Collaboration is the way we get things done in the workplace, but the process itself can be complex and frustrating. Microsoft have set out to make working together easier and more efficient by building a suite of integrated apps and services that removes barriers and empowers teams to do and achieve more. Office 2016 now available in South Africa – through Dax Data
Office has always been the go-to tool for helping individuals do their best work—whether for professional documents, powerful analyses or school presentations. People often start and end their work in Office, but there is often a messy middle that involves a lot of discussion—in person, by phone or via various tools—as well as multiple (sometimes conflicting) inputs. With Office 2016 Microsoft want to deliver a set of experiences that is built for making teamwork seamless.
- With this release, Microsoft are making co-authoring in Word real-time, which lets users see what others are writing immediately, as it happens.
- Skype for Business is now available in the client apps, allowing users to IM, screen share, talk or video chat right from their documents. Skype for Business also has faster screen sharing and now adds the option to start a real-time co-authoring session from any conversation or meeting.
- Keep teams connected with Office 365 Groups, now available as part of Outlook 2016 and in a new Outlook Groups app on iOS, Android and Windows Phone. Office 365 Groups allows individuals to easily create public or private teams. Each group includes a shared inbox, calendar, cloud storage for group files, and a shared OneNote notebook to keep the team productive.
- Office 365 Planner helps teams organise their work, with the ability to create new plans, organise and assign tasks, set due dates and update status. Planner’s visual dashboards and email notifications help keep everyone informed on the overall progress of their initiative. Planner will be available in preview, to Office 365 First Release customers, starting next quarter.
- Originally unveiled earlier this year, GigJam is available in private preview and will become part of Office 365 in 2016. GigJam is an unprecedented new way for teams to accomplish tasks and transform business processes by breaking down the barriers between devices, apps and people.
Perfect with Windows 10
Delivering Office across platforms has been Microsoft’s main strategy, but the company has revealed that they see Windows as being “home” for Office. Together, Office 365 and Windows 10 are the most complete solution for getting things done.
- With Windows Hello, you can sign in to your PC and Office 365 with a simple look or a touch—no need to type a password anymore.
- With the Office Mobile apps and Continuum on Windows phones, users’ phones can act as a desktop, and they can project, create or edit presentations or sales budget from their phone to a monitor while using the same phone to take notes with the OneNote app.
- Sway on Windows 10 was released in early August. It has received a 4.6/5 app store ranking, with customers calling it “funtastic,” “brilliant” and “elegant.” People love Sway’s simple and intuitive yet powerful approach to next-generation digital storytelling. With Sway, users provide the content and Sway creates beautiful, shareable, interactive stories that look great on any screen.
- Office Mobile apps on Windows 10 (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) have also received great reception and 4+ app store rankings. Customers say they are touch-friendly, fast and easy to use—making them wonderful for on-the-go-productivity.
Ongoing Office 365 customer value
With this release, Microsoft are also shifting the cadence of Office on Windows to feel much more like the cadence they have on the Office mobile and web apps, which release every month with new value. So, going forward, Office 365 customers will now enjoy new features and capabilities delivered continuously in the Office desktop applications as part of their subscription.
Here are some examples of the types of new features and benefits Office 365 customers will see:
- Built for teamwork— rich co-authoring and collaboration across native clients, starting in Word 2016, with other big advances in collaboration coming throughout the year. By the end of 2015, Office 365 Groups insights and discovery in Office Delve will be introduced. A new generation of personal work analytics in Office Delve that will help individuals, teams and organisations to be more effective at work by understanding their reach and impact, time allocation and network.
- Works for you— new charts and forecasting, will be delivered, with formulas, connectors and other Excel capabilities – throughout the year. There are also some very exciting developments in the pipeline for PowerPoint that will make it easier to design and deliver presentations to wow and engage audiences.
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