Having the right tools, training and technology plays a vital part in helping you do your job more efficiently and easily, allowing you work more flexibly and collaboratively.
Office 365
Office 365 is a package of tools that ensures you have the most up to date versions of core Microsoft products.
What does Office 365 include?
- Upgrade to Microsoft Office (2016 Version) – the latest versions of common applications such Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. These include enhanced features which unlock better collaboration between colleagues e.g. sharing links to documents rather than attaching a file so you can work on them together in real time.
- Skype for Business – ‘Instant Messenger’ enabling you to see when colleagues are available or busy, to send quick messages rather than emails, and can share screens.
- Skype Telephony & Audio and Video Conferencing – we’ll no longer have desk phones; telephony will be provided through your laptop or mobile device via Skpye. This will enable you to host and attend virtual meetings that you can join from wherever you are. This will improve our ability to collaborate online through screen sharing and you’ll also be able to interact with the other person’s screen.
- Bigger mail boxes (Outlook) – mailbox size will increase to 50GB, meaning that you should never fill your inbox again. Plus, you’ll see a huge increase in the size of the attachments you can add to your emails.
- OneDrive – A modern replacement for your personal H:Drive which will improve access to your documents from anywhere, on any device. (Please note that all project/work related documents should be stored in shared drives, and in the future, SharePoint).
- SharePoint – is a modern replacement to our current shared drives. This will significantly improve collaboration. You can work on documents at the same time as your colleagues and allows better version control, as everyone is working from the ‘one source of truth’.
What if I run into technical difficulties?
If you’re on a pilot, follow the installation instructions provided as they guide you through the correct installation process. You may also wish to support your colleagues with this if this is something you’ve already done successfully.
We will be running IT surgeries and drop-in sessions, with dates and locations to be published late March. There are also ‘Technology Champions’ for your areas who will be able to provide some additional support and help you with some of the basic queries you might have around Office 365.
Use the IT Service Desk self-service portal for reporting of issues or technical problems.
We hope you enjoy using the new technology!
