Microsoft Office 365

Microsoft Office 365 is Microsoft’s latest product that represents a shift toward cloud based storage and computing. It was first tested late in 2010 privately with certain companies, and was subsequently launched officially on June 28, 2011. It is a subscription-based service, and customers have access to Microsoft products such as Exchange, Lync,Sharepoint and all of the Microsoft Office applications.

Office 365 first started off as being a business service, but the opportunities for selling to the mainstream consumer quickly became evident. Now, Microsoft Office 365 comes in a variety of packages that vary depending on the needs of the purchaser.

The most attractive aspect of Microsoft Office 365 for consumers is that information is stored in the Cloud. This allows for the software to be continually updated, and customers have access to their information wherever they go. Furthermore, included in the package is extended cloud storage space and 60 minutes of Skype calling. Conveniently, Office 365 Home Premium, which is targeted at ordinary consumers and families, can be installed on up to five computers. Other features include the “Click-to-Run” system which allows for faster application loading times and the “Office on Demand” feature which allows the temporary streaming of any Microsoft Office 2013 on any computer that does not have Office applications. This is useful on computers that do not have Microsoft Office installed but need to open a Word document, for example.

As previously mentioned, Office 365 can be used by a wide range of customers. Some of the smaller packages include Office 365 Home Premium and University, which do not include services such as InfoPath and Lync. In the University version, the price is discounted, but it can only be used on two devices under a four-year contract. After this, there is the Office 365 Small Business version, which includes Microsoft Exchange, Sharepoint and Lync. It is intended for businesses that have less than 10 employees. As the editions get larger, you ultimately arrive at Microsoft Office 365 Enterprise. This is intended for large businesses and customers have access to all applications in addition to specialized compliance and support from Microsoft.

Microsoft Office 365 is the next step in Cloud computing, and for the consumer that is ready for the shift, it is an attractive product. To many it may seem just like an online version of Microsoft Office, but the usefulness of being able to access your information from any computer cannot be understated.

WHAT MICROSOFT OFFICE 365 INCLUDES

• Office for the entire household on up to five PCs and Windows 8 tablets, Macs.¹
• Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote,² Publisher,² and Access.²
• An extra 20 GB of online storage in SkyDrive (27 GB total) for anywhere access to your documents.³
• 60 minutes of Skype calls each month to phones in 40+ countries.⁵
• One convenient annual subscription for the whole household with automatic upgrades included so you’re always up to date with the latest features and services.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

• 1 GHz or faster x86 or 64-bit processor with SSE2 instruction set
• 1 GB RAM (32 Bit) /2 GB RAM (64 Bit) recommended for graphics features and certain advanced functionality⁵
• 3.0 GB of available disk space
• 1366 x 768 resolution
• Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 2008 R2 with .NET 3.5 or greater
• Graphics hardware acceleration requires DirectX10 graphics card

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 8, 9, or 10; Mozilla Firefox 10.x or a later version; Apple Safari 5; or Google Chrome 17.x.
• Internet connection. Fees may apply.
• Microsoft and Skype accounts
• A touch-enabled device is required to use any multi-touch functionality. However, all features and functionality are always available by using a keyboard, mouse, or other standard or accessible input device. New touch features are optimized for use with Windows 8.
• Product functionality and graphics may vary based on your system configuration. Some features may require additional or advanced hardware or server connectivity.

WHAT'S NEW WITH OFFICE?

Office Wherever You Are

• Be more productive with a full version of Office, no matter where you are.
• Sign in to get Office on your PC, Windows 8 tablet, Mac.¹
• Each user can sign in to their Microsoft account to get to their documents, applications, and settings.
• You’ll always have the latest features and services, thanks to automatic version upgrades.

Easy Sharing and Communication

• Get all the email, scheduling, and task tools for the entire household.
• Use OneNote to capture and share notes, pictures, web pages, voice memos, and more.²
• Allow others to read and scroll through your Word docs in real time through a browser, even if they don’t have Word.

Microsoft Office Applications

• Incorporate content from PDFs into Word documents quickly and easily.
• Add pictures, videos, or online media to your Word documents with a simple drag and drop.
• Create presentations with widescreen themes in PowerPoint.
• Find meaning in numbers with the Quick Analysis and Chart Animations in Excel.

As a Windows Champion blogger, I do not receive compensation, but I do receive resources, information and tools in order to test and use Windows-based services.