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Word processing, spreadsheet management, slideshow creation, email handling… most businesses use a particular software suite to handle all of these things. And the most famous of the lot is Microsoft Office. But before you decide to dive in and buy Office, it’s worth investigating its pros and cons, as well as the alternatives.
Microsoft Office is standard
Microsoft Office has ubiquity on its side. It’s been the standard on school computers since the 90s; most people with computers in their homes are using Windows and thus probably have certain Office software; most workplaces use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook in some capacity. What this means is that it’s way more likely for a given employee to have a lot of experience with the software. Microsoft knows this, and have thus been working to make most new iterations of their Office software easier to use than ever. So the fact that it’s relatively simple, combined with the fact that a lot of people already have experience in it anyway, definitely gives it an edge.
…but it’s also expensive
A big problem with Microsoft Office, and the reason that a lot of people turn to other solutions, is that it’s pretty darn expensive. To get a license for all your employees can costs thousands of dollars. It’s telling that people don’t tend to go for cheaper suites, however – if businesses are willing to pay, they’ll fork out for Office. If they want to save money, they’ll go right ahead to the free solutions, among which you have some great options. Both OpenOffice and Google Drive provide free and powerful alternatives; though their functionalities are certainly a little more limited, it’s not by much.
An abundance of resources
One of the best things about Office is that there’s so much support for it. And this isn’t just limited to the support that you get from Microsoft themselves. There are independent experts in the software (who usually provide a cheaper and sometimes superior service!) pretty much everywhere you go. The same can’t always be said of other office software solutions. For example, if you’ve integrated SharePoint into your Microsoft Office suite but are having difficulties that are specific to your business system, you can turn to companies such as HingePoint for consulting services. The official support team may not be able to provide the specific assistance you need in all cases, so the abundance of resources is definitely a plus.
Office vs Office
Of course, it’s not really as simple as choosing to go with Microsoft Office. Once you’ve decided that you want to use this suite in your office, you then have to decide which one you want to use. Office 2013 is often assumed to be the most popular. Want to purchase this version? Visit https://softwarekeep.com/office-2013-home-and-student.html to get your copy now. You also have the option of getting Office 365, which was released almost six years ago but remains stable and supported. Office 2016 is the latest, but you can go back even further to suites from 2003 and 2007. Of course, these are no longer officially supported by Microsoft, so if you run into problems then you may have a tough time fixing them!
