What’s so great about Microsoft Office 365?

The new Office 365 allows you to work in the cloud AND on the ground. Office 365 allows you to access Office applications and your Office documents (i.e. Word, Excel) from anywhere, as long as you are online. Microsoft uses the name ”Office 365” for products that include cloud services, such as additional SkyDrive online storage, Skype minutes for home use, Lync web conferencing or Exchange Online hosted email for businesses. Cloud services are features that are enabled over the Internet.

But sometimes we are not online, so what then? Office 365 includes your choice of Office 2013 for PC or 2011 for Mac, that is installed on your computer and allows you to work the same way you always worked.

Stay up to date with the latest office applications.
Office 365 customers with active subscriptions always get the newest versions of the Office applications when they are available. When Microsoft releases a new version of Office, you will be notified that you have the option to update your software to the latest version.

Open Office 365 or Office documents using older versions of Office.
A person with a previous (older) version of Microsoft Office can easily open documents created with the latest release of Office by using compatibility and service packs found at www.office.com.

What is SkyDrive?
SkyDrive is a service that enables you to upload files to cloud storage and then access them from a Web browser, PC or Mac, or devices—no manual syncing or cables needed. Use your SkyDrive storage and you’ll never be without the documents, notes, photos, and videos that matter to you. Just log on to a web browser, sign in to skydrive.com, and go to work viewing or editing.

Why does Office save documents to SkyDrive?
Saving your documents to SkyDrive allows you to easily access and edit them on multiple devices from virtually anywhere. Office 365 Home Premium and Office 365 University subscriptions include an additional 20 GB of storage space on SkyDrive. (Note:  All SkyDrive users receive 7GB SkyDrive storage for free.).

Are my documents stored on SkyDrive also available offline?
Yes. For most PCs and Macs, when you save a document in Office, the default option saves it to a local SkyDrive folder on the computer, which automatically syncs to SkyDrive online. You can access your documents in the local SkyDrive folder on your computer at any time, even if you are not connected to the Internet.

What are Skype world minutes?
Skype world minutes let you easily call people internationally. And now Office 365 Home Premium and Office 365 University come with 60 minutes per month of Skype calls to phones in over 40 countries. It’s easy. Just dial from Skype and your friends and family can pick up on their phone.  Skype world minutes are included with Office 365 Home Premium and Office 365 University at no additional cost.

Can I use Skype world minutes plan from my mobile phone?
You can use Skype world minutes from any device where you have Skype installed, whether it’s your mobile phone, Windows 8 tablet, TV, or other device.

So, Office 365 University or Office 365 Home Premium?

Office 365 University:
If you are a college student, faculty or staff member, you want to order Office 365 University for just $79.95. Office 365 University is a four-year subscription for full- and part-time enrolled university and college students, faculty, and staff in accredited institutions.

You need to go online to verify your eligibility in order to activate Office 365 University. Office 365 University allows you to install Office on up to two PCs or Macs and on up to two smartphones or Windows 8 tablets, for use by a single person.

Office 365 Home Premium:
If you are not a college student or college faculty/staff member then Office 365 Home Premium is for you. No academic verification is required and anyone can purchase it.

Office 365 Home Premium can be installed on up to five PCs, Windows 8 tablets, or Macs and select devices.  If you have already installed Office on five PCs or Macs and want to use Office on another PC or Mac, you can deactivate a computer from your subscription on the My Account page, and then install Office on a new PC or Mac.

Click here to visit our Microsoft Office Comparison Matrix.

Comments are closed.