Microsoft Modern Workplace: the benefits of digital transformation for SMEs

Microsoft Modern Workplace is Microsoft’s technology package for the modern office: the Microsoft 365 apps, Windows 11 on computers, and cloud management of devices and accounts. For an SME, the advantage is getting the same collaboration and security tools as a large company, without a large IT department.

Microsoft Modern Workplace: the workplace every employee dreams of when they think of “work.”

Keeping employees is always a challenge. Because it takes a long time to find, recruit and train the best people, it’s very important to focus on how you can keep them.

And the best way to improve employee retention is to understand what your employees want. The solution is within reach for small companies too: Microsoft Modern Workplace lets them offer the work environment employees dream of.

So what does Microsoft Modern Workplace actually look like? Here are a few things your employees really want.

Simpler technology

There’s a stereotype that older employees are more resistant to change, whether it’s new procedures or new technologies.

The truth is that all employees, young and old, can be overwhelmed by too much technology. They simply don’t like working in programs from dozens of different companies just to get their own tasks done and work effectively with their team.

With Microsoft Modern Workplace, you get an all-in-one solution for productivity, communication and collaboration that’s pleasant and intuitive. If your employees can work with the Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), they can easily work with the whole Microsoft Modern Workplace suite.

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More free time

What do employees want but have no way of asking for? A little more free time, of course!

Many of your best employees get bogged down every day in boring, routine tasks.

If they didn’t have to spend so much time on these mundane activities, they’d have time to focus more on new and truly innovative ideas.

One of the best things about Microsoft Modern Workplace is that it lets users automate many different tasks, for example with Power Automate. And when most mundane tasks are automated, your employees are free to focus on the “big picture” ideas your company needs to stand out!

With Microsoft 365, you work from home as if you were at the office.

Easier collaboration

Managers and executives understand how important group projects are. Such projects help employees bring different skills and perspectives to the table. And once you put everyone together, you get a group that is much greater than the sum of its parts.

Even so, employees usually aren’t thrilled about group projects. Even if they get along with the whole team, it can be hard to communicate with everyone and pass files back and forth. The end result is an inbox full of countless messages and threads, and a lot of frustration.

The good news is that Microsoft Modern Workplace was designed from the ground up to help employees collaborate. Microsoft Teams and SharePoint make collaboration easy and intuitive, without cluttering everyone else’s inbox.

When collaboration is this easy, your employees might end up loving group projects as much as you do!

Faster problem solving

One of the reasons Microsoft Modern Workplace is so popular with small businesses is that it’s an all-in-one solution. With this suite, your business depends less on a dedicated IT team for many of its technology needs.

A side effect for employees is that the problems they run into get solved much faster. Before, their only option would have been to send a request to the IT team and hope someone noticed it and fixed it before the end of the week.

The automation in Microsoft Modern Workplace helps prevent many technical problems. And the intuitive programs and collaboration tools will help your team solve the rest, without spending countless unproductive hours waiting for IT!

Remote work opportunities

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the option to work remotely was what many employees wanted most. And working through the lockdown gave even more employees a taste for working from home.

It’s easier than ever for you to offer these opportunities. With Microsoft Modern Workplace, you can use programs like Microsoft Teams to coordinate and collaborate with employees who work remotely.

Surprisingly, remote employees can be just as productive as those in the office. And although not everyone can work from home, the option to work remotely, where possible, is a powerful incentive for keeping some of your best employees. On top of that, a remote work infrastructure built on Microsoft solutions prepares you for future crises, because the whole suite is designed for collaborative work and team productivity.

What does Microsoft Modern Workplace include in 2026?

In 2026, Microsoft Modern Workplace means, in practice:

• Microsoft 365: Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint. Since October 2023, new business licenses in the European Economic Area have been sold with or without Teams, so check what’s included in the subscription you choose.
• Windows 11 on every computer, because Windows 10 hasn’t received free updates since October 14, 2025. See what you need to know about Windows 11.
• Microsoft Intune, for managing work laptops and phones from the cloud: settings, updates and apps applied centrally, including on the devices of employees who work from home.
• Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory), for accounts, two-step verification and access rules. The Microsoft 365 Business Premium subscription already includes Intune, Entra ID P1 and Defender for Business protection.
• Microsoft 365 Copilot, the AI assistant built into the apps, which is licensed separately.
• Backup for your Microsoft 365 data: Microsoft stores your data, but that doesn’t replace your own backup for files deleted by mistake or encrypted by ransomware. See why you need SaaS backup.

With Microsoft Modern Workplace, your office can be ready for anything

The tools are the same for a 5-person company and a 500-person one. What makes the difference is how they’re configured: accounts, permissions, security and backups.

RezolvIT is an IT outsourcing company experienced in implementing cloud technologies and making work from home easy for employees. If we’ve convinced you, ask for a quote or a free IT audit.