9 FAQs About Office 365 For Increased Productivity

When you are trying to decide which programs to purchase for your business, it is important to understand all the benefits of each. Office 365 has so many built in conveniences it is hard to picture any other option coming close. 

Here are the 9 most frequently asked questions and answers about Microsoft Office 365 to help you make the best decision for your business:

1. What is the difference between Office 2019 and Office 365?

In Office 365 Business Premium, you get both the cloud and desktop versions of classic Office applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, and Access which will work on various devices (PC, Mac, iOS and Android to name a few). Additional programs/features from applications like OneNote, OneDrive and SharePoint are also included.  

Along with new applications, Office 365 allows users to receive the most up to date features and software in “real time”. This means that your cloud applications are updated automatically as Microsoft rolls out updates.  

It should be mentioned though, that desktop versions of the O365 suite are updated alongside regular Windows updates. So, those updates occur as your IT team updates your workstations. For Andromeda Managed IT Services clients, this happens weekly.  

2. How does live collaboration work in Office 365?

A great productivity boost comes with live collaboration in Office 365. Multiple teammates can open the same document at the same time to work together.  

Additionally, you can chat with teammates during editing to keep teammates on the same page. This can be done directly in the documents themselves or using Microsoft’s application Microsoft Teams.  

3. Do I need an internet connection to run Office 365?

For Office 365 Business Premium and Enterprise licenses, internet access is required to install and activate all the latest releases of the applications. Once completed, you can download desktop versions of your Office Applications to use both on and offline.   

NOTE: The Office 365 Business Essentials subscription includes ONLY cloud-based versions of the Microsoft Office Suite. This subscription does require internet access to use.  

4. What security features does Office 365 include?

Office 365 has more than 1,000 security and privacy features available for use. Office 365 offers Advanced Threat Protection to guard your business against some of the sophisticated phishing and ransomware attacks designed to harm your business. Office 365 also includes compliance options/features to help ensure your business meets industry compliance. For more information on specific compliance and security features straight from Microsoft, you can go here.

5. How much OneDrive storage space do I get with my subscription?

 By default, 1TB of storage is included with OneDrive. Added storage is available for purchase.  

6. Do I have control of my documents with an Office 365 subscription?

Yes. You own and manage all your own documents. You can choose to store them online in OneDrive or locally to your computer or even direct to other Office 365 applications.  

If you ever chose to cancel your Office 365 Subscription, make sure to have all staff save any documents in their OneDrive or other applications to a physical drive. You can also purchase OneDrive storage separately, but it is best to consult your IT team on the best solution for your business.  

7. Are my documents stored in OneDrive available offline?

Yes. You can access OneDrive files both online and offline. The local offline files will take up some space on your machine but an internet connection is not required. You can also have what is called “on demand” settings enabled that will save certain files locally and others in the cloud as you choose.  

If you are working offline, save your changes before exiting your program and OneDrive will update your files in the cloud once you reconnect to the internet.  

8. Do the applications work the same on the computer as on my mobile phone?

The answer to this is really a yes and no. Office 365 has desktop, cloud and mobile versions of applications available. They all function the same. Meaning word is still going to create word documents and you will have most functions/features available across all devices.  

The difference in functionality comes out in the way you use the applications on different devices. For instance, Word on your mobile device looks slightly different than on desktop, but this is to help with usability.   

 9. If I need help with my Office 365 set-up, who can I call?

Andromeda Technology Solutions has an entire team of experts in Installing and managing your Office 365 applications and permissions. Give us a call to help with any questions, and we will answer your questions or send out someone to solve your computer issues.