Free Office - The best free alternative to Office is Office on the web

The best free alternative to Office is Office on the web

Lately, it seems there’s a new, free productivity application launching every week. They’re flooding the market with point solutions that have rudimentary levels of functionality and a variety of user experiences. With this comes speculation of if these free offerings can replace Office.

We know the crowded app market is creating confusion for customers, but the reality is, the best free alternative to Office is Office – Office Web Apps. The Office Web Apps are a free version of the Office applications you already know and love with the same familiar user experience you want. And, they trump the free alternatives hands down.  Here’s why:

1. 
   They’re complete.  With Office Web Apps, you can create, edit and share Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote files. Instead of addressing just one need, Office Web Apps provide a complete suite – all with a consistent user experience and functionality that works across the applications.


2. 
   They work anywhere.  Whether you’re a PC, Mac, iOS or Android fan and whether you use a touch device or mouse and keyboard, Office Web Apps work across all devices and browsers. Office Web Apps live in the cloud, so you can get to your files and documents anywhere. Your content is always in sync and available across any device.


3. 
   They’re consistent.  Office Web Apps look and feel like Office, so you already know how to use them. This means nothing new to learn. And, because Office always ensures your content formatting and functionality remain intact, you can share with confidence knowing that your documents will look as intended (and don’t get garbled like they do with some alternatives).


4. 
   They’re shareable.  Sharing through SkyDrive is easy, and it integrates closely with Office. So you can work with other people without version control issues or having to use an additional file storage and sharing service.


5. 
   They’re rock solid … and always getting better.  Tens of millions of people already use Office Web Apps, so they’re proven. Microsoft are always taking feedback and continually improving the Office Web Apps for the future; in fact, if you’ve tried Office Web Apps in the past you might want to take a second look, as there have been many improvements to the product suite to make it more intuitive, touch-friendly and more seamless with your Office experience.

I should note that, because Office Web Apps are browser-based, they don’t do everything Office 2013 or Office 365 does. Some of the more powerful features require the desktop version, but the Office Web Apps are a great solution for a lot of people, and a better option than the alternative point solutions.

If you’re looking for a free alternative to Office – or are just looking for a convenient way to access your files on the go – give the Office Web Apps a try by logging in to skydrive.com and clicking Create in the top menu.  We think you’ll like what you see.

–Julia White

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Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire Superfast Broadband - New Coverage Maps

Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire Superfast Broadband – New Coverage Maps

We are pleased to share with you the latest coverage maps for the rollout of fibre broadband through the Connected Counties programme in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.  These new maps reflect recent remodelling work by BT and shows the best estimate of where the Connected Counties programme plan to rollout fibre broadband, alongside services which are already commercially available.  These plans are, however, subject to the completion of detailed ground assessments which will survey local conditions and will be carried out in phases throughout the programme.

The maps show a preliminary estimate of the likely broadband coverage resulting from the Connected Counties programme’s investment.  The maps are indicative and should not be relied on or otherwise treated as a guarantee of current or future provision.

See more at: Connected Counties

The Connected Counties programme with BT has triggered a £18m investment to bring superfast broadband to more than 90 per cent of homes and businesses across Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.

In June the Government announced a further £250m locally match funded investment in broadband for the UK, with the aim of achieving national coverage of 95 per cent or higher. The way this funding is being allocated isn’t yet known, but it should help the Connected Counties programme stretch out coverage plans. This means it is still important for communities to register on the Connected Counties programme website to tell them they are interested in getting superfast broadband.  These levels of interest can be factored into their decisions on which areas are rolled out to and strengthen their business case when biding for further funding.

Register Your Interest in getting superfast broadband – http://www.connectedcounties.org/register/

 

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Five Things to Say When You Are Caught Using Social Media at Work

Five Things to Say When You Are Caught Using Social Media at Work

Social media is catching on, but not everyone’s boss is a fan of  Facebook yet. Some companies outright ban the use of social media at  work, while others quietly look the other way or subtly encourage it. If  your workplace isn’t social-friendly (or if your boss scowls when he  sees Instagram over your shoulder), here are five things to say when you’re caught talking online.

Social media actually increases productivity!

It’s important to know what people are saying about us online!

I am working collaboratively!

I am evangelizing for our brand/company/organization!

Social media sells stuff!

Source – Microsoft For Work

 

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Office 365 is now available as a donation to qualified nonprofits

Get anywhere access to familiar Office applications, plus professional email, calendar, HD video conferencing, and more.

Take advantage of the cloud to help your non-profit deliver on its mission.

Microsoft is now offering its cloud-based Office 365 for Non-profits software programme to qualifying non-profits around the world via its software donation programme. The donation is available immediately to eligible organisations in 41 countries around the world, including the UK, and will be extended to a total of 90 countries by July 2014.

Office 365 for Non-profits lets non-profit and NGO staff use its cloud-based service to access files from almost anywhere, whether with a PC, smartphone or tablet. Staff can collaborate using shared applications such as email and shared calendars. Microsoft pledges a 99.9 per cent uptime. Jean-Philippe Courtois, president, Microsoft International, said: “Today we are donating to non-profits and NGOs access to Microsoft’s best-in-class cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools, enabling them to spend fewer resources and time on IT and focus on their missions addressing global issues, such as disease eradication, education and literacy, and environmental sustainability.”

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Four Steps For More Secure Small Business Websites

Four Steps For More Secure Small Business Websites

Cybercriminals increasingly are targeting the blogs and e-commerce sites of SMBs, but a handful of simple steps can make these sites harder to hack

Content management systems run by small and midsize businesses (SMBs) have come under increasing attack by botmasters looking to build high-bandwidth infrastructure for executing denial-of-service attacks or as drive-by download sites for malware campaigns.

In a recent case, dubbed “Fort Disco,” cybercriminals used a 25,000-node botnet of infected Windows systems to scan the Internet for vulnerable sites and then attempt to guess the administrative password using a small set of common passwords. The tactic may have worked in only a small percentage of cases, but it was still effective, claiming more than 6,000 sites.

Read more from Dark Reading…

 

How a botnet works: 1. A botnet operator sends out viruses or worms, infecting ordinary users’ computers, whose payload is a malicious application — the bot. 2. The bot on the infected PC logs into a particular command and control (C&C) server (often an IRC server, but, in some cases a web server). 3. A spammer purchases access to the botnet from the operator. 4. The spammer sends instructions via the IRC server to the infected PCs, causing them to send out spam messages to mail servers. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

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Making a mobile workforce

Mobile Workforce

Whether it’s flexible working hours, or conducting business from multiple places, including at home, there is a trend for employees to become more mobile in their working patterns.

Forester Research’s 2013 Mobile Workforce Adoption Trends shows 37% of European and US employees work from multiple locations. Whilst that’s still a minority the trend is only going in one direction.

For both employees and employers, remote working can improve the business environment and boost performance.

Flexible working

The 9am – 5pm daily work-routine is being eroded by flexible working. Colleagues are increasingly able to build a working pattern around their home lives (for example leaving the office at 3pm to pick up school children, then work for two hours from 7pm when the kids are in bed).

For employees the flexibility helps them maintain an effective work / life balance, and employers benefit from a) less staff churn and b) effectively extending the working day – which helps improve customer response times.

Reduce office space

How many desks does an office need? By encouraging remote working, and introducing hot desking, a business can reduce its office headcount considerably. Smaller office spaces mean lower running costs and can even lead to a company moving into a smaller space; keeping rents as low as possible.

Improve efficiency

A mobile workforce means being able to respond from any location. Customer orders, and queries, can be processed without returning to the office. This gives a competitive advantage and increases company efficiency.

Lower business costs

The benefits already outlined add together to lower running costs for an organisation. Fewer desks, smaller offices, less electricity being used all bring down the day-to-day business charges. Added to this are the potential savings from lower travel expenses, which have both financial and environment benefits.

Read more from our partner – Simply Mail Solutions

 

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Store, Sync and Share with SharePoint

Store, Sync and Share with SharePoint

Get a glimpse at some of these SharePoint features, and see how easy it is to share with others.

Whether you are working on a document by yourself, or a team that needs to collaborate on a project, SharePoint has many ways that help improve productivity across an organization.

Put social to work

Share ideas, discover answers and keep track of what your colleagues are working with new social features throughout SharePoint.

Share your stuff

Publish content to SharePoint from any Office application and share with people inside and outside your organization in a few simple clicks.

Take SharePoint on the go

Share documents, update your activity feed and keep in touch with your colleagues from your mobile phone or tablet.

Think of SharePoint as a central hub for all your content.  You can fill it up with documents, organise them how you want, and easily share them with other people.  There’s only one document you have to deal with—and it’s always in the same place and it’s always up to date.  Instead of lots of people creating multiple versions in different places, you can get everyone to work on the same document—even at the same time—and SharePoint will keep track of everyone’s changes in one place.  You don’t even need to be at your desk to get work done together.  You can keep reviewing and tweaking your content while on the go, even offline and from virtually any device.

Read this blog post, Vivek Narasimhan’s is a product manager for SharePoint.

Discover more here!

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