Windows 8 and Office 15: Better Together
Windows 8 is here and Office 15 is one its way. Should small business owners upgrade immediately?
When Microsoft announced Windows 8's launch in 2012, industry analysts assumed the new operating system would pave the way for the next iteration of Office. The "one-two" punch of new OS and Office editions is an established part of Microsoft's business plan. Sure enough, the company plans to launch Office 2013 (also known as Office 15) shortly after the Windows 8 launch, which took place on October 26, 2012.
Every upgrade of Windows and Office leaves small businesses asking the same question: Should we upgrade now or later? After all, Windows 7 works well enough for business use, and employees are comfortable with Office 2010's features. On the other hand, Office is the productivity suite of choice for most of the business world.
Windows 8 and RT
Windows 8 and Office 15 were, of course, designed to complement each other, and they do so very well. The new operating system offers full functionality for touch screens and tablets without sacrificing PC-friendly features, and it succeeds admirably. The operating system allows users to share settings, preferences and files among multiple devices by logging into a Microsoft account.
Windows 8 comes in three forms. Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro are designed for use with PCs for consumers and business users, respectively. Windows RT is the mobile version of the OS, designed to work with the ARM processors and lightweight applications used by most tablets and smartphones.
In a major departure from its old business model, Microsoft announced all devices sold with Windows RT would have a special RT-compatible version of Office 15 preinstalled. Devices using Windows 8, however, will not include Office.
Office 15 will be available as a cloud-based "Office 365" subscription service. Instead of purchasing the productivity suite on disc, users will buy an activation code and download Office software, which will automatically install upgrades for the duration of the subscription. Each authorized user can install the software on five different devices.
Soaring into the Clouds
Unlike previous editions, Office 15 saves documents to the cloud by default, specifically saving files to Microsoft's SkyDrive online backup and recovery service. Hitting the Save button results in a progress bar that confirms the file was stored to the cloud. You can still save files to your computer if you choose.
Like Windows 8, Office 15 connects to the cloud through the user's Microsoft ID. No matter what Office application you use, your name and Microsoft ID image appear in the upper right-hand corner, much like they would if you used a program like Google Gmail or even Facebook.
Constant connectivity to the cloud allows users to move seamlessly from one device to another. The files and settings you create on your computer will be immediately available when you switch to your tablet. Open a file created on a different device and Office 15 will even remember the location of your cursor in the document.
Collaborative Features
The ability to share settings and files between your PC and mobile devices is a great productivity tool, but Office 15's cloud-based service also encourages online collaboration around the workplace or even around the country (or world!). Any file stored on SkyDrive can be shared by emailing the file's URL to colleagues. Even if the other person doesn't use a Windows OS, he or she can view the file through a web browser.
Sending the URL alone does not give users authority to edit or make changes to a file. The file creator grants editing privileges by selecting "Invite People" from the File menu.
With Office 15, Microsoft finally realized that Word's Track Changes feature needed an update. In earlier versions of Word, editing changes could quickly turn a document into an unreadable mass of red and blue edits. Each comment on an edit received its own comment bubble, further cluttering up the page.
Office 15 solves these problems handily (and a good thing too, given the suite's focus on online collaboration). All tracked changes show up as a red underline. Clicking the line expands the changes if you need to examine the edited content. In addition, all comments on an individual edit are logged in the same comment bubble, making it much easier to follow the conversation.
While we're discussing improvements in Office's editing features, let's not overlook one small but important change: Word now supports PDF editing. You can open and edit PDF files in Word, and then choose to save them as either Word docs or PDFs.
Tablet Changes
Office 15 provides viewing options that indicate Microsoft understands the inherent differences between desktop and tablet use. In touch screen mode, the spaces between objects in a document widen slightly, and the menus flatten out. This mode doesn’t make the text larger, but makes it easier to select and swipe icons, text or other objects without hitting the wrong item.
In addition, a document's View options now include a read-only mode, transforming the document into a full-screen mode similar to an eBook, allowing users to swipe pages from left to right, rather than up and down.
Tablets are increasingly the device of choice for making PowerPoint presentations due to their portability. Connect a projector to a Windows 8 computer and Windows automatically directs your desktop to the larger screen (a blessing for all of us who have delayed important presentations fighting with monitor settings).
During a presentation, Office 15 users can access a Presenter View window that only appears on the device desktop, and not on the projected presentation. This window shows important information such as the time elapsed during the presentation, and allows users to take notes hidden from presentation viewers. Tapping the tablet screen with the stylus to point out aspects of the presentation produces an effect on the projected image similar to a laser pointer.
Nifty Extras
Overall, Office 15 streamlines and improves on previous editions without radically altering the style and function of the applications. If you adapted well to Office 2010, you won’t have much difficulty mastering Office 15.
Many of the changes are small tweaks to existing features, or new features that make the apps more organic and cloud friendly. For instance, Word now supports insertion of YouTube videos directly into documents. As you resize and move the video window--or indeed any embedded object--the surrounding text automatically readjusts to wrap around the video.
Word also now integrates with Facebook and Flickr accounts, so images on these services can be captured and inserted into documents. All Office apps also have an Apps for Office feature, making it possible to embed apps directly into documents for interactive purposes.
A Solution to BYOD?
The increase in Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies for mobile devices has left many IT departments struggling to maintain network security for radically different devices. Windows 8 and Office 15 offer a solution to this problem.
Windows produces security patches quickly and effectively. If businesses running Windows 8 insist that BYOD devices also run up-to-date Windows 8 or RT, security settings will be stronger than if one employee uses an iPad, one an Android tablet and so on.
So, should you upgrade to Windows 8 and Office 15? You might be able to continue using last generation apps, but you'll be operating at a disadvantage. Office 15's cloud storage and collaborative features offer productivity solutions that you can’t afford to ignore.