Sometimes it’s because they’re already using the Office apps, so it makes sense to build out the suite from there.

Or it’s because using a range of integrated tools makes it easy to connect them to each other, so sharing content becomes simpler.

And sometimes it’s just because IT bought 365 without telling them, and said everyone has to use it, whether they like it or not. (This happens surprisingly often).

One reason we’ve heard occasionally is that, because 365 is a Microsoft product, this provides a lot of security. Because, let’s face it, Microsoft won’t be going out of business anytime soon.

And the fact that this tech giant continues to invest heavily in the platform is reassuring. New tools and features are being added all the time.

Which is generally a good thing, except when you’re in the middle of running a live demo and suddenly realise that a button that has always been at the top right of the screen has just been moved, and is now hidden in a sub menu at the bottom left of the screen. Thanks for the warning, Microsoft.

While these upgrades often improve the quality of the tools, it does mean that it’s becoming increasingly difficult for IC teams to keep up to date with the changes, given the growing scale of the 365 suite.

We’ve seen this in the last couple of training sessions we’ve run for the Institute of Internal Communication. Our Microsoft 365 for Communicators course provides a valuable insight into how delegates are feeling about the suite.

In the last round of sessions, a typical comment was: “We don’t understand what we have, and how to integrate all these tools. How do we get the basics right when there’s so much to think about?”

So we’ve been sharing our experience of planning, building and embedding digital workplaces. Time and time again we’ve seen that planning is the key. But if you’re well into your 365 journey, there’s never a bad time to take a step back and consider if you’re getting the most out of the latest updates.