Microsoft 365 (formerly called Office 365) is Microsoft's expanding family of productivity software and cloud-based services offered on a subscription basis. Microsoft 365 applications and cloud services are offered in a variety of bundles, known as subscription plans, targeted at customers ranging from individual and households to global corporations.
The most popular Microsoft 365 apps can be installed on a variety of devices such as Windows PCs, Apple Macs, iPads, and smartphones. These multi-device applications include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook. PC-only applications include Access and Microsoft Publisher. To address individuals who have multiple devices, many Microsoft 365 bundles allow you to run Microsoft 365 apps on several devices. For example, Microsoft 365 Business and ProPlus bundles permit every Office application to be installed on up to five customer devices.
Microsoft 365 apps need Internet access for program installation, activation, account management, and updates. Most subscription plans include a desktop edition of Microsoft Office, which allows you to use programs offline, the same as with a traditional perpetual Microsoft Office license. When you return, your cloud-hosted documents are automatically synchronized. Microsoft 365 cloud services include Exchange Online email hosting, Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business IM and web conferencing, and OneDrive cloud-based storage and collaboration. Microsoft 365 cloud-based services require an online connection.Progent can provide fast and affordable online access to a support consultant with expertise in Microsoft, Mac, iOS, and Android products. Progent can help you to understand the numerous packages available with Microsoft 365 and integrate your IT network with Microsoft 365 in a way that delivers the highest possible competitive value. Progent has experience supporting multi-vendor networks that incorporate Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS or OS X, and Linux based products. Progent can also help you to create and maintain hybrid networks that transparently combine on-premises and cloud infrastructure.

Microsoft 365 Applications and Cloud-based Services
Microsoft 365 subscription plans are designed for a wide range of users such as businesses of all sizes, schools, government, home and nonprofits. Some plans, such as Microsoft 365 Business Essentials, has no applications but only cloud services. Other plans, like Microsoft 365 Business, offers apps but only the OneDrive cloud service. The top-of-the-line Microsoft 365 Enterprise E5 package includes seven apps and seven cloud services. Progent's consultants can assist your organization to select an Microsoft 365 plan that's right for your business, help you to move from outdated editions of Office apps, and show you how to centralize the management of Microsoft 365 and other network resources to build an efficient, protected and reliable IT environment.
Major Microsoft 365 Apps
The most obvious distinction between Microsoft 365 applications and their related Office versions is that Microsoft 365 applications are rented instead of sold. In addition, traditionally licensed Office applications are allowed to be run on only one device and are not updated automatically or replaced for free when a major version comes out. For example, upgrading from Office Word 2013 to Word 2019 requires you to purchase a brand new copy of Word. Minor updates to Microsoft Office titles are made available to Microsoft 365 subscribers sooner than to owners of permanently licensed editions. Also, Office suites bought with a perpetual license do not include any of the Azure-based services that are included with Microsoft 365.
Applications offered with different Microsoft 365 bundles include:
Microsoft 365 Word includes the ability to edit and review Office documents across Microsoft Windows, Google Android, Apple Mac, and iOS computers while presenting a common look and user experience. Users can also share documents, see which team members are editing various shared documents, and observe updates made by others in real time. As with Microsoft 365 Excel and PowerPoint, you can instantly share from within your documents. Additionally, you can check who has permission to view or edit a given document and who is now working on the document. For your own documents, you can easily modify edit permissions. Learn about Progent's Microsoft 365 Word consulting and training services.
Microsoft 365 Excel permits subscribers to use the standard Exponential Smoothing (ETS) algorithm to create forecast charts for projecting future trends using historical data. New linked data types that are tied to online sources in real time include Stock and Geography. The Stock data type downloads the latest stock price, price change, and other stock market data. Geography enables you to designate a region and retrieve specified online demographic or economic data like population or gas costs. As with Microsoft 365 Word and PowerPoint, Microsoft 365 Excel also can handle Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) files. These can be turned, colored, and resized instantaneously without any deterioration in quality. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 Excel consulting and training services.

Microsoft 365 PowerPoint supports 3D models and includes an expanded selection of animation functions like swinging and turning. Like Office Excel and Office Word, Microsoft 365 PowerPoint enables you to convert sketches into uniform shapes for charts, diagrams, and various other objects. Microsoft 365 PowerPoint for Mac adds the ability to embed and edit movies from within PowerPoint. PowerPoint's Media Browser utility provides easy access to a wide selection of media sources including iPhoto albums, iTunes playlists, and iMovie collections plus shapes, Clip Art, and other graphical content.
Microsoft 365 Outlook offers important enhancements to previous releases of the Outlook email and calendar application by introducing features like the focused Inbox, transparent downloading of OneDrive attachments, visibility of replies to a conference invitation for people other than meeting organizers, streamlined email organizing, plus more intuitive group creation and shared calendars. In addition, Microsoft 365 Outlook users can hear their messages read audibly as the sections being read are highlighted. Microsoft's Office intelligent services, when activated, allows Microsoft 365 Outlook subscribers to dictate emails. Microsoft 365 Outlook for Mac includes push email, online archiving, the ability to suggest an alternative meeting time in answer to a meeting invitation, and multiple calendar visibility. Full Screen Mode allows multiple open emails and permits subscribers to run two Outlook instances in split-screen. Find out 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 packages, pre-installed in Windows 10, and offered for download as a free mobile application. The older OneNote 2016 release, which includes functions not at first available in OneNote for Windows 10 likes Record Video, is still available at no cost but is not being updated with new features. OneNote for Windows 10 introduces a new configurable interface consistent for Windows 10, Mac, iOS, Google Android, and Web. Other features offered exclusively on OneNote for Windows 10 include enhanced ink-to-text capability, a notification center that indicates changes in your open and recent notebooks, automatic conversion of drawings into standardized shapes, and a virtual ruler to create straight lines and make measurements.
Microsoft 365 Access, offered exclusively on Windows PCs, enables you to utilize VBA and a rich library of templates to automate business processes and create advanced forms and reports. Microsoft 365 Access includes the connector library to extract data from a broad range of popular business applications and data sources for creating quality reports from within the familiar Access environment. The ability to store Access data in both Microsoft SQL Server and Azure SQL gives you a world-class back end plus SQL syntax for Access apps deployed either locally or in the Microsoft Azure cloud. Microsoft Access 365 now comes with an enhanced Linked Table Manager, lets you add a wealth of new charts and reports, and permits you to link or import data from Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 Access development and training expertise.
Microsoft 365 Publisher, offered exclusively on Windows PCs, is a leading user-friendly desktop publishing system that takes advantage of the familiar Office interface to provide an easy-to-use program for developing and sharing modern-looking documents such as datasheets and newsletters that call for exact image placement control. Since publications can be saved to the cloud, you can deliver a document as easily as providing a link. Publisher's wide use and ease of use make it possible to meet deadlines for time-critical projects without needing rely on instant access to a desktop publishing professional for implementing last-minute changes.
Microsoft 365 Cloud Services
Microsoft 365 cloud services allow you to take advantage of Microsoft's vast cloud infrastructure to host business-critical servers like Exchange, Teams and Skype for Business. These services provide high levels of availability and security while reducing the significant upfront costs and management hassle required for deploying and supporting robust local datacenters. For cases that call for some systems to be located on-premises for regulatory compliance, performance, or other issues, the majority of Microsoft 365 server products can be deployed with hybrid architectures that seamlessly support on-premises and cloud-based infrastructure.
Microsoft 365 Exchange Online provides email hosting and supports user mailbox sizes from 50 Gbytes to whatever you can afford. Key features include custom domain addresses, shared calendars and address books, the Outlook Web app, single-click archiving, and simple-to-create collaboration groups. The online Exchange admin center allows you to manage email configurations for your company and gives you complete control over critical areas including permissions, cybersecurity, mail flow, making mailboxes and defining limits, collaboration, contact lists, Unified Messaging, monitoring and reporting, and backup/recovery. Learn about Progent's Microsoft 365 Exchange Online configuration and administration expertise.

Microsoft 365 OneDrive is Microsoft's popular file sync and sharing service. Microsoft 365 packages usually come with 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage, allowing you to save, retrieve, and share files across Windows, Mac, or iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. By automatically synchronizing your files to your desktop, OneDrive lets you modify documents even when you are offline. OneDrive simplifies sharing and collaboration, tracking all file updates to prevent inconsistency problems. You can initiate a co-authoring project on any computer and move seamlessly to a different computer at your convenience. For advanced collaboration, an array of utilities permit you to annotate and highlight documents. Advanced discovery features allow you to find files fast, and tracking tools provide useful information such as how many people accessed or shared a document.
Microsoft 365 Skype for Business provides cloud-based voice, video, and conferencing. Skype's Online Plan 1 includes instant messaging, real-time presence, peer-to-peer VoIP, and HD video, plus Skype Connectivity. Online Plan 2 adds scheduled and on-demand conferencing with audio and video calling as well as screen and app sharing on iOS and Android devices, PCs, and Apple Mac computers. For hybrid networks that combine an on-premises Skype for Business Server with Skype for Business Online services, you can create a cohesive environment via a Split Domain deployment. Learn about Progent's Microsoft 365 Skype for Business solution design and integration consulting.
Microsoft 365 SharePoint Online integrates information management with internal web publishing to allow organizations to distribute and share information and to promote collaboration. The SharePoint admin center has been enhanced with usage reports, Message Center posts, and a Service Health dashboard intended to streamline administrative tasks. Also, you are able to now connect current SharePoint team sites to Microsoft 365 Groups, enhancing your existing SharePoint sites with group discussions, schedules, and Planner. Innovative capabilities to support cloud integration now include hybrid taxonomy and hybrid auditing as well as an enhanced development model for creating SharePoint solutions on-premises, in hybrid deployments, and in Microsoft 365. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 SharePoint Online configuration and development expertise.
Microsoft Teams is the future of Skype for Business, providing a single portal for discussions, contacts, and content with persistent threaded chat, file sharing, and built-in voice and video conferencing. Microsoft has enhanced the cloud infrastructure that hosts Teams to provide quicker meeting join speeds than Skype for Business and to allow integration with Microsoft Cognitive Services like transcription, language translation, speech recognition, and machine learning. Progent can help you to test Microsoft 365 Teams to assess the advantages of adopting this innovative collaboration technology. Find out more about Progent's Microsoft Teams migration consulting.
Microsoft 365 Yammer is a social network platform intended to be used within an enterprise and limited to clients who have an authorized company email address. Postings can include files, web links, videos, PowerPoint presentations, and SharePoint content. The Discovery feed makes it easy to find content relevant to your work or concerns as shown based on groups you are a member of, conversations you contribute to, and colleagues you communicate with. You can locate discussions, files, interest groups, participants, and other items related to a given colleague. Group Insights show you how events such as posting, reading, and liking are trending historically. Notifications alert you about pertinent activity such as new postings in your groups, input to your discussions, and new participants.
Microsoft 365 Power BI is a set of online services compatible with Microsoft 365 that enables businesses to create and share dashboards and on-demand management reports that offer up-to-date consolidated views into vital areas of your business. Microsoft 365 Power BI dashboards can consolidate information from a broad array of local and outside repositories like Microsoft Excel, in-house SQL Server Analysis Service, the Azure cloud, or popular databases such as Zendesk, Google Analytics and Salesforce. Dashboards and reports developed on Power BI can be updated in real time via data streaming. You can store and share your visualizations in the cloud with Microsoft 365 OneDrive. Power BI Online mobile applications are offered for Windows devices as well as iOS and Google Android smartphones and tablets. Find out about Progent's Microsoft 365 Power BI Online integration consulting services.
Planning Activities for Microsoft 365 Migration
Progent can provide the support of a Cloud Solutions Architect to help you to plan a smooth migration to Microsoft 365 customized for your environment. Prior to proposing this migration plan, Progent's cloud expert will carry out a set of information gathering tasks that include running utilities like IdFix, the Exchange Best Practices Analyzer (ExBPA), and custom scripts for reviewing your AD, messaging, and Mobile Device Management setup. Critical information that cannot be discovered with these methods will be determined via discussions with your IT staff.
Key activities managed by Progent in developing an efficient Microsoft 365 migration strategy can include:
Progent's ProSight family of Remote Management and Monitoring (RMM) Services
Progent offers a selection of budget-friendly, fixed-price services designed to allow small and medium-size organizations to utilize the same advanced technology used by some of the world's leading enterprises. The ProSight series of network management outsourcing services covers all critical areas of information technology including email protection, security and compliance, cloud-based backup/recovery, infrastructure monitoring and management, VM cloud hosting, and IT resources documentation management. Find out more about Progent's remote management and monitoring (RMM) services.
Contact Progent for Microsoft 365 Integration and Support
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Cloud Integration Solutions from Progent
The options available for public cloud products and services are expanding rapidly, making it hard for IT managers to determine the right cloud strategy for their organization. Progent has worked extensively assisting businesses of all sizes to plan, deploy, and manage hybrid environments that combine various cloud services from leading public clouds. Progent's cloud integration consultants can help you to assess the comparative benefits and shortcomings of different public cloud offerings and can help you build a cloud-based or hybrid network that provides maximum competitive value.
Public cloud products and services supported by Progent's consultants include:
Progent's Microsoft Azure cloud planning and integration consultants can help you with every phase of Microsoft Azure migration including needs definition, readiness assessment, solution design, pre-production testing, deployment, centralized management, performance tuning, license controls, disaster recovery preparedness, security planning, and regulatory compliance assessment. Progent can help you to configure and troubleshoot firewall appliances and VPN tunnels so that your users can safely connect to Azure services, and Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can assist you set up key Microsoft platforms to run in the cloud including Microsoft Windows Server, Exchange Server, SQL and SharePoint. Progent can also assist your organization to create a hybrid environment that transparently combines on-premises datacenters with Azure services.
Microsoft allows you to create transparent hybrid environments that combine Microsoft 365 Exchange Online and local installations of Exchange. This allows you to have specific Exchange mailboxes located at your physical datacenter or private cloud and other mailboxes resident on Microsoft 365. Progent's Microsoft-certified Exchange consultants can help you with any phase of planning, implementing and debugging your hybrid Exchange solution. Progent's Exchange consultants can deliver occasional expertise to help you resolve challenging technical problems and also offer comprehensive project management outsourcing or co-sourcing to ensure your hybrid Exchange initiative is completed on time and within budget. For more information about Progent's online consulting support for hybrid Microsoft 365 Exchange and on-premises Exchange environments, refer to Microsoft 365 Exchange Online integration solutions with on-prem Exchange.
Progent's Amazon AWS cloud integration experts offer cost-effective remote support to help businesses to integrate Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud services such as Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) for virtual server hosting, Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) for expandable high-performance storage, and Glacier for low-cost long-term archiving. Progent can assist you with every aspect of Amazon AWS integration including requirements analysis, readiness evaluation, system design and review, pilot testing, configuration, administration, performance tuning, software license management, disaster recovery mechanisms, and security and compliance. Progent offers advanced expertise with firewalls and VPN connections and can help you create cloud-centric or hybrid environments that seamlessly integrate Amazon AWS resources. Progent can provide occasional support or Progent can deliver project management outsourcing to help you move smoothly to the Amazon AWS platform.
Amazon Marketplace Web Service is a library of APIs that allows Amazon sellers to improve the efficiency of their operations by automating crucial sales functions including listings, orders, shipments, fulfillment, and reports. By tapping into Amazon's extensive online ecosystem and automating their sales processes, merchants can expand their reach, lower their cost of sales, improve reaction time to customers, and increase their bottom line. Progent's Amazon Marketplace Web Service consultants can collaborate with your development staff and provide programming, workflow integration, project management support, and mentoring so you can cut development time and costs and expedite your ROI.
Progent's Google Cloud Platform (GCP) planning and integration consultants offer affordable remote and on-premises support to assist companies of any size to move all or part of their core IT resources to Google Cloud Platform services. This can save time and equipment costs and enable access to Google's state-of-the-art machine learning technology. Progent can assist your IT team with every aspect of Google Cloud Platform integration including needs analysis, readiness evaluation, architectural design, testing, deployment, administration, performance optimization, licensing management, disaster recovery mechanisms, and security strategies.