What is Microsoft Office 365? How is it different from Microsoft Office?
"Microsoft Office 365" refers to subscription plans that include access to Office applications plus other productivity services that are enabled over the Internet (cloud services), such as Lync web conferencing and Exchange Online hosted email for business, and additional online storage with OneDrive and Skype world minutes for home.
Many Office 365 plans also include the desktop version of the latest Office applications, which users can install across multiple computers and devices. The Office 365 plans that are online-only are a great choice for certain business needs, and they are compatible with desktop versions of the latest version of Office, Office 2016, Office 2013, Office 2010, Office 2007 (with slightly limited functionality) and Office for Mac.
All Office 365 plans are paid for on a subscription basis, monthly or annually.
"Microsoft Office" is the name we still use for our familiar productivity software. Office suites have traditionally included applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. All the new Office suites (for example, Office Standard 2013) include the latest versions of these applications. These suites can be installed on one PC only and do not come with any cloud-based services included in Office 365.
How many users does Office 365 support?
Office 365 is highly scalable and can support from a one-person business to companies with tens of thousands of users.
Office 365 Business Essentials, Office 365 Business and Office 365 Business Premium plans can accommodate up to 300 users.
Office 365 Enterprise E1, Office 365 ProPlus, Office 365 Enterprise E3, Office 365 Enterprise E4, Exchange Online Kiosk, Office 365 Enterprise K1 can accommodate unlimited number of users.
Will Office 365 work with my copy of Office?
Office 365 works best with the latest version of Office, Office 2016, and Office 2016 for Mac. Office 365 works with Office 2007 with slightly limited functionality. If you have an earlier edition of Office, you will need to update to a newer version of Office in order to use Office 365; or you can subscribe to one of the many Office 365 plans that include the latest version of Office. In addition to getting the latest version of Office as part of your subscription, you will also get automatic updates, so your Office will always be up to date.
Is Internet access required for Office 365?
Internet access is required to install and activate all Office 365 plans and to manage your subscription account. Internet connectivity is also required to access Office 365 cloud productivity services, including email, conferencing, IT management, and other services.
Many Office 365 plans also include the desktop version of Office, for example, Office 365 Small Business Premium and Office 365 Enterprise E3. One of the benefits of having the desktop version of Office applications is that you can work offline and have the confidence that the next time you connect to the Internet all your work will automatically sync, so you never have to worry about your documents being up to date. Your desktop version of Office is also automatically kept up to date and upgraded when you connect to the Internet, so you always have the latest tools to help you work.
