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Transcript

**The Microsoft 365 Hidden IT Tax: 5 Things You're Paying For but Not Getting** · Connectivity Without Chaos - The Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: So you can upgrade your entire business with basically a single click to buy
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_01: a Microsoft 365 license.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_01: But, you know,
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_01: if you accidentally delete a crucial file today,
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_01: you might have just 30 days before it is permanently irreversibly gone.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's a huge gap.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_01: OK, let's unpack this because buying enterprise software is incredibly easy.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_01: But actually running it securely is, I mean, it's a massive blind spot for most organizations.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, absolutely.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: So today in our deep dive,
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: we're looking at the actual mechanics of managed Microsoft 365,
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: specifically how utilizing a managed service through Provision Networks,
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: you know, in concert with their partners, bridges that gap.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_01: The gap between just owning a license and actually having a secure, optimized ecosystem.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_01: And the ecosystem you're buying into is massive.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I was looking at the sheer number of tools included
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: and it's actually staggering how much goes completely.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: of like paying for this ridiculously high-end gym membership, right?
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: But you only ever use the basic treadmill because,
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: well, you don't know how to turn on the advanced machines.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_01: That is a perfect analogy.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_01: But honestly,
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_01: I have to ask,
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: if we were already paying for this premium software,
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: shouldn't it just be plug and play?
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, in a perfect world, sure.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: But enterprise software requires intentional, ongoing configuration.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's not just a set it and forget it thing.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_01: It needs actual maintenance.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: That's why a provider like Provision Networks steps in to act as your partner of record.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: Mechanics-wise,
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: this basically means they consolidate your licensing,
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: billing, and technical support into just one single pathway.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: So it's streamlining everything from the start.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, and they run an initial license audit to ensure what we call right-sized licensing.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: They look at your actual usage,
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: cut the seats you don't need,
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: and turn on those high-value features you're already paying for
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: but completely ignoring.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so they fix the licenses,
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_01: turn on the AI,
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: and suddenly your team is actually using the platform to its full potential,
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: which is great.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: But here's where it gets really interesting,
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: because once everyone is actively using these tools,
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_01: you are generating a massive amount of valuable data.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: Which brings us to the terrifying part,
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: really, how vulnerable that newly generated data actually is on a daily basis.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: What's fascinating here is where that vulnerability actually originates.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Because when we think of data loss,
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: we usually imagine, you know, hackers in hoodies in a basement.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's a massive cyber attack.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: But roughly 75% of cloud data loss is actually just due to everyday human error
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: or sometimes internal malicious activity.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: And Microsoft infrastructure is built to survive a massive server failure on their end.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: But it is definitely not built to recover your accidentally deleted data.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_01: Because it's not a true backup, right?
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: No, it's just retention.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: After just 30 days, a deleted item in Microsoft 365 is permanently unrecoverable.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_01: Like just 30 days?
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: Just 30 days.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: So like if a manager deletes a crucial project folder right before going on
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: a month-long sabbatical, they come back and it's just gone?
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_01: Native Microsoft retention won't save them?
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: Completely gone.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's...
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: That's where a managed cloud backup service becomes totally critical.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: It takes six backup snapshots a day and offers unlimited retention
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: with this really easy one-click restore.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: Wow, six times a day is a lot of peace of mind.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: It is.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: But the crucial mechanism here is that it stores all that backup data in
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: a completely separate Azure instance,
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: meaning it lives on a totally different cloud server from your daily workspace.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: Which makes perfect sense, honestly.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: You wouldn't keep the spare key on the exact same keychain as your main one.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: If ransomware hits your primary Microsoft 365 environment,
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: the backup is completely walled off and safe.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, I get the backup part.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_01: It's totally essential.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_01: But I keep thinking about how this practically rolls out for,
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: you know, different types of businesses.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: If you're a business owner who already has a dedicated IT guy running things,
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_01: doesn't bringing in an outside managed service just kind of step on his toes?
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Not at all, actually, because the service adapts to your internal setup.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: It really comes down to two distinct service tiers.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, break those down for us.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: So for the business that already has an IT staff, there's the core level.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: Think of this as a collaborative tool.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: It basically takes the tedious license management
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_00: and standard billing right off your IT guy's plate.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: Freeing him up to do actual strategic work.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: So they aren't replacing him.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: They're just like taking out the trash so he can focus on building the house.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: That's a great way to put it.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_01: But what if a business is starting from scratch?
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: Like they have absolutely zero internal IT staff to begin with.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: Then they would use the optimum tier.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: This acts as a complete extension of your team.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of just reacting when things break, it involves 24-7, 365 proactive configuration.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: Proactive meaning they're fixing things before I even know they're broken.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: The managed service is monitoring systems in the background to catch
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: and resolve issues before an employee even notices their email is down or,
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: you know, a group permission is broken.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: So what does this all mean for you listening?
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: Ultimately,
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: utilizing these managed services frees your organization
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: from routine backend management.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: You get a single, accountable partner.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_01: And most importantly,
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: you get a safety net for the data your business actually relies on to survive.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: It completely transforms a software expense into an actual business asset.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: Which is huge.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: And it leaves us with a final thought for you to mull over today.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: If 75% of cloud data loss comes from everyday human mistakes,
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_01: how much
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_01: of your organization's critical history is currently sitting just one accidental
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: click away from a 30-day countdown to digital oblivion?