For many organisations in Nigeria, Microsoft 365 is still seen mainly as an email platform. The mention of it often brings only one thing to mind: Outlook. But the truth is, Microsoft 365 is so much more than that.
It’s a powerful ecosystem of tools designed to help businesses work smarter, collaborate better, and get more done—if only we take full advantage of what it offers.
Over the years, I’ve been part of multiple Microsoft 365 deployments, including one at Chevron Nigeria. I’ve seen firsthand how organisations begin to operate more efficiently once they go beyond the basics and start using the platform intentionally.
A full productivity ecosystem at your fingertips
Microsoft 365 isn’t just a collection of apps—it’s a cloud-based workspace built for modern collaboration. It brings together tools like Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Planner, and Power Automate, allowing teams to communicate, manage tasks, share documents, and automate routine processes—all in one place.
At Chevron Nigeria, we rolled out Microsoft 365 across multiple departments. The result? A noticeable 25 percent increase in user engagement. Staff were able to co-author documents in real-time using SharePoint, track their work using Planner, and reduce email clutter with Microsoft Teams. These tools weren’t just new—they were transformational.
Breaking down the communication silos
One major issue in many Nigerian workplaces is that teams often work in silos. Files are scattered across personal drives, and communication depends heavily on long email threads or informal WhatsApp groups. That setup slows things down and leads to confusion.
With the right setup, Microsoft 365 changes all of that:
- Teams bring all communication—chat, meetings, and file sharing—into one organised space.
- SharePoint and OneDrive make documents accessible from anywhere while keeping version history and access secure.
- Power automate helps teams automate repetitive tasks like approvals, form submissions, and notifications.
These tools aren’t limited to large corporations either. They’re scalable and affordable—perfect for startups, small businesses, and growing organisations.
Training makes all the difference
Technology on its own isn’t the solution—people are. The key to getting real value from Microsoft 365 is helping users understand how to use the tools effectively.
At Chevron, we paired our deployment with hands-on training sessions tailored to different departments. We showed staff how to run meetings in Teams, organise documents in SharePoint, and manage daily tasks in Planner. The difference was clear: we saw fewer IT tickets, quicker turnaround times on projects, and smoother collaboration between teams.
Why it matters for Nigerian businesses
Nigerian companies are already investing in Microsoft 365. But many aren’t seeing the full return on that investment because they’re barely scratching the surface of what the platform can do.
In a fast-moving, digitally driven world, the ability to work efficiently and collaborate remotely is no longer optional—it’s essential. And Microsoft 365, when used properly, offers a competitive edge.
It’s time we moved past just using it for email and embraced it as the productivity engine it was designed to be.
Final thoughts
Whether you’re running a startup or managing thousands of employees across multiple sites, Microsoft 365 has the potential to transform your operations. But that transformation doesn’t happen automatically—it takes awareness, planning, and a willingness to train your people.
If used to its full potential, Microsoft 365 can help Nigerian businesses become more agile, more connected, and more productive—one tool, one team, and one task at a time.
Busayo Samuel Owoeye is an IT Infrastructure Analyst with hands-on experience leading Microsoft 365 deployments, user training programs, and enterprise IT transformation projects in Nigeria’s education and energy sectors.
