Microsoft 365 (previously called Office 365) is Microsoft's expanding family of productivity applications and cloud-based services available on a subscription basis. Microsoft 365 applications and Azure services are available in a variety of product bundles, known as subscription plans, aimed at markets ranging from individual and households to major corporations.
The most popular Microsoft 365 titles can be deployed on multiple computers such as Windows PCs, Macs, iPads, and iPhones and Android smartphones. Multi-device applications include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook. PC-only applications include Microsoft Access and Microsoft Publisher. To address individuals with multiple devices, many Microsoft 365 packages permit you to put Microsoft 365 apps on several devices. As an example, Microsoft 365 Business and ProPlus subscription plans allow every Office app to be installed on as many as five devices.
Microsoft 365 apps require Internet connectivity for program installation, registration, account management, and patching. The majority of plans include a desktop edition of Microsoft Office, which enables you to use programs offline, just as with a legacy perpetual Microsoft Office license. When you return, your cloud-hosted files are automatically synchronized. Microsoft 365 cloud-based services include Exchange Online hosted email, Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business messaging and video conferencing, and OneDrive cloud-based storage and sharing. Microsoft 365 cloud-based services need an online connection.Progent can provide quick and affordable online access to a support consultant with expert knowledge of Microsoft, Mac, Apple iOS, and Google Android products. Progent can assist you to evaluate the numerous packages offered with Microsoft 365 and configure your information system with Microsoft 365 so it delivers the highest possible strategic value. Progent has experience supporting multi-vendor networks that include Windows, Apple macOS or OS X, and Linux based products. Progent can also assist you to create and manage hybrid networks that transparently combine on-premises and cloud infrastructure.
Microsoft 365 Applications and Cloud Services
Microsoft 365 packages are available for a broad selection of users such as businesses, schools, government, home and nonprofits. Some packages, such as Microsoft 365 Business Essentials, includes no apps but only cloud services. Other plans, such as Microsoft 365 Business, includes apps but only the OneDrive cloud-based service. The top-of-the-line Microsoft 365 Enterprise E5 plan includes seven apps and seven cloud-based services. Progent can assist your organization to pick an Microsoft 365 subscription plan that makes sense for your business, help you to move from older versions of Microsoft Office apps, and help you unify the management of Microsoft 365 and other system resources to create an efficient, secure and productive IT ecosystem.
Major Microsoft 365 Applications
The most obvious difference between Microsoft 365 applications and their related Microsoft Office releases is that Microsoft 365 applications are subscription based instead of perpetually licensed. Also, traditionally licensed Office apps are supposed to be run on only one PC or Mac at a time and are not updated automatically or upgraded at no extra cost when a major new edition is released. For example, upgrading from Word 2013 to Word 2019 requires you to buy a brand new copy of Word. Incremental updates to Microsoft Office apps are made available to Microsoft 365 subscribers faster than to owners of permanently licensed versions. Also, Office suites bought with a perpetual license do not come with the cloud services bundled with Microsoft 365.
Client applications available with various Microsoft 365 subscription plans include:
Microsoft 365 Word offers the ability to write and review Office files across Windows, Google Android, Mac, and iOS devices while presenting a common look and feel. Users can also collaborate on Office documents, find out which colleagues are editing various shared documents, and see updates made by others as they happen. Just as with Microsoft 365 Excel and PowerPoint, you can instantly share from within your documents. In addition, you can review who has permission to view or edit a specific document and who is now working on the document. For your own documents, you can easily change edit rights. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 Word consulting expertise.
Microsoft 365 Excel now allows subscribers to employ the industry-standard Exponential Smoothing (ETS) algorithm to create forecasts for predicting future trends based on historical data. New linked data types that access online databases in real time include Stock and Geography. The Stock data type retrieves the latest stock price, change in price, and other equities information. The Geography data type enables you to designate a country and extract specified demographic or economic information like population or gas costs. As with Microsoft 365 Word and PowerPoint, Microsoft 365 Excel also supports Scalable Vector Graphics images. These images can be turned, colored, and scaled instantaneously with no loss in quality. Learn about Progent's Microsoft 365 Excel consulting expertise.
Microsoft 365 PowerPoint supports three dimensional objects and features an enhanced selection of animation functions such as jumping and rotating. Like Microsoft Office Excel and Office Word, Microsoft 365 PowerPoint allows you to convert drawings into uniform shapes for flow charts, diagrams, and other objects. Microsoft 365 PowerPoint for Mac adds the ability to incorporate and edit movies from inside PowerPoint. PowerPoint's Media Browser utility offers easy access to a broad selection of media sources like iPhoto galleries, iTunes playlists, and iMovie libraries plus shapes, Clip Art, and other graphical content.
Microsoft 365 Outlook provides significant enhancements to prior versions of the Outlook email and calendar app by introducing features such as audio cues, transparent downloading of OneDrive cloud attachments, display replies to a conference invitation for people other than meeting organizers, simplified email organizing, plus easier group creation and shared calendars. Also, Microsoft 365 Outlook subscribers can hear their messages read out loud as the segments being read are visibly highlighted. Microsoft's Office intelligent services, when enabled, allows Microsoft 365 Outlook clients to dictate emails. Microsoft 365 Outlook for Mac now supports push email, online archiving, the ability to propose an alternative meeting schedule in answer to a meeting invitation, and multiple calendar visibility. Full Screen Mode permits multiple open messages and permits subscribers to run two Outlook instances in split-screen view. Learn about Progent's Microsoft 365 Outlook and Outlook on the web consulting services.
Microsoft 365 OneNote for Windows 10 is incorporated in most Microsoft 365 bundles, installed by default in Windows 10, and offered for download as a free mobile app. The earlier OneNote 2016 version, which includes features not at first provided in OneNote for Windows 10 likes Record Video, continues to be available at no cost but is no longer being updated with new features. OneNote for Windows 10 introduces a fresh customizable interface common across Windows 10, Apple Mac, iOS, Google Android, and Web. Other functionality available only on OneNote for Windows 10 include improved ink-to-text capability, a notification center that indicates changes in open and recent notebooks, automatic conversion of freehand drawings into standardized shapes, and a digital ruler to create straight lines and make measurements.
Microsoft 365 Access, available only on Windows PCs, enables you to use Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and a rich set of templates to streamline business operations and build modern-looking forms and reports. Microsoft 365 Access includes the connector library to extract data from a wide range of popular business apps and data sources for generating aggregated reports from within the time-tested Access interface. Support for storing Access data in both Microsoft SQL Server and Azure SQL gives you a world-class back end and SQL syntax for Access applications hosted either locally or in the Azure cloud. Microsoft Access 365 now includes an improved Linked Table Manager, allows you to include new forms and reports, and permits you to link or import data from Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365. Learn about Progent's Microsoft 365 Access consulting services.
Microsoft 365 Publisher, offered exclusively on Windows PCs, is a leading do-your-own desktop publishing system that leverages the familiar Office interface to provide an easy-to-use platform for creating and sharing professional-looking publications like datasheets and white papers that call for exact object placement. Because documents can be saved to the cloud, you can distribute a document simply by providing a link. Publisher's popularity and simplicity make it possible to meet deadlines for time-critical projects without needing rely on instant access to a desktop publishing specialist for implementing eleventh-hour edits.
Microsoft 365 Cloud Services
Microsoft 365 cloud services enable you to leverage Microsoft's vast cloud resources to host business-critical servers such as Microsoft Exchange, Teams and Skype for Business. This provides enterprise-class levels of availability and protection while saving the substantial upfront expense and management hassle associated with setting up and maintaining self-sufficient local datacenters. For cases that call for some servers to be located onsite for regulatory compliance, throughput, or other reasons, most Microsoft 365 server products can be deployed with hybrid architectures that seamlessly support local and cloud-based resources.
Microsoft 365 Exchange Online provides email hosting and allows user mailbox sizes from 50 GB to unlimited. Important features include custom domain addresses, shared calendars and address books, a web version of Outlook, one-click archiving, and easy creation of collaboration groups. The web-accessible Exchange admin center allows you to manage email configurations for your company and gives you full control over critical areas such as permissions, security and compliance, mail flow, creating mailboxes and defining limits, team work, address books, Voice mail, monitoring, and backup. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 Exchange Online configuration and management consulting.
Microsoft 365 OneDrive is Microsoft's popular file sync and sharing platform. Microsoft 365 packages usually include 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage, enabling you to store, access, and share files across Windows, Mac, or iOS and Android devices. By automatically synchronizing your files to your desktop, OneDrive lets you edit documents even when you are offline. OneDrive facilitates sharing and co-editing, tracking all changes to avoid inconsistency problems. You can begin a co-authoring project on any device and switch seamlessly to a different computer at any time. For advanced collaboration, an array of utilities allow you to notate and highlight documents. Advanced search tools allow you to locate files quickly, and tracking tools provide useful information such as the number of people who accessed or shared a document.
Microsoft 365 Skype for Business offers cloud-hosted voice, video, and conferencing. Skype's Online Plan 1 includes IM, real-time presence, VoIP, and video calling, plus Skype Connectivity. Online Plan 2 adds scheduled and ad hoc conferencing with audio and video calling plus screen and app sharing on iOS and Android devices, Windows PCs, and Apple Mac computers. For hybrid environments that combine a local Skype for Business Server with Skype for Business Online services, you can create a cohesive solution via a Split Domain implementation. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 Skype for Business Online planning and configuration consulting.
Microsoft 365 SharePoint Online combines content management with intranet publishing to allow organizations to distribute and share knowledge and to promote collaboration. SharePoint's admin center now includes interactive usage analysis, Message Center updates, and a Service Health dashboard designed to simplify management. Also, you are able to now connect current SharePoint team sites to Microsoft 365 Groups, expanding your existing SharePoint sites with shared conversations, schedules, and Planner. Innovative capabilities to support cloud coexistence now include hybrid taxonomy and auditing as well as an enhanced development architecture for building SharePoint environments on-premises, in hybrid deployments, and in Microsoft 365. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 SharePoint Online integration and development services.
Microsoft Teams is the future of Skype for Business, providing a single portal for meetings, contacts, and content with persistent chat, file sharing, and integrated voice and video conferencing. Microsoft has enhanced the cloud architecture supporting Teams so it can provide quicker conference join speeds than Skype and to allow integration with Microsoft Cognitive Services such as text-to-voice, translation, speech recognition, and machine learning. Progent can assist you to try out Microsoft 365 Teams to evaluate the advantages of utilizing this innovative communication platform. Learn about Progent's Microsoft Teams solution design services.
Microsoft 365 Yammer is a social network platform intended to be used within an enterprise and limited to clients who have a verified corporate email address. Postings can include files, web links, videos, PowerPoint presentations, and SharePoint content. The Discovery feed makes it easy to find information relevant to your job or interests as shown based on groups you belong to, conversations you participate in, and colleagues you correspond with. You can locate discussions, files, groups, followers, and other items related to a particular co-worker. Group Insights inform you how events such as posting, reading, and liking are trending over time. Notifications alert you about relevant activity such as new postings in your groups, comments in your discussions, and new participants.
Microsoft 365 Power BI is a set of cloud services integrated with Microsoft 365 that allows you to build and share dashboards and on-demand management reports that offer up-to-date consolidated views into vital aspects of your business. Microsoft 365 Power BI dashboards can aggregate data from a broad array of local and outside repositories such as Excel, in-house SQL Server Analysis Service, the Azure cloud, or popular sources such as QuickBooks, Google Analytics and Salesforce. Dashboards and reports created by Power BI can be refreshed continually via data streaming. You can store and share your visualizations in the cloud with Microsoft 365 OneDrive. Native Power BI Online mobile apps are offered for Windows devices plus iOS and Android smartphones. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 Power BI Online design and development consulting and training.
Planning Activities for Microsoft 365 Migration
Progent offers the services of a Cloud Solutions Architect to help your company to design a smooth move to Microsoft 365 tailored to your environment. Before presenting this migration project, Progent's cloud expert will conduct a series of investigative tasks that include running tools like IdFix, the Exchange Best Practices Analyzer (ExBPA), and specialized scripts for reviewing your Active Directory, messaging, and Mobile Device Management (MDM) setup. Key information that cannot be discovered with these methods will be found via interviews with your IT team.
Key activities performed by Progent in creating an efficient Microsoft 365 migration plan can include:
Progent's ProSight family of Remote Management and Monitoring (RMM) Services
Progent offers a selection of low-cost, flat-rate services intended to enable small and mid-size businesses to benefit from the same advanced technology used by some of the world's top enterprises. Progent's ProSight portfolio of IT management outsourcing services covers all critical areas of information technology including email content filtering, behavioral-based threat defense, cloud-based backup/recovery, infrastructure health monitoring, VM cloud hosting, and network resources documentation management. Find out more about Progent's remote management and monitoring services.
Contact Progent for Microsoft 365 Expertise
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Cloud Integration Solutions from Progent
The options offered for public cloud products and services are increasing rapidly, making it a serious challenge for IT managers to determine the right cloud solution for their organization. Progent has in-depth experience helping businesses ranging from startups to large enterprises to plan, deploy, and manage hybrid environments that integrate multiple cloud services from leading public clouds. Progent's cloud integration consultants can assist you to understand the comparative advantages and pitfalls of competing public cloud options and can show you how to create a cloud-centric or hybrid ecosystem that provides maximum business value.
Public cloud products and services supported by Progent's consultants include:
Progent's Microsoft Azure planning and integration consultants can assist you with every aspect of Azure cloud integration such as requirements analysis, prerequisites assessment, system design, pilot testing, implementation, automated management, performance tuning, software license controls, disaster recovery strategies, security policy enforcement, and regulatory compliance assessment. Progent can help your IT staff to set up and troubleshoot firewalls and VPN connections so your users can safely connect to Azure-based services, and Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can assist you set up critical Microsoft platforms to run in the cloud including Windows Server, Exchange Server, SQL Server and SharePoint. Progent can also assist you to set up a hybrid ecosystem that transparently combines on-premises datacenters with Azure-based resources.
Microsoft has made a strong effort to enable transparent hybrid ecosystems that combine Microsoft 365 Exchange Online and local installations of Exchange. This permits you to have certain Exchange mailboxes located at your corporate datacenter and other mailboxes resident on Microsoft 365. Progent's certified Exchange consulting team can assist your organization with any facet of planning, integrating and troubleshooting your hybrid Microsoft 365/Exchange network. Progent's Exchange specialists can provide occasional expertise to help you through challenging technical problems and also can provide comprehensive project management outsourcing or co-sourcing to ensure your hybrid Microsoft 365/Exchange initiative is completed on time and on budget. For more information about Progent's consulting services for hybrid Microsoft 365 Exchange and on-prem Exchange systems, go to Exchange Online integration with on-premises Exchange.
Progent's Amazon AWS cloud integration experts can provide cost-effective remote support to help businesses to access Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud services such as Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) for virtual server hosting, Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) for expandable low-latency storage, and Glacier for value-priced archival storage. Progent can assist you with every phase of Amazon AWS integration including needs analysis, readiness assessment, system design, testing, configuration, centralized administration, performance tuning, licensing management, backup/restore mechanisms, and security. Progent can provide advanced expertise with firewalls and VPN technology and can help you create cloud-centric or hybrid environments that efficiently incorporate Amazon AWS resources. Progent can provide as-needed consulting or Progent can provide project management outsourcing to help you move smoothly to the Amazon AWS cloud platform.
Amazon Marketplace Web Service (Amazon MWS) is a collection of APIs that allows Amazon sellers to improve the efficiency of their operations by automating crucial sales activities such as listings, orders, shipments, inbound and outbound fulfillment, and finances. By tapping into Amazon's extensive online selling environment and automating their sales processes, vendors can broaden their market, reduce their cost of sales, improve response time to customers, and increase their bottom line. Progent's Amazon Marketplace Web Service (Amazon MWS) consultants can collaborate with your development staff and provide programming, workflow integration, project management support, and mentoring so you can shorten development time and costs and get to market quickly.
Progent's Google Cloud Platform planning and integration experts can provide cost-effective remote and on-premises support to help organizations to move all or part of their core network resources to Google Cloud Platform services. This can save management hassle and equipment costs and enable access to Google's state-of-the-art machine learning technology. Progent can help you with every phase of Google Cloud Platform migration and troubleshooting including needs analysis, readiness evaluation, architectural design and review, pilot testing, deployment, administration, performance tuning, software license management, backup/restore mechanisms, and security strategies.