On 21st April 2020, in what they describe as a “natural evolution”, Microsoft completed the rebrand of the hugely popular Office 365 service. In a modest change, the suite drops the word ‘Office’ in favour of ‘Microsoft’ – becoming Microsoft 365.
Microsoft 365 is so often the ‘go-to’ choice among business users, and this has only increased since the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, where it has been powering the productivity of employees in all industries while they work from home.
Last week, the Microsoft Build annual event took place online for the first time in its history. As Microsoft 365 has been integral to helping employees maintain productivity outside of the office, Microsoft outlined their new roadmap for Microsoft 365, showcasing innovations that have been long in the pipeline. “We’ve seen two years’ of digital transformation in two months,” said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, “and as a company, we are so excited to translate what we’ve learned into new features and enhancements that help our customers stay productive and connected. At a moment when we’re all adapting to an evolving reality, these experiences are designed to enable you to keep work moving, no matter what.”
As a Microsoft Tier-1 CSP, we are always up-to-date with the latest developments at Microsoft. Since in 2020 remote working tools have had a renewed focus, we wanted to share those developments with you, as chances are you will be benefitting from them down the line!
Microsoft Outlook is one of the leading mail clients across the world. The new capabilities with this element of the Microsoft 365 suite mean that users can go further and do more with the app than ever before.
Firstly, using intelligent technology to infer meaning and intention, text predictions can help you compose email messages in Outlook on the web. As a result, efficiency and your eye for detail is improved as you can not only devise emails faster, but you can avoid typos and produce more polished emails, at all times.
Secondly, Outlook will now integrate more tightly with Yammer. Yammer is a unique social networking service designed for the communication of the corporate world in mind (think Facebook for companies). It is provided by Microsoft and means that employees in all offices of a business can openly connect and engage with others no matter where they are located. This integration means that conversations, questions, polls and praise can be viewed and replied to without ever having to leave your in inbox. It is also now an app within Microsoft Teams.
If you already use Microsoft 365, you are probably familiar with Teams, Microsoft’s hub for teamwork and communication which combines files, chat and meetings into one singular platform. The platform has been vital to keeping employees connected throughout the pandemic, and is Microsoft’s fastest growing application ever. Below is a list of some of the latest improvements.
Last year Microsoft announced the public preview of ‘Microsoft Fluid Framework’. This involved new technology designed to make collaboration in the work environment more seamless, adaptable and flexible by removing the barriers between apps. The new technologies are known as Fluid components, which in simple terms mean that rather than clicking on an element and being taken to a new tab, you can see the entire element and start editing immediately where you are.
The first development surrounds Outlook and Office.com where new Fluid components enable users to collaborate on dynamic content which can be shared seamlessly and simultaneously across apps. For example, you can now insert tables, charts and task lists into Outlook for the web. Therefore, all your project tasks, sales numbers and research reports are always up to date. If you’re in Office.com, you can also create and manage Fluid workspaces, including those within your document activity feed.
The second development is that Fluid Framework is now open source, meaning that you are able to use it within your own applications to make them more collaborative. This is because by replacing the static data structures in your apps with Fluid data structures, your app will instantly support that real-time collaboration feature we have all grown to know and love.
Moreover, making the Fluid Framework open source has meant developers can help to enhance to technology. Microsoft feel strongly that reaching the full potential of the Fluid Framework can only be done so through “creating a diverse, open, and vibrant developer community”.
Microsoft Lists is a brand-new Microsoft 365 smart information tracking app. It works by helping you to track your data and information with ease. For example, lists have been designed to be smart, simple and flexible so that you can stay on top of what is most important to your team. There are also ready-made templates to allow you to quickly start lists and because it is part of Microsoft 365, you can have peace of mind it is safe due to enterprise-grade security and compliance. Use of this app will soon be available within Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and the soon-to-be-released Lists mobile app. You can find out more about it here.
The developments listed in this blog are all a great step in the right direction for helping to keep everyone connected and productive in the unprecedented times we find ourselves in. The Outlook enhancements will mean that your efficiency and professionalism when communicating is improved, while Microsoft Lists can help you keep track of all your information easily. The Fluid Framework has also opened up a world of ease for employees, by getting rid of all the common productivity barriers associated with working between different tabs. Finally, the improvements within Microsoft Teams are perhaps the most prevalent as they introduce more ways to stay productive with your favourite apps, all while staying within the Teams platform.
We have been constantly speaking with many different companies throughout the pandemic, seeking to understand the pain points they have in this post-COVID world. Many of them say that their sales process has been impacted due to the inability to communicate and have meetings face-to-face. This can be solved by video conferencing on Microsoft Teams, and now with the new virtual appointment feature, arranging and meeting face-to-face while not being with clients in person has never been easier. Furthermore, the fluid framework will mean they can work seamlessly across all apps in the Microsoft 365 suite when holding these meetings within Microsoft Teams.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced those in all industries to rapidly adjust to a new way of working and alter their current processes to fit it. Fortunately, Microsoft 365 is here to help you adjust by offering a host of applications, tools and features which have been designed specifically to help you keep work moving throughout the pandemic and beyond.