Katherine Murray - Microsoft Office 365: Connect and Collaborate Virtually Anywhere, Anytime

To all users of technology who are willing to take a chance, make a choice, and try a new way of doing things so that we can nurture and enjoy a happy, healthy planet .

K.M .

LETS HEAR IT for freedom. Freedom from your desk. Freedom from those boring managers meetings. Freedom to work anywhere, with anyone, anytime, on almost any device. Sounds good, right?

Office 365 is Microsofts smart and simple answer to cloud computing. Using the various programs in Office 365, you can do all the tasks youre used to doing in your favorite Office applicationswrite documents, create presentations, check email, manage your calendar, crunch numbers, and moreand then share what you create in real time on a team site, design and publish a website, and even create and host live online meetings while youre traveling on the train, sitting in a coffee shop, or dialing in on your phone.

This book shows you how you can use cloud computingand specifically, Office 365to get more done, collaborate more easily, and work more flexibly than you ever have before. From the necessary how-tos about creating and administering your Office 365 account and working with the various Office 365 programs to sharing files with your team, creating a team site, using Office Web Apps, and holding online meetings, youll discover how easy it is to work online and off, accessing and sharing your files whenever you need to. After you learn about each of the core programs, you can try strategies for building successful teams, and get some good ideas on practical ways you can put all this cloud power to work.

The phrase cloud computing brings to mind for me the feeling of stretching out on a hillside on a summer day while my sons pointed out the animals and shapes they saw in the clouds above. Cloud computing is a little like thatthe ability of your technology to take on the shape you need for the type of project you need to accomplish. Want to put together a project team? You can do that in the cloud so that team members all over the globe can collaborate and communicate easily. Need to create a meeting space for your regional sales reps? You can create a team site for everyone in the cloud, using web servers and software, and you can enable every person to log in from any point they have access to the web.

So where is this cloud ? The real definition of the phrase cloud computing simply means the ability to access files and applications online through multiple devicesyour computer, browser, or phone. Microsoft has already been offering cloud services through the web in various ways:

The best news about cloud computing for you as an end user is the added flexibility the services offer you, without additional investment in either hardware or software. You can simply use your web browserwhich is open anyway, right?to get to the files you need to work with, make any changes, and save and share the files as you see fit.

The great thing about cloud computing for companies is that it enables them to expand the services they offer both staff and customers without adding to their own hardware infrastructure. Web services enable companies to connect workers and make collaboration possible on a global scale without adding servers, setting up datacenters, and more. The environment is secure, flexible, and expandable to accommodate as many users as businesses need to support.