Mitch Irsfeld

TechNet Flash, Volume 14, Issue 16 - July 25, 2012
TechNet Flash Editor's Note from Mitch Irsfeld

The New Office for the Cloud and Everywhere

Judging from the media coverage following the Preview unveiling of the modern Office, one aspect of this release is resonating loud and clear: the new Office is built for the cloud. Microsoft Office has always been about the sharing of information, and the cloud makes that even easier by connecting the popular Office applications to a rich set of services.

Here's a taste of some of that coverage:

Since Steve Ballmer unveiled the new Microsoft Office, we've had the opportunity to start discussing what Office in the cloud means for IT pros and their users. The most recent TechNet Feature Discover the New Office for IT Pros begins that discussion. Be sure to read the Editor's Note in that feature package, guest-written for this edition by Microsoft Senior Content Project Manager Nina Ruchirat.

Enabling users to access content and applications in a consistent way, wherever they are, on the devices they happen to be using at any time requires flexibility. The Office Next blog's recent post Office and the Cloud lays out the cloud options from a usability standpoint.

Other capabilities and features in the new Office give IT more flexibility in deployment and administration, including:

  • Click-2-Run - First used in Office 2010, C2R is an installation option that incorporates application streaming by using a modified version of Microsoft Application Virtualization to optimize how Office is installed and updated.
  • Office Telemetry - Gives administrators visibility into client performance, files used, and customizations applied to Office clients by including native telemetry features that collect and report this information.
  • Office on Demand - Delivers a single Office application, such as Word, Excel or PowerPoint to users on demand.

There's plenty to explore about the new Office and Office products in this edition of the newsletter, as well as the current TechNet Feature. Going forward, the Office Next blog is the place to watch for continued updates from the product engineering teams. In the meantime, enjoy the previews.

Thanks for reading,

Mitch Irsfeld
Editor, TechNet Flash

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