macOS and OS X, Linux, Solaris Consulting

Progent's macOS and OS X experts can assist you to configure Microsoft Office for Mac on a cross-platform network so that Mac users can take advantage of powerful features in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook for collaborating with colleagues who run Microsoft Windows-based computers. Progent can also help you assess the advantages of moving from an earlier version of Office for Mac to Office for Mac 2016, available as a perpetual license, or Office 365 for Mac, available on a subscription basis. Progent can also help you plan and carry out an efficient migration to the latest version of Office for Mac. Progent provides integration support for all Microsoft Office productivity software that comes with Microsoft Office 365 for Mac and Office 2016 for Mac, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

• Word for Mac
  Office 365 Word for Mac and Word for Mac 2016 feature a new Design Tab that provides immediate access to design elements and makes it easy to manage layout, colors and fonts throughout a document. A new Insights Pane automatically retrieves and displays relevant information from the web to provide rich context for authors and readers. Another new feature is threaded comments, which facilitates collaboration by tracking conversations and displaying them adjacent to the associated content. Improvements include simpler processes for inviting people to review and edit documents, simultaneous coauthoring of documents, and more powerful Mail Merge tools that utilize Word, Excel and Outlook. As with newer versions of Excel and PowerPoint for Mac, Office 365 Word for Mac and Office 2016 Word for Mac allow you to navigate documents with familiar Multi-Touch gestures.
  
  Office 365 Word for Mac simplifies layout management and collaboration

  Word for Mac 2011 includes improvements in the areas of document viewing, template management, desktop publishing, image editing, typography, search, collaboration, and automation. The new Focus View feature allows you to remove distracting content to maximize the screen area available for viewing your document. The new Word Document Gallery streamlines access to standard and custom templates as well as to recently opened documents. Improved desktop publishing capabilities include an enhanced Publishing Layout view, the ability to reorder layers dynamically, and more powerful graphic editing features that include a background removal tool.

  Typography improvements in Word for Mac 2011 include direct application of text effects such as gradient fills plus access to ligatures and stylistic sets for TrueType and OpenType fonts. New or enhanced Find and Replace tools provide search highlighting and summaries. Collaboration improvements include support for simultaneous document editing. Word for Mac 2011 also restores the ability to use Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) for automating tasks or adding functionality.

  Word for Mac 2008 introduced an improved user interface that offers an extensible toolbar and introduced a rudimentary publishing capability via the Publishing Layout View that offers increased control over positioning of words and graphics and allows you to link text overflow from a given area to a specified text box on another page. Additional features introduced in Word for Mac 2008 include OpenType ligatures for better looking type, and reference tools that allow a variety of citation styles. Microsoft Word for Mac 2008 supports AppleScript but does not support VBasic for Applications. Progent's Mac experts can help you to evaluate how this restriction may impact your decision to migrate to Microsoft Word for Mac 2011.

  Word for Mac 2004 introduced a Notebook View that allows you to flag critical sections, search for specified terms, and add time-stamped audio into your notes while you write. The Track Changes feature makes it easy to trace edits and enables you to approve or reject edits from the comments. Reference Tools allow you to access a dictionary or a thesaurus from the Microsoft Office Toolbox, although there is also a link to Microsoft's discontinued Encarta online encyclopedia. The Navigation Pane allows you to browse through your document with the document map.

• Excel for Mac
  Office 365 Excel for Mac and Excel for Mac 2016 introduce PivotTable Slicers to allow you to detect patterns hidden in massive volumes of data. A new add-on, the Analysis Toolpak, facilitates complex statistical and engineering analyses. Compatibility with Windows versions of Excel is improved with support for familiar keyboard shortcuts and for most of the functions found in Excel 2013 for Windows. Additional improvements include an enhanced Formula Builder Pane and the ability to print to a single PDF file.
  
  Office 365 Excel for Mac improves compatibility with PC spreadsheets

  Excel for Mac 2011 includes improvements in the areas of data analysis and visualization, performance, graphics editing, programmability, security, and collaboration. The new Sparklines feature provide an instantaneous graphical summary of Excel data via miniature charts that fit inside a cell next to the associated values. Conditional Formatting has been improved to make it easier to format data with icon sets, data bars, and color scales. You can now sort and filter data by color and use multi-select filters and new quick filtering options. Excel Tables (previously called Lists) allow you to create multiple groupings of associated data for easy manipulation and analysis.

  Excel for Mac 2011 PivotTables have enhanced performance and closer compatibility with Windows versions of Excel. New and enhanced editing tools and SmartArt graphics allow you to create professional-looking images without outside photo-editing software. As with Word for Mac 2011, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) support has been resumed, improving compatibility with Excel for Windows and introducing new features such as IntelliSense, watch windows, and a new Visual Basic debugging tool. You can control access to workbooks via Information Rights Management (IRM) and share secure workbooks across platforms. To improve collaboration, Excel for Mac 2011 allows you to create cross-platform workbooks and exchange dates between workbooks without having to distinguish between 1900 and 1904 date systems

  Excel for Mac 2008 supports as many spreadsheet cells as the Microsoft Windows version of Excel and includes the Formula Builder for simplifying the creation of complex formulas. Microsoft Excel for Mac 2008 also includes an Elements Gallery with templates for common applications such as payroll. As with the 2008 version of Microsoft Word for Mac, Microsoft Excel for Mac 2008 does not support Visual Basic for Applications. Progent's Apple Macintosh experts can help you to determine if this limitation justifies an upgrade to Office for Mac 2011.

  Excel for Mac 2004 introduced a Layout View that enables you to review and edit in a window in WYSIWYG mode, conveniently zoom content to match the right page count, and add headers and footers. Charting features provide custom color schemes and allow you to utilize the Formatting Tool for instantly updating your chart type, content, colors, typography, and effects. Smart Buttons permit you to track down and fix spreadsheet formula errors and manage how the AutoFill feature formats your content. Additional tools permit you to see the correct syntax for a library of functions and intuitively alter ranges with the enhanced Range Finder. XML support permits you to use Extensible Markup Language (XML) to collaborate on data.

• Microsoft PowerPoint for Mac
  Office 365 PowerPoint for Mac and PowerPoint for Mac 2016 include the new Theme Variants feature that makes it easy to change the style of a presentation by altering the color scheme. As with current versions of Word, a new Threaded Comments feature supports collaboration by displaying full conversations next to related content. Collaboration is also enhanced with extensive coauthoring support. An improved Presenter View shows the speaker the current and subsequent slide, presentation notes, plus a timer while showing the audience only the projected current slide. An enhanced Animation Pane facilitates designing and editing professional-looking animations, and an improved Conflict Resolution View displays alternative edits to help you decide which versions to keep.
  
  Office 365 PowerPoint for Mac makes it easier to create and deliver pro-quality presentations

  PowerPoint for Mac Consultants includes new and improved capabilities in the areas of template organization and customization, picture editing, movie support, animations and transitions, layer and slide management, timing, collaboration, security, search, performance, and programmability. The Media Browser provides easy access to a broad selection of media sources including iPhoto albums, iTunes playlists, and iMovie libraries as well as shapes, Clip Art, and other graphical content. The PowerPoint Presentation Gallery simplifies management of built-in and custom templates as well as recently opened presentations. New picture editing features include a background removal tool plus powerful tools for correction, color, and cropping. You can also embed and format movies from within PowerPoint to make them part of a presentation, making it easier to share and manage complex slide shows. You can easily add 3-D slide transitions and are provided with an expanded library of animation effects, customizable themes, improved chart tools, and additional SmartArt graphics with new layouts for organization charts and picture diagrams.

  PowerPoint for Mac 2011's dynamic reordering feature provides a 3-D view of all layers to streamline layer management, and an enhanced Presenter View simplifies control of timing, notes, and slide sequence. Powerful new collaboration capabilities include live presentation broadcast, support for simultaneous editing, and, by combining Microsoft Messenger for Mac 8 or Microsoft Communications Server with Microsoft Communicator for Mac 2011, rich presence and IM. Information Rights Management (IRM) allows Mac and Windows users to share private presentations securely. The improved Find feature in slide text, masters, notes, shapes, SmartArt graphics, chart titles and labels. PowerPoint for Mac 2011 resumes support for Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to automate common tasks or add new features.

  PowerPoint for Mac 2008 includes Smart Art for quickly converting bulleted lists into a selection of diagrams. The Object Palette utility organizes formatting options for quick detailing. A zoom slider makes it easy to alter the size of objects. A command for sending to iPhoto enables you to view presentations using an Apple iPod or iPad. Microsoft Office PowerPoint for Mac 2008 is also compatible with an Apple Remote,

  Microsoft PowerPoint for Mac 2004 introduced Presenter functions that enable you to keep your presentation well paced and let you make mid-show changes via tools displayed in the presenter's view window. Custom animation and 3D transitions permit you to create dynamic slide shows. The Format Font dialog box gives you increased precision in selecting typography options such as spacing, size, and transparency.

• Microsoft Outlook for Mac and Entourage
  Office 365 Outlook for Mac and Outlook for Mac 2016 include a variety of new features such as support for push email to keep your inbox current, online archiving to conserve mailbox space, the ability to propose a new meeting time in response to a meeting request, and the ability to view multiple calendars simultaneously. In addition, navigation has been simplified for moving between Mail, Calendar, People, Tasks, and Notes. Additional enhancements include an improved display of conversation threads in your inbox plus message preview to help you decide quickly how to proceed with new emails. With an Office 365 subscription, Full Screen Mode allows you to have multiple open messages or to run two instances of Outlook in split-screen view.
  
  Office 365 Outlook for Mac supports side-by-side calendars to simplify scheduling

  Microsoft Outlook for Mac 2011 replaces Entourage and has been re-architected to provide substantial improvements in the areas of email creation and management, scheduling, backup and restore, search, Windows compatibility, collaboration, performance, video conferencing, voice mail, mobility, and presence. The Outlook database for email, contacts, and calendars is now saved in separate text files, making them easier to manage, directly Spotlight searchable, and capable of being backed up and restored with Time Machine. Setting up accounts has been streamlined so you can easily add either Exchange-based accounts or accounts from popular services including Gmail, Hotmail, MobileMe, Yahoo!, Windows Live, and AOL.

  Outlook 2011 now automatically places your email, draft, sent and deleted items for all of your mailboxes in unified folders so you don't need to check separate email accounts and multiple folders. The new Conversations feature automatically groups related messages to simplify tracking and managing threads. The new Quick Look feature lets you preview single or multiple file attachments including Microsoft Office or PDF files, photos, and movies. The new Contacts Search panel allows you to search your contacts from any Outlook view by entering any element in any contact field.

  To facilitate migration from Windows to Mac, Outlook for Mac 2011 allows you to import Windows .PST files without the need of third-party tools. For enhanced collaboration, Outlook for Mac 2011 can stack shared calendars so you can quickly spot scheduling conflicts. You can also assign multiple categories to a calendar event. With Exchange Server 2010, Outlook for Mac 2011 can convert voice messages to text and add them to your inbox to save time during the often tedious process of reviewing voice mail. Support for offline address books gives mobile users continual access to contact information. Using Microsoft Messenger for Mac 8 or Microsoft Communications Server with Microsoft Communicator for Mac 2011, you can view presence information in the new Outlook for Mac contact card and launch IM, a video conference, or a voice call from within Outlook 2011 for Mac.

  Entourage for Mac 2008 includes an Out of Office assistant that permits you to customize out-of-office notices based on who receives it. Compared to Entourage 2004, Entourage for Mac 2008 improves protection against spam and phishing and provides To Do lists that can be read via the My Day utility, which enables you to view your day's schedule and To Do List on your desktop. Entourage 2008 also offers tighter integration with Exchange Server and provides more powerful calendaring capabilities. Progent's Microsoft Outlook for Mac and Entourage experts can help your company to upgrade your Apple Mac messaging to work transparently with Microsoft Exchange Server so that you can team up with fellow workers running Outlook.

  Entourage for Mac 2004 allows you to manage email, addresses, calendars, and notes from a central location. Entourage 2004 can connect to messages via IMAP, POP, and Microsoft's WebDAV. Entourage 2004 enables teamwork between Mac OS X and Windows users by allowing users to connect to their accounts on Microsoft Exchange Server to handle messages, search Exchange's global address list (GAL), synchronize schedules and addresses, and schedule meetings. Progent can help you maintain your Entourage 2004 system or upgrade to Outlook for Mac 2011.

• Microsoft Messenger for Mac 8 is included in Office for Mac 2011 and integrated into Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook to enable IM, presence, file sharing, plus voice and video conferencing. Features include the ability to send messages to any device set up with MSN Mobile; support for up to 15 people to participate in a conversation; message and presence filtering based on allowed, blocked, or unfamiliar status; the ability to share, view and comment on photos and documents; emoticon support; and custom display pictures. Messenger for Mac requires users to have a Windows Live ID account.
• Remote Desktop Connection for Mac 2, included in all versions of Office for Mac 2011 and intended for use with Mac OS X Snow Leopard or Leopard, provides users with simultaneous access to multiple remote Windows PCs or to a remote server console session to access hosted applications and files. You can print from Windows applications to any Mac-configurable printer. A new desktop protocol enhances performance and compatibility with Windows 7 and an automatic reconnection feature recovers a remote session in case the network connection is interrupted. Network Level Authentication (NLA) enhances security by authenticating users prior to establishing a full Remote Desktop Connection. For more information about Remote Desktop Connection for Mac and how Progent can help you set up and maintain a virtual PC solution for your Mac environment, visit Remote Desktop for Mac Consulting Support.
• Web Apps are online companions to Office for Mac Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook that allow you to use any standard web browser running on virtually any computer or smartphone to view, share, and lightly edit files stored online on Windows Live SkyDrive or on a Microsoft SharePoint 2010 site. This allows cross-platform collaboration and supports mobile workers. For business use, Office Web Apps licensing rules require SharePoint Foundation 2010. Security improvements include Data Execution Prevention (DEP) support for Office applications, Office file validation to guard against file fuzzing exploits, expanded file block settings, and support for a protected-view sandbox environment. To find out how Progent's Microsoft-certified SharePoint consultants can help you set up a SharePoint site to work with Web companions for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook 2011 for co-authoring from any computer, see SharePoint Integration Services.
• Lync for Mac replaces Communicator for Mac as the advanced IM, presence, conferencing and voice client included with Office for Mac 2011. Rich, real-time presence information can be based on calendar data, login status, or established by the user. Lync for Mac works in conjunction with Lync Online or Lync Server 2010, which has replaced Office Communications Server and Live Communications Server. Lync technology allows users to invite contacts to attend conference calls or start a conference from within Outlook for Mac 2011 or Lync for Mac 2011. Advanced conferencing features include desktop sharing and descriptive roster results. For details about Microsoft Lync Server 2010's capabilities and Progent's support services for the Lync platform, see Lync Support Services.

Get in Touch with Progent to Find Microsoft Office for Mac Help
If you are trying to find a macOS or OS X consultant, call Progent at 800-993-9400 or visit Contact Progent.