Microsoft Launches Office 2016

Microsoft has launched Office 2016.

Office 2016 delivers new versions of the Office desktop apps for Windows, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Project, Visio and Access.

By subscribing to Office 365, customers can get always-up-to-date, fully installed apps for use across their devices, combined with a continually evolving set of consumer and commercial services, such as OneDrive online storage, Skype for Business, Delve, Yammer and enterprise-grade security features.

“The way people work has changed dramatically, and that’s why Microsoft is focused on reinventing productivity and business processes for the mobile-first, cloud-first world,” said Satya Nadella, chief executive officer of Microsoft. “These latest innovations take another big step forward in transforming Office from a familiar set of individual productivity apps to a connected set of apps and services designed for modern working, collaboration and teamwork.”

 Some key points of the new Office 2016 include:

• Co-authoring is now provided in Word, PowerPoint and OneNote desktop software, including real-time typing in Word that lets users see others’ edits as they make them.

• Skype in-app integration across the rich client apps allows users to IM, screen share, talk or video chat right in their docs.

• Office 365 Groups are now an integrated part of the Outlook 2016 client app and available on users’ favorite mobile device through the Outlook Groups app, delivering a consistent team experience across the suite. In addition, new Office 365 solutions that combine the power of apps and services for better collaboration are expected to be released soon.

• The Office 365 Planner helps teams organize their work, with the ability to create new plans, organize and assign tasks, set due dates, and update status with visual dashboards and email notifications. Planner will be available in preview to Office 365 First Release customers starting next quarter.

• Significant new updates to OneDrive for Business are coming later this month, including a new sync client for Windows and Mac, which will deliver selective sync and enhanced reliability. Updates also include increased file size and volume limits per user, a new user interface in the browser, mobile enhancements, and new IT and developer features.

• Unveiled earlier this year, GigJam is now available in private preview and will become part of Office 365 in 2016. GigJam is a new way for teams to accomplish tasks and transform business processes by breaking down the barriers between devices, apps and people.

Office 2016 also provides built-in intelligence to help users work faster and smarter:

• Outlook 2016 provides the smartest inbox yet, with faster search and automatic removal of low-priority mail. Everyone on the To: line has the right access to documents with modern, cloud-based attachments.

• Tell Me helps users quickly find the right Office feature or command, and Smart Lookup brings insights from the internet right into their documents.

• Excel 2016 now includes integrated publishing to Power BI and new modern chart types to help users make the most of their data.

• The most recently used documents list allows users to pick up right where they left off, traveling with users across their devices, whether users are working in Office Online, in the Office Mobile apps or in the Office 2016 desktop apps.

Office 2016 apps with Office 365 deliver new capabilities for better enterprise security and protection:

• Built-in Data Loss Prevention across Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook significantly reduces the risk of leaking sensitive data, giving IT administrators tools to manage content authoring and document sharing policies.

• Multifactor authentication ensures secured access to content anywhere when users are away from the corporate network.

• Enterprise Data Protection will be available for the Office Mobile apps for Windows 10 later this year and for the desktop apps early next year, enabling secured content sharing within corporate boundaries.

Availability and Requirements

The Office 2016 suite is now available in more than 228 countries worldwide and is ready for download by Office 365 subscribers as part of their subscription.

The new Office 2016 apps are available in 40 languages and require Windows 7 or later.

Office 365 subscribers can choose to download the new Office 2016 apps as part of their subscription. Automatic updates will begin rolling out to consumer and small-business subscribers next month, and to commercial customers early next year.

Office 2016 is also available today as a one-time purchase for both PCs and Macs.