FAQ
Straight answers.
The questions we get asked most about leaving Microsoft. If yours isn't here, ring 0118 359 2220 or send it to us.
Can we still open Word and Excel files?
Yes. LibreOffice and Collabora open and save Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, and most documents look exactly the same. Complex macros and a few advanced Excel features may need rework. We find those in the exit plan, before anything moves.
Can we still work with people who use Microsoft?
Yes. Email and calendar invites work with anyone, whatever they use. When a client sends you a Teams meeting, you join it in your web browser. Shared documents arrive as normal Word, Excel and PowerPoint files.
Will our staff cope?
Most of the working day already happens in a browser. Each desk is built for the job that person does, with the apps they need and nothing else, so there's less to learn. One team moves first, so everyone else sees it working before their turn.
What if we want to leave you?
Everything is already in your name: the domain, the servers, the hosting account and the admin passwords in your own vault. Leaving us means taking away our access. You keep the runbook and the configuration, and you can hand it to another provider or run it yourselves.
Do we need servers in our office?
No. Your services can run on a server in your office, or on UK hosting rented in your company's name. Either way, the bill and the login are yours.
Does it pass Cyber Essentials?
Yes. Cyber Essentials treats a Linux desktop like any other device: a supported operating system, security updates within 14 days, a firewall, secure configuration, controlled accounts and malware protection. A managed Linux desk has all of them, so it can sit inside your Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus and Defence Cyber Certification scope.
What about our older PCs?
Business PCs that can't take Windows 11 can usually run a current, supported Linux well for years. We check each one in the exit plan and tell you which are worth keeping.
How long does it take?
It depends on how many people you have, how much data there is and what has to stay. The exit plan sets out the order and the dates before anything moves, and a pilot team goes first.
What does it cost?
You stop paying Microsoft per person. You pay for your own hardware or hosting, which you own, and a monthly fee for us to run it. After the exit call you get a fixed price per person, side by side with what you pay now.
Is open source secure?
Open-source code is public, so anyone can examine it, and security fixes are published quickly. Linux already runs most of the servers behind the web. Our job is to keep every desk and server patched, configured and monitored, as with any managed IT.
Some of our software only runs on Windows. Is that a problem?
No. We keep a Windows machine, or a hosted app, for the software that genuinely needs it, and move everything else. Going most of the way off Microsoft still cuts the cost and the lock-in.
Who actually runs nomsp?
Dead Simple Computing Ltd, a managed IT and cyber security company in Reading. It's the same team, certifications and privacy policy. Dead Simple Computing also manages Microsoft 365 for businesses that want to stay on it. nomsp is for the ones that don't.
Next step
Book your
exit call.
It takes 30 minutes. We'll tell you what can move, what should stay and what it would cost.