Tuesday 30 September 2014

All You Need To Know About Office 365

By Alex D White


After introducing Office 365, Microsoft has received plenty of publicity on the service. As such, you might be wondering if the service is right for you, a client, or your organization. Office 365 is basically the cloud version of Microsoft. You can connect with it on the internet, set up an account, make a subscription, download the necessary files and start working. You do not need any installation disks. You may want to know a few things about office 365 in order to know if it is for you.

The main reason for the rise in popularity of Office 365 above all previous versions is the fact that it is the only service from Microsoft that has come closer to Cloud. Cloud can be defined as an off the site file hosting service that was popularized by the IT industry. Windows SkyDrive is the Cloud version of Microsoft, which enables you share your files by uploading and synchronizing them with the service and then accessing them from any location on any device.

By now, you have probably gotten used to the desktop version of office. A couple of distinguishing features come with Office 365, including the office web apps. These applications are linked to SkyDrive via the internet. With office web apps, you can be able to access your files and edit them from any device without changing the format.

When installing Office 365, your computer needs to run on windows 7 or 8, while Mac users will need to install on computers running on OS X10.6 and above. Since this is an internet-based installation, you will also need to have internet access to install it, as well as to activate and manage your monthly subscription. A compatible browser such as Chrome 18, Safari 5, Firefox 12, and IE9 will also be needed.

The subscription costs for the service will depend on the size of your organization. Fortunately, you can subscribe for the service with a business of 25 or less users. There are various subscriptions plans, and you can decide to pay on either a monthly basis or yearly. In simple terms, the small business premium plans are designed for twenty-five users or less, midsize business premium is meant for 25 to 300 users, and the enterprise premium plan accommodates 300 plus users.

The service is also compatible with Microsoft office 2010 and 2013. You can use it with Office 2007, but some of the functions may not work. These files can work well with Office web Apps. If you have office 2013, you can upload the files you want to share with your contacts on SkyDrive without necessarily installing Office 365 and then invite them to view the files.

You may be wondering why you need the service if the office web apps are free. While these apps are great for viewing files and editing them, it does not come close to being a substitute for the regular desktop version, not to mention office 365. The latter, for instance, allows you to view your files on multiple devices with no office, which the office web apps cannot.

Moreover, you do not have to worry about security with this service. Office 365 uses the same user-level security as the desktop version, as well as the similar Trust Centre. This enables you to set restrictions with the Rights Management Service that supports its encryption.




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