> This feels like a dangerous game they're playing. Yes, there is some lock in, but competitors exist and are better than ever.

Except there are not really any competitors if you look at the whole package.

A Microsoft 365 Business Standard subscription, for example, gets you bundled Teams and Exchange.

The fact you get the big-four (Word, Excel, Outlook and Powerpoint) thrown in is really just icing on the cake.

▲ jacquesm 16 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> A Microsoft 365 Business Standard subscription, for example, gets you bundled Teams and Exchange.

That's a negative.

▲ trinix912 16 hours ago | parent [-]

For end-users maybe, but for the business' IT who get a working mail server they don't have to mess with, and a whole remote work and videoconferencing package that "just works" and most people already know how to use, it's a hell of a deal.

▲ trollbridge 9 hours ago | parent [-]

Kind of hard to understand what it does that Google Workspace + Zoom (or any other provider) doesn't?

I'm seeing a very common pattern of Google Workspace + Google Meet, Zoom seats for people who need to remotely control computers, and then Slack or ones of its competitors for chat.

	▲	traceroute66 3 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Because ... `- Its one package - All the non-tech users already know Microsoft - Most IT techies will be VERY familiar with Microsoft - If you are migrating from on-Prem then it is highly likely you've got Exchange on-prem.` Add on top of that, you can (depending on package) get Active Directory ("Entra") and MDM ("Intune"). So you get credential management and the ability to push out Group Policies to your user's machines. Look, I'm the last person to defend Microsoft. But if you are a Microsoft shop then it does, sadly, make a lot of sense to take a Microsoft sub.
	▲	wyre 7 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Google + Zoom + Slack is 3 separate accounts. Corporate only wants 1 account.

▲ ocdtrekkie 21 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Teams has annoyingly some lock in value for 365. Nobody should prefer Exchange Online over Exchange though, Microsoft is too unreliable of a service provider.