Avoiding the “Microsoft 365 Trap” from GoDaddy

GoDaddy offers incredibly attractive pricing for Microsoft 365. If you’re already using GoDaddy for other services, such as your website, why wouldn’t you take advantage of the discounted offer?

As many small and medium-sized businesses have discovered, the “Microsoft 365 trap” from GoDaddy isn’t the dream deal it seems to be at first glance.

Features Are Limited

One of the reasons Microsoft 365 is cheaper is because you’re not getting the full package. You actually just get a scaled down version made for small businesses. On the surface, that sounds good, but you’re losing out on useful add-on services and integrations, security features, and the ability to scale your business easily.

You also don’t get access to Admin Center, which is a key component of Microsoft 365. Admin Center helps you manage users, add/remove products, handle billing, set up security, and more. Instead, you get GoDaddy’s interface, which isn’t the same, and is more difficult to use. This can make managing Microsoft 365 more difficult overall.

The better approach would be to work with a trusted, business IT services provider and get help from them to choose the right plan and to implement it for your business.

Promotional Pricing Fades Away

Being able to save money is a good thing because you can use the savings to help your business grow. However, like with most discounted offers for subscription-based software, the promotional pricing fades away after a set period. This means that the cost of your great deal eventually goes up. In fact, it could cost you more than the standard rate directly from Microsoft. When that happens, not only are you left paying a higher price, but you are also only getting limited functionality. Instead of saving, you lose money.

Lack of Security

The standard version of Microsoft 365 puts security at the forefront. Common data security features are included by default, such as two-factor authentication, user access management, secured servers for email and file storage, and more.

The Microsoft 365 trap from GoDaddy leaves you without many of these features. Two-factor authentication isn’t supported by GoDaddy, which is a highly recommended security strategy by business IT services providers.

Furthermore, emails are hosted by GoDaddy, not Microsoft. This means you don’t benefit from the same security that Microsoft provides to its clients. On top of that, without the Admin Center, managing user security becomes more complicated, which can lead businesses to just avoid dealing with it. That leaves them completely open to hacking and ransomware attacks.

Account Access Issues

Instead of accessing Microsoft 365 through Microsoft, you access everything through GoDaddy. The problem is GoDaddy doesn’t always play well with Microsoft 365. This is especially true if you’ve tried to set up two-factor authentication or single-sign on features using another method. Often, users are locked out of their accounts randomly, meaning they miss emails and cannot access the tool suite.

This leads to yet another problem – accessing your emails. Messages are stored on GoDaddy’s servers, which are not as reliable as those used by Microsoft. This means you might not get the same up-time you’d get with Microsoft. Users who’ve fallen into the Microsoft 365 trap through GoDaddy experience delays with accessing and sending emails, which drastically affects productivity.

No Real Support

No matter what service you purchase from GoDaddy, customer support is a common issue. Trying to get support when something’s not working correctly with Microsoft 365 can result in long wait times or no real support at all. When you’re trying to run a business and stay competitive, you can’t afford delays.

Avoid the Trap

The easiest way to avoid this trap is to purchase Microsoft 365 directly from Microsoft. If you also engage the help of , you can also get help choosing the right plan for your business, getting guidance on how to get started, getting support with implementation, as well as tech support when you need it.

Need Help?

At GSDSolutions, we’ll make sure your business gets the most from your Microsoft 365 plan. We make the process easy and can also help you scale up as your business grows. We offer services in the Bay Area. We also have an office in Modesto to serve customers in the Central Valley.

Give us a call at (650) 282-7695, or drop us an email at getstuffdone@gsdsolutions.io to learn more about our services and how we can help you get the most out of your IT investment.