Microsoft Office 365, now Microsoft 365, is easily one of the most widely used application for businesses nowadays. It has a wide range of applications specifically designed to simplify and potentialize your work.
It can currently be obtained in three different ways:
- Microsoft 365 Apps for Business: Formerly known as Office 365 Business, works best for businesses that use and need Office apps across devices and cloud file storage. It includes all Office apps but does not include Outlook or Teams. This pack is currently priced at AU$12.00 per month per user under an annual commitment or AU$14.30 with no commitment.
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard: Formerly known as Office 365 Business Premium, this pack is great for those that need Office apps across all devices as well as professional email, cloud file storage, and online meetings and chats, since it includes Outlook and Teams. This pack is currently priced at AU$17.20 per month if under an annual commitment or AU$20.60 with no commitment.
- Office Home & Business 2019: For those who want the applications but are not interested in the cloud IT services and don’t way to pay for a monthly/yearly fee, this pack gathers all desktop versions of Office applications that can be obtained in a single one-time purchase. This pack is currently priced at AU$349.00.
You can see the full comparison list here.
M365 apps
Word
This classic application is great for processing your documents across platforms. Easily access and edit your documents on desktop, the web and mobile devices with the cloud. Its many different features make it a very reliable and versatile tool for everyday use.
Excel
Another classic. When used with the cloud, this powerful spreadsheet tool can be even better by combining its many imbedded features with the possibility of collaborating with others on a project.
Power Point
Despite the rise of similar programs, this tool remains as powerful as ever. It’s simple and effective layout and tools make it hard to beat.
OneNote
The well-known note-taking app has certainly become a Microsoft staple. Although it still does a great job by keeping your notes safe and organised, it is currently being phased out from Microsoft 365 in favour of the Windows 10 universal app version.
Outlook
Get the best out of email, contact and calendar management with Outlook. Its recent upgrades have made it even more comfortable to use across platforms and the web.
OneDrive
Microsoft’s storage service for storing files in the cloud. Feel free to sync your files across any devices and collaborate on documents on real-time. It is one of the essential apps everyone needs.
Publisher
This often forgotten desktop publishing tool from Microsoft is great to put together layouts more advanced than those inside Word.
Skype (replaced with Teams)
Enjoy all the benefits from video calling, audio calling, instant messaging, file and screen sharing with this classic application. Although its business version is being replaced by Microsoft Teams, Skype for personal use still remains available.
Teams
Skype’s younger and more versatile sibling, Teams allows you to do everything you could do with Skype and more. Create teams with your colleagues and discuss common projects, brainstorm ideas, organise your tasks and much more. Check one of our articles about Microsoft Teams here to learn more.
Access
A reliable database application that is as solid as ever. It may not have the same support across mobile and web like other apps, but the desktop program is still great.
Key features
So that is the gist of Microsoft 365. The apps mentioned above allow all the users in an organisation to do word processing, spreadsheets, prepare presentation, share and store files, collaborate and much more.
The most recent updates are now focused on improving AI suggestions such as people who might want to access a document or surfacing a file you might need. The goal is to make Microsoft 365 as straightforward and easy to use as possible. This includes hiding some features that aren’t used as much and creating a more unified interface across web and mobile.
Competition and verdict
One of the biggest competitors for Microsoft 365 is G Suite. The difference is that while Microsoft 365 has the more powerful and feature-packed suite of programmes, G Suite focuses more on slickness, speed and simplicity. Other than that, in terms of cloud storage, Google Drive seems to be several steps ahead of OneDrive in most areas.
Whether the best option is Microsoft 365 or G Suite, that’s hard to say. It depends on what your business needs and way of working.