2 minute read
Office 365 Matters
TERRY O’BRIEN Netbase Solutions
OFFICE 365: WHY ALL THE FUSS!
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Office 365 is not a product, it is a bundled set of business productivity tools that we use in our businesses every day. By using Office 365 we can increase our investment in information technology while reducing our costs in doing business. Office 365 improves our bottom line profits!
So what do we get when we decide to join the ‘cloud computing tsunami’ that is not only hitting the Coast but globally? This month we will focus on the tools we use every day – the Office suite and emails. Next month we will look at the Office 365 collaboration and data storage components with OneDrive for Business and SharePoint Online and Instant Messaging using Skype for Business.
Business Productivity Let’s start with what we all know and understand – Microsoft Office.
Office 365 contains a bundle of Microsoft Office business productivity tools including Word, Excel, Powerpoint, OneNote, Access, Publisher, Outlook and Infopath. Office 365 also provides Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook as Web Applications meaning you can edit your documents on any device even at an internet café! Moving your business to Office 365 means that all staff are now operating on the same version of software that is updated automatically whenever any enhancements are released by Microsoft. Each user is able to load these applications on five separate devices.
Communication Tools Many businesses have a server to store their data and manage their emails using Microsoft Exchange. If you don’t have a server your emails are possibly managed through a hosting provider and use what is known as a POP or IMAP account. These accounts rely on you creating a backup of any emails once they are transferred to your computer.
Office 365 includes Microsoft Exchange meaning that all staff have a business grade email system, are able to share calendars, book resources such as meeting rooms and access their email through any device or on any computer. Magic happens when you respond to an email on your mobile phone and when you return to your office you can see your sent email in the sent folder of your Outlook.
Tips and Tricks If you need to create a survey, form, or questionnaire, Office 365 has you covered. You can use Excel Online to create a survey with a shareable link that saves responses in a back-end spreadsheet, allowing you to analyse your data however you wish.
When reviewing a Word document you can add comments to advise the author of recommended changes. Comments have had a makeover with Word 2013 and now you can reply to comments and mark them complete, and the overall function has a much more streamlined visual look.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Terry O’Brien has been working with ITC and business application for the past 28 years. He now specialises in Office 365, particularly working with small to medium sized businesses. Terry is a Microsoft cloud partner and Telstra partner and works assisting businesses with both set up and maintenance of all things Office 365.
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