6 Things You Should Know Before Investing In Office 365

Office 365 has become the talk around the office. You might be considering it for yourself, your clients, or your organization.

It can be the perfect fit you’re looking for. If you’re thinking about it, here are some basic facts you should know before buying in!

1. What is the Cloud?

Basically, the cloud is an industry term for an off-site file hosting service. When dealing with Office 365 files, you are able to upload and synch files with Windows SkyDrive (Microsoft’s cloud). This allows users to access files from difference locations or devices that don’t have Office.

1. The Three Faces of Office

The majority of us have been using the desktop version of Office for years. Office 365 and Office Web Apps have been recently added to the family! Office Web Apps – free and limited Internet version of Office integrated with SkyDrive Office 365 is a subscription-based plan.

1. What You’ll need

Office 365 requires Windows 7 or 8. Mac users need OS X 10.6 or later. When it comes to hardware, your local system will need the following:

• 1 GHz processor or Intel processor (for Macs)
• 1 GB or RAM (32-bit); 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
• 3 GB of available hard disk space; 2.5 GB for Macs

The above is at the very least. Ofice 365 will run, but it could be extremely slow. Users with old systems might face significant upgrade costs before they can move to Office 365.

1. The Subscription Costs

A small business with 25 or fewer users can purchase Office 365 Small Business. By the year, you’ll pay $5, payable in an annual fee of $60 per user. Small Business Premium includes the desktop version of all the Office apps, for $150 a year per user. Over 25 users opt for one of the Enterprise versions ranging from $8 to $24 per user monthly.

• Small Business accommodates up to 25 users
• Midsize Business accommodates up to 300 users
• Enterprise for over 300 users

1. What You’ll Get

Most PC plans include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, OneNote, and Publisher. The Mac business versions do not include OneNote, Publisher, or Access.

1. Compatible Formats

Office 365 files are compatible with Office 2010 and 2013. Office 2013 users considering Office 365 so they can share files with others who don’t have Office and do not need Office 365. They can save Office 2013 files to SkyDrive and invite others to view them – even if they’re not 365 users!