

Office Web Apps

• View and make light edits to Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote documents within supported browsers
• View business documents in the browser with virtually no data or formatting loss during transfer between PC and browser

SharePoint Online

• Public website and design tool with ready-to-use site templates
• Private team site for working with colleagues, partners and customers
• Share private sites with external users
• Store and back up business documents and data
• Access business documents from virtually anywhere

Exchange Online

• Premium anti-virus and anti-spam protection
• Email, calendar and contacts synchronized across PCs or Macs, smartphones and tablets
• Tools for managing email, calendar and contacts
• 25 GB mailbox, plus up to 25 MB of attachments per email

Lync Online

• Rich presence tells you when co-workers are online and available
• Instant messaging plus PC-to-PC audio/video calling
• Click-to-communicate from Outlook, SharePoint Online and other Office Web Apps
• Online meetings and presentations with up to 50 attendees, using PC-audio, video conferencing, desktop and application sharing
• Invite external contacts to easily attend online meetings via the browser

Many small businesses have limited IT resources and Office 365 is designed to meet their unique needs. There is no need for expensive, long-term IT hardware installations.

If a user's device is lost, damaged or stolen, the data can be locked and wiped clean remotely, helping to protect the company's important proprietary information. When the replacement device is activated and connected to Office 365, all of the user's email, contacts and calendar data will be available on the new device.

Office 365, included with Verizon Wireless' Small Business Essentials, is now available at the rate of $6 per month, per user. For additional information, please visit www.verizonwireless.com/microsoft365.