Office 365 – Is it That Essential?

A lot of people may talk about Office 365 Home Premium and its perks. If you are a business owner, you may even consider getting it. So what is this popular app? It is basically the online version of Office 2013. You connect via the Web, create an account, pay for the subscription and you will get the appropriate files. There are pros and cons to Office 365, but as with any application – it is targeted for specific users.

First, cloud sharing is a term that is applied to hosting files off-site. You upload files via the OneDrive and you synch them with your platform. This is very useful if you need to access your files from different locations. You can also store files on your device since you are the one who created them.  A lot of people are very familiar with the Office desktop. Office 365 and Office Web Apps are relatively new additions. Office Web apps is more like a free yet limited version of the suite that interfaces with OneDrive. You can use it as a reader in computers that don’t have the Microsoft platform.

To run Office 365, you need Windows 7 or Windows 8. If you use Apple, you need OS X 10.6 or higher versions of their system. And of course you need access to the Web so that you can activate your subscription. You need Internet Explorer 9, Firefox 12, Safari 5 or Google Chrome 18. Of course, you need hardware that should be able run those OS’s plus at least 3GB available of disk space.

The apps that go with your subscription include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Onenote, Access and Publisher. The Apple business versions do not have OneNote, Access and Publisher. The files you will be working with are compatible with Office 2010 and 2013. Some people may ask if there is free Office Web Apps, what’s the use of getting Office 365? The online Web Apps are very limited. There isn’t very much if you intend to work from multiple devices yet need the more extensive functions of Office 2013.

You might go for Google Docs if you need a free and reliable alternative. It works very well and Google services are relatively fast. Office 365, however offers you the maximum flexibility you need to access multiple devices, edit your files especially if those devices do not have Office 2013.

Test all things first, see what you need and if Office 365Home Premium fits the bill, go get it. 

What Can Office 365 Do for You?

You might get Office 365 Home Premium or choose to order Office 2013 as a stand-alone will definitely depend on your needs. Whether you are a businessman or just someone with a family who needs MS Office, you will find – that if you choose Office 365 – it definitely has a lot of important features that can help you with whatever your requirements are.

Office 2013 in and of itself is already a very powerful suite. But what are the benefits of 365 where the MS suite is offered as a subscription?

Office 365 Home is very easy to use. If you are a freelancer or a business owner, you can add users, switch up some passwords and you will get new storage. You need not be tech savvy to take full advantage of the suite. Additionally, 365 is more secure because there is maximum security on the Microsoft servers located on their data centers. If cloud computing is the one for you, then this is the option that you need to take over Office 2013.

Second, Office 365 gives you the security you need because you do not need to purchase new servers. Essentially, Office 365 is a self-contained application. The extra storage that you get on OneDrive will allow you to access your documents from the Web. You get 20GB of additional OneDrive storage for your subscription. Being able to use the Web increases your mobility. Not only will MS Office be installed in 5 PC’s – but you can access your docs with even other devices as long as you save them on the cloud and be sure you keep track of the changes that you make on your files.

Your family members may sign in as well. They can use their own accounts and these are customizable.  They can experience Office 2013 individually and you can adjust your own OneDrive settings. Skype World minutes is one of the advantages of Office 365. You get 60 free Skype world calling minutes per month. This means you can contact anyone with devices that have Skype. You will also benefit from the updates that Microsoft sets up every time. Perhaps on a quarterly basis – you will get the Microsoft upgrades as long as you are subscribed to 365. All you need is an active subscription.

In conclusion, if these suit your requirements, then you should get the subscription suite for yourself and your family. Otherwise, Office 2013 alone may suit you. There are however, many advantages to getting that platform via the Office 365 Home Premium package.