As we have discussed already this month, understanding the differences between Microsoft 365 and Office 365 is quite challenging. Last week, we provided a grid breaking down the differences between the products. To take things a step farther, this week, we are featuring a glossary. Even if you can see the differences, if you don’t understand Microsoft’s terminology, the grid will not truly help you understand the differences.

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.

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.

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.

Technology makes working convenient. We set up offices so that employees can work remotely, and it is a huge selling point when hiring. Unfortunately, unless appropriately managed, having access to work anywhere can run you into the ground. As we pointed out in the blog last week, 2/3 of full-time employees admit to experiencing work burnout. That does not include those who are afraid to accept this fact! Working efficiently is challenging as we are always working. So how do we use technology to manage our technology to work smarter and have a healthier work/life balance?

One of the exciting announcements from last month’s Microsoft SharePoint conference is that Microsoft will soon be releasing Homesites. Homesites will be a fully customizable homepage where the existence of your SharePoint contents will reside. To fully understand the impact that this addition will have, we need to understand the current view of a SharePoint page. To begin, SharePoint is essentially your company’s internal communication site, which is referred to as an intranet. This is where you find all of your saved documents and files. Up until this point, your SharePoint site was fairly generic and not exactly pretty or easily navigable. It essentially is a simple page with a list of files. Understandably, we are beyond excited about this announcement. Now, anyone who currently uses the Microsoft SharePoint Intranet will be able to customize their Intranet “Homepage,” creating an aesthetically pleasing homepage with your company’s voice and branding.