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Myth-Busting Monday: Office 365 is not just Office “Online”

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Office 365Even with the growing adoption, many still see Microsoft Office 365 as “Office in the Cloud”.

In fact, Office 365 is an entirely different suite of services.  Yes, Office 365 Business Premium and Enterprise licenses include the MS Office apps we know and use — Outlook, Work, Excel, Powerpoint, and more.  But Office 365 is not just a suite of productivity tools.

Microsoft Office 365 is a business communication, collaboration, and information management ecosystem.

Office 365 licenses can include:

  • OneNote – Multimedia note taking from any platform
  • SharePoint – Collaboration platform for file sharing, intranets, document management, workflows, and information management
  • OneDrive – Personal and shared file storage
  • Skype for Business – Voice, secure IM, video meetings, and presence management
  • Yammer – Social collaboration for business
  • Power BI – Wizard driven business analytics
  • Sway – Web 2.0 publishing to tell your story
  • Planner – Project and task management

As important as the suite of tools, Office 365 can change the way your team works together.  With your data secure and in the cloud, you share information rather than attaching files to endless chains of emails. Your team has the ability to work anytime, from anywhere, from nearly any device. Your people are connected because the data and information they use is connected.

So if you haven’t moved into the cloud, stop thinking of Office 365 as hosted email and some apps. Start thinking about how you want to improve your business. Then use Office 365 to make it happen.

Already on Office 365 and feel like you’re not using it to its fullest potential? Ask us about our adoption and engagement programs.

This is the first of a multi-part series designed to help companies better assess the opportunity and value of cloud-based solutions.  Contact Us for more information or a free Cloud Advisor session.

 

Changing the Way You Buy Office

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0365 across devices
At Microsoft’s 2015 Worldwide Partner Conference, Microsoft openly discussed plans to replace Enterprise Agreements and most Open Value licensing with subscription based models. Going away are the per-device, traditional “box” software.  For Microsoft, this is more than a change in method, it represents a change for the better in how the company will distribute, update, and enhance MS Office and other products. Forget major releases every 2 years, a subscription model enables continuous incremental improvements and will make Microsoft even more responsive to customers’ needs.

This Change is Good for You, the Microsoft User

In addition to better access to innovation, the new Office 365 Business and Office 365 ProPlus licenses are the best fit for most small and mid-size businesses.

  • Each license covers 5 PCs or Macs, 5 tablets, & 5 phones per user
    Your team can install MS Office on any device they use, giving them the ability to work on nearly any device, from anywhere, at anytime.
  • Local and/or Web Versions of MS Office
    Depending on your license choice, you can have both the local and web versions of MS Office.  Your team has added flexibility and features, and the ability to work securely from anywhere at anytime.
  • 1TB of Cloud Storage
    Keep documents secure, usable, and sharable without messy sync-and-share apps, email attachments, or thumbdrives.
  • License Flexibility
    Adjust your license count, as needed, on a monthly or annual basis, avoiding sunken costs on unused licenses and features.
  • Lower Cost
    Licenses with local and cloud Office licensing are as low as $99 per user per year, about 1/3 less than purchasing Office with Software Assurance or paying for upgrades every 3 to 4 years.

If you are thinking about, or ready to upgrade to your MS Office licensing, contact us for a free license consultation and Office 365 Business or Office 365 ProPlus quote.  We will match you the best license option.

And, through January 31, 2016, you can save at 5% or more on annual prepay Office 365 Business licensing.

Edit MS Office Docs using MS Office from Google Drive

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Watch the Demo

Click on the image for the demo!

 

One of the hurdles many face when moving to Google Apps is how to deal with MS Office. Some users feel they cannot live without some of the advanced formatting and features; others are concerned that they receive and work on MS Office documents received from others.

Until now, in order to edit MS Office documents in their native format, users had to download or sync files to their local disk or use the limited editing capabilities of the Chrome browser extension.   Both are less than ideals.

Can you click on a Word doc saved in Drive, have it open in Microsoft Word, and have the file save to Drive?  … YES!  Yes, you can!

With AODocs File Server and the AODocs SmartBar Extension for Chrome, you can use Drive in your Chrome browser, select and edit MS Office files, and have them save directly within Drive.  You can effectively replace Windows Explorer with Drive + AODocs.

Click Here to see a quick demo with Word.  The solution works for Excel and Powerpoint files, too.

Want to know more? Contact Us for a 1:1 demo of the full AODocs File Server solution.
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Alternatives to MS Office

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NoWindows

 

With more businesses moving to the cloud, and Google Apps in particular, one of the questions that comes up is whether organizations still need MS Office.  The fact that MS Office use is drastically lower than peceived within most companies is a subject for another post.

For many organizations, they still need a solution for existing (legacy) documents as well as documents shared with them by others still using MS Office.  The good news is that you have a number of strong competitors that are free, or very low cost, and that run across multiple platforms.  Here a few.

Kingsoft Office

Cost:  Free; Premium Edition for Windows is $69.95
Platforms:  Windows, Android, iOS, Linux

Kingsoft Office is a free MS Office compatible suite available on Windows, Android (including Samsung devices and International), iOS (iPad and iPhone), and Linux.  The suite integrates with Google Drive, as well as Box and Dropbox.

Office Suite from Mobile Systems Inc.

Cost: Android: Free or $9.99 for Premium; iOS: $1.99 (promotion; normally $14.99)
Platforms: Android, iOS

Work with and print Office format documents, as well as PDF and ZIP files.  A file manager works with local files and attachments on smartphones and tablets and can also access Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, OneDrive and SugarSync, plus sharing via email, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct.

QuickOffice form Google

Cost: Free with Google Apps account
Platforms: Android, iOS

Edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files read PDFs.  Works only with Google Drive and supports printing to Wi-Fi printers.

DocstoGo from DataViz

Cost: Free
Platforms: Android, iOS

Supports MS Office 97, 2010, and 2013 formats.  An in-app purchase is required to use Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, and OneDrive.

Polaris Office 5

Cost: Free
Platforms: Android, iOS

Allows workgroups to use email or social contacts to collaborate on documents.  Works with Google Drive, Box, Dropbox and other WebDAV sites. The iOS version supports OneDrive as well.

CloudOn

Cost: Free; Pro version for $3.99 per month includes printing
Platforms: Android, iOS

Rather than building apps to execute on the local device, the CloudOn connects to a free service that executes Office apps in the cloud, and opens and edits files there. Only screen updates and gestures go back and forth. CloudOn saves to a Google Drive, Box, Dropbox or OneDrive account.

“Until They Did” or “Why Businesses Will Move Away from MS Office”

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Choice Die
So much of the discussion about Microsoft versus Google and others includes a mention that businesses will not give up using Microsoft Office for other alternatives.  The general wisdom is that Google Apps and other solutions are niche players, but will never have a significant presence in the enterprise.

But are those that ignore history doomed to repeat it?

Not too long ago …

  • Nobody got fired for choosing IBM …. until they did.
  • No business would seriously choose a CLEC over their established telephony carrier … until they did.
  • No IT leader would stake his or her reputation on free Red Hat Linux over Solaris or A/IX … until they did.
  • No business would ever move off of the secure Blackberry network … until they did.

Flash forward to now.

  • Businesses are not going to reconsider their use and licensing of Microsoft Office  … Until …

 

As XP Retires, Should You Go Virtual?

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xplogo
Next April, Microsoft ends support for Windows XP.  While your applications will continue to run, for now, XP will not longer receive security updates.  XP will no longer support all future updates to your applications, which can render applications inoperable.

The logical next step seems to be upgrade, but at what price?

Bringing a Windows XP environment up to Windows 8 (or even Windows 7) has a cascade effect that easily becomes an expensive proposition, especially if you do not have free upgrades available for applications and utilities as part of support contracts or subscriptions.

Most computers running Windows XP cannot support the increased demands of Windows 7 or 8.  With slower processors and less memory, expect that you will need to replace some, if not all, of your desktops and laptops.

Moving to Windows 7 or 8 means moving to a 64-bit operating system.  If you have not done so yet, you will need to pay to upgrade your Client Access Licenses, or CALs, to 64-bit versions.  This holds not just for Windows Server CALs, but Exchange and SQL Server CALs as well.  This can add over $100 per machine to the cost of changing.

You will need to upgrade backup, virus protection, and other utilities to versions compatible with the new operating system.  Unless you are protected by an support/maintenance agreement with upgrade rights, expect to spend anywhere from about thirty up to a few hundred dollars per machine.

Many of your existing applications will not run on Windows 7 or Windows 8, or are not supported by the vendor on those versions.  Again, upgrading applications can be costly and may require updating data formats as well.

While, replacing Windows XP can easily become an expensive, capital-intensive, project, you do have alternatives.

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, known as VDI, solutions let you move into a current platform — and stay current — without the heavy upfront investment.  The basic VDI environment provides a full Windows desktop experience.  And, while you will still need to upgrade your business applications, most VDI environments include the most recent version of MS Office, virus protection, and backup/recovery services.

Additionally, because your computing is in the cloud, your existing computers serve as terminals, or thin clients.   You can extend the life of these systems without adding security risks.  And, when you replace them, you can go forward with lower cost, think client solutions for the desktop and mobile users.    Your VDI environment also works from smartphones and tablets, improving access while enhancing security.

As for budget, VDI services are operating expenses, not capital expenditures.  Check with your CFO or accountant, as this is often preferred.

Want to learn more?  Contact us for a free evaluation.

 

 

 

 

 

QuickOffice is Free for Everyone

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QuickOffice Logo
As of September 19, 2013, Google has freed QuickOffice for everyone.  The result? Anybody with a Google Apps account can edit MS Office documents — Word, Excel, and Powerpoint — stored in Google Drive using any Android or iOS device.

While Microsoft is still attempting to lock users into Windows platforms in order to use MS Office, Google Apps and Google Drive users can now freely view and edit documents across platforms.

Combined with CumuluSuite Office, you can integrate MS Office on your existing Windows or Mac devices with the ability to view and edit them from smart phones and tablets.

Microsoft to iOS and Android Users: “Never Mind.”

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Are we really surprised?  In the flurry of Microsoft’s marketing blitz for Office 2013, Microsoft promised that the “new office” would be available across every platform.  That Mac, iOS, and Android users would not be left behind.

Fast forward a few months and Microsoft  delaying MS Office for the iOS and Android platforms by a year.  Already facing erosion from Google Apps as companies are moving into the cloud, Microsoft is neglecting one of the fastest growing user markets in the “post-pc” era.

Meanwhile, Google is offering Quickoffice to Google Apps customers at no charge and Quickoffice PRO is available to iOS and Android users for $19.99.  MS Office users can now more easily integrate their legacy applications with mobility with Google products than those from Microsoft.

As noted in ZDnet, iOS and Android users — and Google — have the most to gain.

Quickoffice: More Than Office for Mobile Users

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QuickofficeWith this week’s release of Quickoffice for iPhone and Android platforms, Google Apps for Business mobile users can now access and edit MS Office files on any iOS or current Android device.  Word, Excel, and Powerpoint files are no longer captive to heavy and more expensive Windows laptops, netbooks, and tablets.

Overdrive … 

The Quickoffice app also expands access to all files in Google Drive.  In addition to users’ My Drive content, Quickoffice provides folder views for Shared with Me, Starred, Recent, and any subfolders.

Risky Office365 Update to Take 10 Months

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According to reports on ZDnet, Microsoft will begin rolling out updates to Office 365 as early as this month.  The addition of new features will take 10 months, and should be completed by November 2013.

Included in the update:

  • Office 2013 Components
  • Updates to the Exchange Management Console
  • Office Web Apps will move to the latest versions
  • Lync will include multi-person video conferencing

For many users, however, they will need to upgrade desktops and on-premise servers.  An update to Exchange is needed to use the new management console features and the Office 2013 components require Windows 7 or Windows 8 on the desktop.

This upgrade is a test for Microsoft and its customers, triggering a series of webinars and meetings between Microsoft and its partners.  Under the prior BPOS service, Microsoft never provided an upgrade.  Rather, customers had to start over with Office365. With this upgrade, Microsoft is testing its ability to perform the same system upgrades its customers want to avoid on a massive, multi-tenant scale.

In comparison, Google rolled out Hangouts and Hangouts on Air to Google Apps for Business customers over a 3 week period with zero customer disruption.  The difference is that Google Apps is designed for innovation and enhancement.  The underlying architecture of Office365 relies on old models of complex, periodic service packs and upgrades applied to virtual servers on shared hardware.

An outdated architecture and higher costs of ownership and use — a winning combination for your business?