What is Office 365?

Office 365 (also known as Microsoft 365) is a cloud-based subscription service that includes Microsoft Office’s suite of workplace productivity programs along with online storage and hosting services. These programs offer a variety of functions, such as word processing, spreadsheet creation, promotional material design, and team management. Office 365 is used worldwide by over a million businesses across industries for its ease of use, accessibility, and collaboration features. In this overview, you’ll learn more about what Office 365 is, what it can do, who uses it, and how to learn it to determine how to add this skill to your professional toolbox.

What Can You Do with Office 365?

Office 365 gives users full access to Microsoft Office’s suite of programs. These include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, and Access. These programs allow users to create professional documents and reports, spreadsheets and databases, presentations, emails, and promotional materials. Office 365 also provides Microsoft Office cloud services, including Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Exchange. Businesses worldwide use these programs for workplace productivity, team collaboration, and management. 

Office 365’s collaboration tools allow teammates to edit documents simultaneously in real-time online. Teammates can use the Teams app to text chat with one another and ask questions without leaving their computers. Documents can also be assigned to teammates as tasks and linked in their virtual calendar or Microsoft Planner, making them easily accessible and trackable in their workflow. Documents are shared easily with a link without downloading or emailing files. Office 365 is an essential business asset for facilitating collaboration within and across departments. 

As an online service, Office 365 offers several advantages. Users can access Office 365 from any device without needing the program installed. This enables users to work anywhere they like and prevents them from being chained to any singular device. Files and documents can also be stored online without taking up computer storage. Updates are applied automatically to the software without users needing to download them manually. The online features of Office 365 go a long way toward improving accessibility and usability.

How Do You Download Office 365? How Much Does it Cost?

Office 365 is available for download on the official Microsoft website. Individuals can purchase an annual subscription to Office 365 for $70. This subscription includes Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, Teams, Defender, OneDrive, and Clipchamp. Family plans for Office 365 for up to six people are available at a subscription of $100 a year and include the addition of Microsoft Family Safety. Subscriptions are compatible with PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android phones and tablets. The individual plan includes one TB of online storage, while the family plan includes six TBs. Microsoft also offers various Office 365 subscription plans for businesses. A free trial of Office 365 for families is also available.

What Are the Benefits of Learning Office 365?

Office 365 is used by over a million companies worldwide and across various industries. Businesses use Office 365 for team management, document creation, spreadsheet organization, database building, and creating promotional materials. Even if your job doesn’t require proficiency in Office 365, you’ll likely encounter at least one Office 365 program in your office and should acquire a basic understanding of it.

Job seekers significantly benefit from learning to use Office 365. Training in Office 365’s suite of programs can help applicants stand out in a competitive market. Though the programs are easy to learn, they also contain powerful features that only advanced users can take full advantage of, increasing both the productivity of their workflow and the office as a whole, especially when collaborating in a team. Businesses know this and prize expert knowledge in their employees. Your dedication to learning new skills will make your resume stand out.

Even if you already possess a secure job position, Office 365’s suite of programs contains known productivity tools. Learning these programs improves daily productivity and workflow. Professionals who become certified in Office 365 tend to see raises and increased salaries.

Read more about why you should learn Office 365.

Office 365 Careers

Office 365 (and, by extension, Microsoft Office Suite) is used across industries, including finance, business, technology, and education. Certain programs within Office 365 may be used more often by certain professions. For example, a Business or Financial Analyst will get more use out of Excel, while a Communications Specialist will spend more time with Microsoft Word. Regardless, the entirety of Office 365 Suite contains programs specifically designed to boost work productivity. Knowledge of how to take advantage of these programs is valuable for virtually any profession. Other job areas that commonly use Office 365 include Data Entry and Filing, Administrative, Accounting, Customer Service, and Management, among others. 

Office 365 takes Microsoft Office’s Suite of programs to the next level with additional productivity and collaboration tools. These tools are key for any business looking to boost collaboration within or between departments. They are also ideal for companies with remote workers, as they are becoming increasingly common in today’s digital age. With many companies using Office 365 to facilitate email, conferencing, and exchange servers, many IT positions ask for experience in Microsoft 365 deployment and troubleshooting.

How to Learn Office 365

There are two primary ways of learning Office 365. The first is live classes, which include both online and in-person training. In-person Office 365 classes feature an instructor who can guide students and answer their questions in real time. However, in-person classes are limited to locations nearest a student. Live online Office 365 courses can be taken from anywhere with an internet connection and do their best to replicate the feel of in-person classrooms. They may also offer more options in the curriculum than an individual can find in the in-person classes nearest them. In-person courses also feature a commute, which can be time-consuming and costly.

The second method of learning Office 365 is on-demand training, also known as asynchronous or self-paced learning. This training method is best for students with busy schedules who can’t commit to full-time or part-time classes. On-demanded learning is also suited to students who learn best when they can go at their own pace. This method gives students the freedom to structure their coursework how they wish. However, students also lack an instructor to guide them, and self-motivation is required to progress through the material. Students may find themselves stuck on a problem and struggle to move forward or lose the motivation to continue. 

Noble Desktop offers a few on-demand options for learning Office 365 that are free for your use. The Noble Desktop YouTube channel features a number of Excel tutorial videos. Noble Desktop also has a free seminar for Beginners on Excel Tricks and a seminar on PowerPoint Presentation Design. For learning the remainder of Office 365, you may wish to visit the Office 365 Learn Hub, a resource of Office 365 tips, tutorials, and other learning resources. The Microsoft Office Learn Hub may also prove useful since Office 365 includes Microsoft Office programs within its service. For live Office 365 training, search for in-person and online Office 365 classes near you.

Read the full guide on how to learn Office 365.

A Brief History of Office 365

Microsoft announced Office 365 in October 2010 as a private beta and fully launched on June 28, 2011. This launch was aimed at corporate users, merging Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Suite with cloud services such as email exchange servers, collaboration tools, and conferencing. Plans were available for small businesses and enterprises. 

Office 365 was expanded in 2013 to include new plans for general consumers and different types of businesses. OneDrive and Skype for Business Online were also integrated into the Office 365 package. Additional updates were made throughout the years, such as increasing online storage and improving app features and capabilities. Over the years, Office 365 gradually phased out integration with Skype for Business Online in favor of Microsoft Teams. In 2020, Office 365 was renamed Microsoft 365, though “Office 365” remains a colloquially used term. 

Comparable Applications

Office 365’s main competition is Google Workspace, launched in 2006 (then named Google Apps) and included a free suite of business applications. These were Gmail, Google Talk, Google Calendar, and Google Sites. Integration with Google Docs and Sheets was also available. A paid version launched in 2007 included more cloud storage, APIs for business integration, and 24/7 phone support. Google has continued to improve features and app integration in the years since.

The main competing feature of Google Workspace vs. Office 365 is its affordability. Unlike Office 365, Google Workspace is available for free (though business plans are offered for more advanced features). Some users find Google Workspace’s collaboration features easier to use than Office 365. This can be attributed to Google being an online service, whereas Microsoft programs started on desktops and had to switch to online integration. Google also launched its online collaboration tools years before Microsoft. Additionally, as Workspace programs contain fewer features than Office 365, some users find their interfaces easier to use.

Microsoft Office has been undergoing changes and improvements for over 30 years (which have been integrated into Office 365) and thus has more bells and whistles than Google Workplace. The average business may find Workspace applications fit their needs. However, companies that require more advanced tools may find Workspace isn’t enough to fit their needs. When it comes to features, Office 365 still stands out among the competition. 

Learn Office 365 with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop offers in-person and live online training in Office 365. Courses include training in Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook. You can choose between individual classes of various skill levels or bootcamps, which offer in-depth, comprehensive learning. When it comes to becoming an expert in a new skill, bootcamps are a fast and affordable alternative to college. Noble Desktop’s classes are small, taught by expert instructors, and include free retake options.

The Excel Bootcamp guides students from beginner to expert techniques. You’ll learn functions, formulas, Pivot Tables, macros, and additional expert tips and tricks. By the end of the course, you’ll be a true Excel master. The PowerPoint Bootcamp is a similar course that provides complete mastery of the program. You’ll start with the basics of customizing images, shapes, text, and animation before moving on to advanced techniques such as template creation, importing charts from Excel, and inserting multimedia. By the end of the course, you’ll be a wizard at creating professional and visually stunning presentations and slideshows.

If you like the idea of the comprehensive learning offered by bootcamps and are looking for further training in Office 365, NYIM is an affiliate school of Noble Desktop. It provides a Complete Microsoft Office Bootcamp that covers the four major programs – Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook.

Key Insights

What is Office 365? And what are the benefits of learning it? Here are some key takeaways:

• Office 365 is a cloud-based subscription service that includes Microsoft Office’s suite of workplace productivity programs, online storage, and hosting services.
• Businesses worldwide use Office 365 for workplace productivity, collaboration, and management. 
• Office 365 is available through a yearly subscription service, with different plans for individuals, families, and businesses. 
• Learning Office 365 is valuable for job seekers and those wishing to fill skill gaps to advance their careers or increase salaries. 
• Common job positions that use Office 365 include Business and Financial Analysts, Communications Specialists, and IT personnel, among many others. 
• Office 365 outpaces its competition due to its robust features. 
• You can receive comprehensive Office 365 training through an in-person or live online course with Noble Desktop.