As mentioned before, in my previous life I was a Help Desk Rep and PC/Mac Support technician. One of my primary responsibilities was installing, supporting, troubleshooting, and even providing training for Microsoft Office. I think I started using Office on version 4.2. I started heavy use in 1995 with Office 95. I had a secretarial job at the time. I was a word processing, spreadsheet tweaking, database creating monster!
From there I jumped over to the tech support side. My experience in Office helped me with support. But I learned the inner workings from top to bottom. I was there supporting and using office in Office 95, 97, 2000, XP, 2003, 2007, 2012, and now 2013. Whew! I have always loved the innovations and changes that came with each version. Although it was an ongoing joke around the office that all the changes were bad for our training. LOL. But, it kept us busy and employed! And with each change came improvements.
Office is no longer what it used to be. It has been revamped and items have been added that some Office users have been waiting for.
What is Office 365?
Office has been completely revamped and Office 365 includes several changes including integration with Microsoft's Cloud based storage, Skydrive.
Office 365 is a subscription based service which allows you to connect up to 5 PCs, Windows Tablets, Windows Phone 8s, or Macs to your Office account. Your documents and settings stay safe and backed up in the Cloud via your Skydrive account. Your PCs and Windows based tablets, and phones run Office 2013, while your Mac will run the current Office 2011.
While purchasing previous versions of Office got you software only, your Office 365 subscription opens up more possibilities. Here are some new things that you can take advantage of the following:
- Easily install Office on up to 5 PCs or Macs
- Includes 20GB of Skydrive Cloud Storage
- 60 free Skype world minutes each month
- Access to Office on Demand to access online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. All your need is a computer connected to the internet and running Windows 7 or more.
- Shared meetings
- Much, much more.
New in Office 2013
Office 2013 is by far the best looking version of Office yet. It still includes all of your favorites, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, PowerPoint, and Publisher. The interface is optimized to be great on your desktop, your laptop, and your Windows 8 tablet. Office 2013 is for PC only. Mac users still have use of Office 2011.
Great for Households
Have a large family? No need to purchase multiple copies of office. All you need is a single subscription. One subscription to Office 365 Home Premium covers the entire household. And although you have one subscription you can each sign-in with your individual Microsoft accounts to access your own documents and personalization settings. And with that one subscription each family member gets access to all the things mentioned above.
Great for Windows 8 Tablets & Phones
Office 365 is made to be awesome on Windows 8. I installed it on my new Acer Iconia W510 and it truly is awesome. Of course you do not have to have a touch screen computer to use it, but if you do you will love it. The Windows 8 interface makes it easy to enjoy office as it should be. And since it is connected to Skydrive, you have all your data at your fingertips, no matter where you are. You can get work done on the go. There is no need to remember to copy documents to a flash drive, or external hard drive. Your Skydrive folder on your tablet will stay synced with your account, so all changes are saved in all places.
If you have a keyboard for your Win 8 tablet, it is just like being on a laptop. Everything you need is there.
How Do I Get it?
Head on over to the Office website to read more information. The Office 365 Home Premium subscription is $99.99 per year. Not sure that you want to purchase a subscription for Office 365 Home Premium just yet? You can try out the one month trial to help you decide. Or, you click on Buy It and take the plunge. Your Microsoft account will keep track of the number of computer that you install it on. There are no CDs to keep up with, and no product keys to write down. It is all done right in your online account. And you can still purchase stand-a-lone versions of Office if you prefer.
I am looking to trying out and learning more about Office 365. I can feel my productivity going up already!
Disclosure: This post is part of my involvement as a compensated Microsoft Office Ambassador. All opinions are my own.
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