There is a great deal of confusion when it comes to deciphering the differences between the two similarly named Microsoft offerings: Office 365 and Microsoft 365. Many businesses think they have Microsoft 365 when, in reality, they have Office 365 or even more commonly, most do not understand that there is a difference. In this week's blog, we are visually laying out the differences.

Consistency is the name of the game, and when it comes to naming, Microsoft is King. Unfortunately, with such similar names as Office 365 and Microsoft 365, there is a great deal of confusion on the differences between the offerings. This month, we will compare and contrast Office 365 vs. Microsoft 365. We will break down the high-level differences between the two Microsoft offerings, the difference in pricing, which product will benefit your business, a glossary of terms involved with both offerings, and an essential Q and A regarding both Microsoft 365 and Office 365. Today, we will stay high-level and look and the key differences between the two Microsoft offerings.

The definition of “Team” is a group of players forming one side in a competitive game or sport. That is precisely what Microsoft Teams is, a group backing you up and helping you compete in this "game" called life. There are so many aspects of Teams that can help you get that winning edge. One point is that it brings all of your functions together into one centralized location to help with ease and efficiency. There is a multitude of examples of this within Teams. One shining example is the ability to integrate all of your external apps alongside your Microsoft apps within one centralized location; your Teams home experience.

Audio conferencing is a non-negotiable in today’s workplace. Today, more than 70% of the professional work-force works remotely at least one day per week. Because so many employees are working outside the office, the logistics of meetings has changed drastically. Many organizations have used audio and video conferencing for quite some time, although the options for conferencing haven't incorporated our current applications. This is why we are so excited about the improved functionality of Microsoft Teams Audio Conferencing.

As was discussed last week, Microsoft Ignite was two weeks ago in Orlando, Florida. Like past years there were some exciting announcements. In last week’s blog, we touched on Project Cortex and what benefits it will add to an organization’s entire ecosystem. Another integral set of announcements at Ignite 2019 revolved around security. These announcements encompass multiple facets including, multi-point authentication, Enhancements to Azure, Endpoint protection, Firewalls, Application Guards, Compliance, and Insider Threat enhancements and will all be important against fighting cybersecurity threats. The focus this week is on Insider threat enhancements, for as we have discussed previously, your security is nothing without having a competent inside frontline.

Microsoft Ignite returned last week to Orlando, Florida and once again brought great excitement to the world of Tech. This conference is where Microsoft announces and demonstrates brand new applications. Many times they tease out these developments at prior conferences, but what makes this conference so unique is we can see the excitement and take it to work for us immediately as these applications are ready for the market. One of the exciting announcements from last week was Project Cortex. Project Cortex is an AI-based application integrated with Office 365 that brings relevant knowledge directly to where you are working.

Working from anywhere is the newest office trend, and honestly, some are even trying to make it a “right.” In some industries, it is more common than others, but we are starting to see more companies get on board with the movement. In a recent study, it was found that 66% of companies allow their employees to work remotely. Additionally, there are a growing number of businesses with multiple office locations? Many times, we struggle to connect with a productive meeting as our employees are all in different places. Travel is expensive and can sometimes be a waste of time to make sure everyone is in one location just for a meeting. There is a multitude of ways to host meetings that can incorporate other sites and even ways to customize your background to hide your messy office. Unfortunately, many times, the employees at remote locations or satellite offices do not feel connected to the actual team meeting. It is hard to stay focused when you are unsure of who is currently speaking, making it a challenge to understand what is being said and not welcoming to chime in from your location. Owl Labs wants to Inspire the work from Anywhere movement and thus have an incredible solution. The Meeting Owl is a cost-effective and straightforward solution to remote meeting dilemmas.