Office 365 is the future of the Microsoft Office suite. Yes, you can still buy stand-alone licenses in stores and online, but they are no longer a cost-effective solution.
Even though Microsoft clearly wants everyone to make the jump to the subscription version, it hasn't done a great job of educating people about what it entails. There's a lot of misinformation out there 11 Office 2016 FAQs Answered 11 Office 2016 FAQs Answered Office 2016 is coming up and it raises a lot of questions. Do you have to buy a subscription, can you upgrade now, and can you go back to Office 2013? We collect the most frequently asked questions and provide the... Read More
The problem is now so bad that Microsoft recently published an e-book to dispel some of the myths about Office 365. In this article, I'll break down some of those myths, add a couple more that need to be. aware and explain why you should not worry about making the change.
This is probably the most prevalent of all the Office 365 myths, and it's easy to see why it started.
Microsoft refers to its Office 365 apps as "cloud-based." While technically true, the term “cloud” often means people think of online-only services like Google Drive or Salesforce. Actually, all applications are downloaded from the web and installed on your local machine.
But there is a small catch:you will need to go online at least once every 30 days for the “home phone” software to work. If you don't, you'll experience reduced functionality How to see if your Office 365 subscription is active How to see if your Office 365 subscription is active Not sure if you've activated your Office 365 subscription? Do you want to check it and make sure? Here is how to do it easily. Read more.
The online-only version of the Don't Pay for Word! suite. 5 reasons why you should use Office Online Don't pay for Word! 5 reasons why you should use Office Online Office Online is the free, cloud-connected version of Microsoft Office. The limitations are offset by features, useful even for desktop Office users. Best of all is its Read more, Office Online, it's free for all users..
Office 365 is tightly integrated with OneDrive How to save your Office 2016 documents in the cloud How to save your Office 2016 documents in the cloud Store and organize your files in the cloud. Use cloud services like OneDrive, Dropbox, and Google Drive to make your files available anywhere, to anyone. Read more . You can save your documents on your own computer, but Microsoft tries to talk you out of it. That concerns a lot of people.
We live in an age of data hackers and cyber criminals. Hardly a week goes by without word of a social media provider having their passwords stolen or a retail store losing their customer details.
Is it worrying? Yes. But should I be worried? No. Your home computer is much more vulnerable than the servers of a tech giant.
Think about it. What security do you have at home? At best, the vast majority of you will have a free antivirus, only a small percentage of users who pay for a premium security suite. Many people don't even use a router in their internet setup. Why you should use a router even with only one PC. Why you should use a router Even with a single PC. Every home with Internet access must use a router, even if only one PC is connected to the network. Here are some compelling reasons why. Read more !
Microsoft has a full-time team working to keep you safe, and they stay on top of just about every regulatory and compliance law you can think of.
There is a repeated mob saying that services like Microsoft and Google own any information you put on their servers. Worse yet, some people actually believe they are watching your every move, poring over your email to Grandma and looking for signs that you might be about to drop a bomb on Canada.
Could not be farther from the truth. Microsoft is explicit in its approach to data ownership and use. Here is a quote from their website:
Additionally, Microsoft is the first major cloud service provider to adopt the international standard for cloud privacy. It has five key principles:
There are some competitors in Office 365. 5 reasons why you should use iWork instead of Microsoft Office. 5 reasons why you should use iWork instead of Microsoft Office. with, but it's time to give iWork another try. Read more . Perhaps the best known among home users is the Google suite of products.
Make no mistake, Google's service is fantastic. It's free, easy to use, and more than adequate for many basic tasks. But Google also benefits from a reputation for being innovative:people automatically think that everything they produce is cutting edge.
Actually, Microsoft's offering has a lot more features. 10 New Features in Microsoft Office 2016 to Boost Productivity 10 New Features in Microsoft Office 2016 to Boost Productivity Microsoft Office 2016 gets new features all the time. They are available first to Office Insiders and Office 365 subscribers. We show you the best new features in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, and how... Read More After all, the Office product line is Microsoft's biggest money maker:they have to stay ahead of the competition.
If you're still not convinced, take a look at the development roadmap for Office 365. It's impressive to see how quickly new functionality is announced and released.
For many people, the idea of spending money on a service like Office 365 is still difficult to understand. They don't think anyone else is doing it, and they're not willing to take the leap.
The figures tell a different story. Office 365 just celebrated its fifth birthday, but in that time it passed 80 million paid subscriptions. The term “paid subscriptions” is important:each home user can share her individual subscription with up to four other users. The total number of people using Office 365 is actually much, much higher.
If you haven't made the jump from regular Office yet, don't buy Office 2016! Here's why you don't need it Don't buy Office 2016! Why don't you need it? Should you buy the standalone suite version of Office 2016? We make our case for why we think you shouldn't and show you what you can do instead. Read More The service is constantly updated so you always have the latest software available. In contrast, Office Home &Student 2016 costs $149.99 for a PC and you won't get any free upgrades.
If you're still not sure whether to invest in Office 365, I'd love to hear why. Is it too expensive? Are there still some myths that worry you? Are you happy with Google's free offer?
Get in touch with your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
