Small businesses are used to cheap Microsoft Office, Windows licensing deals. But these deals will soon be disappearing as Microsoft is looking to move all small business customers on to the cloud.

When you buy a PC or laptop, it comes with an operating system that is designed for mass market adoption. Even if you’re a small business owner, you can probably afford to upgrade your operating system every few years. However, when you move up to the enterprise market and try to buy Microsoft for your small business, the licensing costs increase dramatically. While it’s possible for a small business to pay around $600 or more per copy of Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office licenses, the enterprise price is often six times that amount.

What Microsoft Office 365 Means for SMBs

For smaller businesses, this software licensing is an expensive outlay that they can do without. After all, many small businesses are one or two-person operations and don’t need the kind of complicated tools provided by Microsoft’s cloud solutions. However, without access to Microsoft Office for emailing, creating documents and managing their address books, many small businesses are forced to turn to other third-party software providers. After all, it means that they don’t have the budget to pay the license fees required by Microsoft’s cloud solutions.

However, while this is an option for some small businesses’ IT support needs, it isn’t a viable option for all small businesses. While some small businesses can get by using an alternative office suite and email client, others need the tools that only Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft Windows servers can provide.

What Managed IT Services Can Do For Your Small Business

The good news is that there is another way to get Microsoft software and avoid Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft Windows licensing costs. Managed IT services offer small businesses the opportunity to pay a flat monthly fee, which gives them access to all of the features included in Microsoft suite products along with any other software used by their managed support service provider.

In addition, Managed IT Services contracts also include a 24/7 support helpline that is based in the United States. This ensures that small business owners can get access to local support, even if they’re working outside of normal office hours. The Managed IT Services contracts also include complete cloud backup and disaster recovery as well as remote monitoring.

By using Managed IT Services, businesses pay a flat monthly fee and never have to worry about Microsoft Office 365 or Windows Server licensing again. Managed support companies fully manage the software suite provided, as well as providing round-the-clock support and a range of cloud services that small businesses rely upon to run their business.

If your small business needs software for emailing, creating documents and managing files, Managed IT Services is probably the most cost-effective option available to you.