Ralph Mercurio - Beginning Microsoft 365 Collaboration Apps: Working in the Microsoft Cloud

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Microsoft 365 is Microsofts SaaS (Software as a Service) platform. It offers Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive, Office, and other collaboration applications to help businesses and other entities use the cloud to provide these applications to their users.

By utilizing Microsoft 365, entities can offer low-cost access and reduce the administrative and IT overhead associated with providing these services. By doing so, end users gain access to updated applications without having to wait and can utilize these new features or applications once Microsoft releases them. However, many users are not adequately trained in using these applications, and without a foundational understanding of them, these applications can be overwhelming. Because of this ever-increasing issue, this book attempts to bridge the gap for end users new to the Microsoft 365 platform as well as for more advanced users by providing a functional understanding of each application in the Microsoft 365 suite.

As Microsoft 365 evolves and Microsoft releases new features or applications, feel free to reach out to me via LinkedIn or by contacting me at ralph@capelesssolutions.com or visit my website, capelesssolutions.com .

The goal and purpose of this book is to provide the knowledge to use Microsoft 365, particularly around the collaboration apps described in the following. These applications form the foundation of Microsoft 365, and each chapter guides you through the basics of them via text and images.

This book also serves as a resource to users who have been introduced to Microsoft 365 but are still unfamiliar with many of the applications. This book does not require a subscription to Microsoft 365, but having one will allow you to follow along as we dive into each collaboration application.

If you are a reader of the previous edition of this book, then perhaps seeing Microsoft 365 in the title might seem a little strange. In the not too distant past, Microsoft 365 was referred to as Office 365, a name a lot of us got pretty used to and the name many users still reference. However, to keep current and stay in tune with Microsofts latest naming conventions, we will use Microsoft 365 throughout the book.

This book is organized by chapters, with each chapter introducing a particular collaboration app in Microsoft 365. This was done on purpose because it will allow you to read the chapters that interest you most or that cover the application you are currently using without the need to read the entire book cover to cover. This book includes step-by-step instructions, images, tables, and examples detailing the features of each application.

This chapter introduces you to the concept of Microsoft 365 and SaaS. It also guides you through creating a Microsoft 365 trial account, if needed.

This chapter provides an overview of creating lists, libraries, and sites. It also introduces some of the basic principles such as list/library columns, metadata, views, and the available templates to use.

This chapter covers OneDrive and how to navigate around OneDrive and use it effectively to manage your files. This chapter also shows how to create Office files within OneDrive and how to share files with users.

This chapter discusses the components of a Microsoft 365 group as well as how to create and maintain a group. It also shows you how to manage users and invite external users.

This chapter introduces Teams and provides a functional understanding of the application. You learn how to navigate within Teams and understand the interface. This chapter also discusses creating teams and channels and using some of the basic functions included in Teams.

This chapter details using Yammer within an enterprise environment. It discusses the Yammer interface and creating posts that can be shared with users.

This chapter introduces Office and Office Online. It discusses some of the similarities and differences between the versions. It also demonstrates some of the advanced capabilities of the platform including real-time co-authoring.

This chapter introduces Microsoft Planner and is concerned with task management. It covers the basics of Planner, including creating tasks, editing tasks, deleting tasks, and reporting on task statuses.