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New version of Microsoft Office announced

Do you use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or Excel on a daily basis? You’re not alone. The Office suite has more than one billion users, and with a new version coming out next year that number could go up. Whether your organization currently uses Office or not, you need to be prepared for the next version.

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23 Oct, 2017 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Microsoft Office, Office, Office 365 category
New version of Microsoft Office announced

Do you use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or Excel on a daily basis? You’re not alone. The Office suite has more than one billion users, and with a new version coming out next year that number could go up. Whether your organization currently uses Office or not, you need to be prepared for the next version.

Microsoft Office 2019: release and features

For the past ten years, Microsoft has updated its suite of productivity software every three years. The current version is Office 2016, and in sticking with the schedule Office 2019 will be available for purchase at the end of next year. However, previews of the next version will become available several months before the final release.

According to Microsoft, the newest version of Office will include:

  • The usual Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
  • Office server programs (Exchange, SharePoint and Skype for Business)
  • Security and IT management enhancements
  • Improved “inking” features for touchscreen usability
  • Streamlined data analysis features in Excel
  • New PowerPoint presentation features like Morph and Zoom

Office 2019 vs. Office 365

The biggest difference between Office 2019 and Office 365 will be price. For the former, users pay a one-time fee to acquire a software license. Once users have a license, they own that version of Office forever (although Microsoft will stop providing support 10 years after the product is released).

With Office 365, users pay a monthly subscription fee and can use applications as long as they don’t fall behind on the bill. Programs included in the Office suite can be accessed online or installed locally (as long as you connect to the internet at least once per month).

Thanks to cloud technology, Office 365 can be updated much more easily than other versions of Office. O365 users will probably have access to Office 2019 features around the same time as its release, possibly sooner.

The only drawback of Office 365 is its IT management requirements. Unlike its licensed counterparts, O365 requires one or more servers to be set up, domains to be maintained, and files to be migrated to the cloud.

Much like an O365 subscription, our managed IT services are charged based on a flat monthly rate. We can help your small- or medium-sized business enjoy all the benefits of the cloud. Just give us a call today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Office 365 web app launcher improvements

Do you sometimes wish you could get to your Office 365 applications faster? Microsoft has tweaked the Office 365 web app launcher so you not only get to your apps faster, but you also get to view your most relevant programs, files, contacts, and activities more conveniently.

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05 Oct, 2017 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Office, Office 365 category
Office 365 web app launcher improvements

Do you sometimes wish you could get to your Office 365 applications faster? Microsoft has tweaked the Office 365 web app launcher so you not only get to your apps faster, but you also get to view your most relevant programs, files, contacts, and activities more conveniently. Here’s how it can make you more productive.

Key changes to the Office 365 main page

The newly added “Recommended” section displays activities -- comments, edits, and @ mentions -- on recently opened files. This gives users an overview of changes to recent documents.

Underneath the “Recommended” section is the “Recent” document column, which shows the most recent activities, while “Places” displays the SharePoint sites you frequently visit and the OneDrive folders you’ve recently accessed.

Being able to see the edits, shares, and comments on your documents makes collaboration more transparent among users within an organization, and these new upgrades make that possible.

What’s more, you can now search among online documents, web apps, SharePoint sites, and contacts within Office.com without having to open individual apps. For example, when searching for a document whose file name you don’t know, you can type in the name of the author and the results will show you the author’s profile and other relevant files and activities.

Web app launcher enhancements

One of the biggest improvements to Office.com, however, is how apps are displayed in the app launcher.

The main window of the new web app launcher has been redesigned to highlight the most frequently used apps. It will still show all the apps within your Office 365 subscription, but you can pin your most used apps or display all items in the main bar, which makes opening and switching between apps a lot easier.

You can also return to the main page with a single click of the Office 365 button from the App Launcher -- no need to minimize or close each app.

Office 365 Gallery

Users aren't always aware of every application included in their subscription, which is what the Office 365 Gallery is for. Its main function is to provide users with personalized suggestions of applications -- and their descriptions -- which may be useful to their active tasks. These suggestions include links to mobile and desktop-based versions of the applications they recommend, and resources for learning more about them. To access the Gallery, click “Explore your applications” from the Office.com main page.

Each of the changes in the new and improved Office 365 are aimed at simplifying and personalizing business users’ experiences, and we recommend exploring the tools available to you. Call us to know more about Office 365’s productivity-enhancing applications and features.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Android app showdown: O365 vs. G Suite

There are more than 3 million apps in the Android app store, but there are only two contenders for productivity software: Microsoft’s Office 365 and Google’s G Suite. The key to deciding which is better for you is understanding the respective pros and cons of each.

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25 Sep, 2017 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Office 365 category
Android app showdown: O365 vs. G Suite

There are more than 3 million apps in the Android app store, but there are only two contenders for productivity software: Microsoft’s Office 365 and Google’s G Suite. The key to deciding which is better for you is understanding the respective pros and cons of each. Let’s run through what those are.

Text-based documents

Google Docs sacrifices a few features in the name of speed. Simultaneous editing from multiple users, syncing with cloud storage and sharing documents with colleagues on an Android device is a breeze, but doesn’t afford users the same level of customizability as Office 365.

Microsoft’s productivity platform has been evolving for decades, which means there’s very little it can’t do. Depending on which Android device you have, this can translate to a slower, less responsive user experience.

Spreadsheets

Tables that store data and simplify calculations may seem pretty straightforward, but Google has found a way to set its offerings apart. Although Sheets lacks power features when compared with Excel, it does have some cross-platform integrations with considering. For example, Forms is much better at surveying users and organizing their responses into easy-to-use spreadsheets.

The main selling point for Excel on Android is that it can do almost anything on a mobile device that it can do on a desktop. Using templates, creating charts and formatting Office 365 spreadsheets isn’t any more difficult with finger gestures than it is using a mouse.

Presentations

Similar to Sheets, G Suite’s Slides shines when it comes to integrations. Adding images to a presentation from the web is intuitive with Google’s built-in search function, and Q&A sessions are streamlined with customized URLs where participants can submit questions that are displayed on the presenter’s screen.

PowerPoint was the original platform for creating presentations, and its core functionalities are unmatched, even on Android devices. There are no shortages of pre-made themes, transitions and layouts, which means the time between tapping Create New and saving the final draft is much shorter.

Conclusion: it’s speed vs. functionality

The difference between these two platforms on Android is obvious. Both will be able to accommodate basic tasks, but G Suite prioritizes responsiveness and simplicity while Office 365 favors more features and a broader range of capabilities.

Creating eye-catching work on a six-inch screen isn’t ideal, but depending on your business model it could revolutionize how your team works. For advice on all things mobile, call us today!

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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New Office 365 tool for macOS users

Microsoft has launched a new tool for Office on Mac called My Workspace. Business users who frequently interact with apps and documents will find this small yet useful tool highly beneficial. Let’s take a closer look at this brand new app.

Office workspace for Mac

My Workspace sits in the Menu bar along the top of the screen and provides macOS users of Office 365 with a quick and easy access to pinned documents, recently accessed files, OneDrive files, Skype calls, and iCloud Calendars.

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20 Sep, 2017 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Office, Office 365, Productivity category
New Office 365 tool for macOS users

Microsoft has launched a new tool for Office on Mac called My Workspace. Business users who frequently interact with apps and documents will find this small yet useful tool highly beneficial. Let’s take a closer look at this brand new app.

Office workspace for Mac

My Workspace sits in the Menu bar along the top of the screen and provides macOS users of Office 365 with a quick and easy access to pinned documents, recently accessed files, OneDrive files, Skype calls, and iCloud Calendars. It also makes their lives easier by offering quick buttons to Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, and OneNote. You can download the app for free at myworkspace.ms.

The app is the brainchild of four interns at the Vancouver offices of Microsoft Garage, Microsoft’s Washington-based experimental projects division. It was created when the interns were tasked with developing a tool to “add value to a person’s day.”

Benefits to macOS users

For those who use several Office apps at once, My Workspace’s unobtrusive placement and long list of accessibility features will make their Office experience far more efficient.

By clicking the icon located at the right-hand corner of the screen, you can get a quick overview of your day, respond to event invitations in your calendar, and join Skype calls. The intuitive tool determines recently opened files and displays them on the Recent tab, which gives you quick access to your most important documents.

Under the Pinned column, you'll find a full list of recently opened files along with shareable links, making collaboration easier.

Account management and customization features

With My Workspace, you can easily access your Office 365 account settings, making account management a breeze. From this window you can manage Subscriptions, Security & privacy, App permissions, Install status, and other general settings.

What’s more, My Workspace allows you to customize your App Settings, where you can set the number of events and recent documents you can see, and decide which apps you would like displayed in the launcher.

Small yet substantial improvements such as My Workspace make Office 365 a thoroughly convenient business tool. There’s plenty of productivity-boosting functionalities within Office 365 regardless of device, and if you want to explore its useful features, call us today for tips and recommendations.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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