Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Small Business

    Microsoft Extends Office 365 FastTrack Service to More SMBs

    By
    Pedro Hernandez
    -
    February 2, 2016
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Office 365

      Large corporate accounts are Microsoft’s bread and butter, but the IT heavyweight isn’t overlooking small and midsized businesses (SMBs) in its quest to be the go-to provider of cloud productivity software.

      FastTrack, an Office 365 user onboarding and support services suite for enterprises, is now available to smaller organizations. “Starting today, customers with 50 to 149 seats of Office 365 enterprise and small business plans can take advantage of our customer success service Microsoft FastTrack,” said the company in a Feb. 1 announcement. “Previously available only to customers with 150 seats or more, FastTrack provides resources and dedicated engineers who can assist you, or the Microsoft Partner you work with, to implement Office 365, onboard users and get the most business value from your investment.”

      Now that it covers customers requiring fewer seats of Office 365, FastTrack can potentially affect the end-user IT planning strategies of a large number of SMBs across the globe.

      According to company estimates, 50,000 SMBs become Office 365 customers every month. In total, 60 million people use Office 365 at work, claims the software maker.

      Last week, while announcing its cloud-lifted FY16 Q2 earnings, Microsoft revealed that Office 365 commercial seats grew by 59 percent while commercial revenues jumped nearly 70 percent during the quarter. Office 365 also sparked increased usage of other Microsoft Azure cloud computing services. Joint Azure and Office 365 subscribers use eight times more cloud resources than Azure-only customers, according to the company.

      Microsoft is clearly taking aim at organizations that got their start on Google’s free cloud productivity offerings. “To simplify the migration process, now customers with 150+ seats qualify for a preview service to help migrate their files from Google Drive to OneDrive for Business and SharePoint sites,” announced Gavriella Schuster, general manager of the Worldwide Partner Group at Microsoft, in a blog post.

      As usual, restrictions apply, added Schuster.

      “Small and medium business customers (SMBs) that purchase between 50 and 149 seats of qualifying plans and those that do not have a Digital Partner of Record can now get onboarding and data migration guidance from a FastTrack manager from within the product,” she explained. “These customers will be contacted by the FastTrack Center once they provide a contact phone number in their admin portal.”

      Digital Partners of Record are subscriptions sold through the Microsoft’s Cloud Solution Provider program, and as such, they lack a phone number field in the admin portal. Those customers are advised to contact their providers for access to FastTrack services.

      Finally, Microsoft is incentivizing its partner and value-added reseller community to help spur Office 365 adoption among SMBs.

      “We’ve expanded our current Adoption Offer to include payouts for customer purchases starting at 50 seats (across all licensing vehicles), and including Office 365 Business, Business Essentials, and Business Premium SKU. We’re also extending the offer to June 30, 2016,” Schuster said. Microsoft is paying out $25 per seat (50-149 seats).

      Pedro Hernandez
      Pedro Hernandez is a contributor to eWEEK and the IT Business Edge Network, the network for technology professionals. Previously, he served as a managing editor for the Internet.com network of IT-related websites and as the Green IT curator for GigaOM Pro.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×