Microsoft Office is Dead, Long Live Microsoft 365

In what seems to be the final stage of a plan that Microsoft has been inching towards for years, Microsoft Office will apparently be phased fully into the Microsoft 365 brand. Let’s consider what we know so far about this change.

This Rebrand Has Been Years in the Making

We’ve taken note that, over the past few years, Microsoft has clearly and deliberately made steps to promote Microsoft 365 as the be-all, end-all option for businesses to use. Now, it seems that they have determined the time has come to fully retire their Office branding.

So, the big question is, what does this mean?

What Microsoft Has Said About These Changes

Based on the webpage that the transition was first announced on, your business’ users should see minimal impacts, besides more options and features and a few cosmetic alterations to reflect the new brand. These options include things like:

• New templates to make content creation easier and faster
• Tagging capabilities to help organize content
• A new Apps module to help you prioritize your most-used tools
• A new feed to deliver relevant content to you based on what you work on, and with whom.

What Do You Need to Do?

Nothing.

That’s right, nothing. Microsoft will push out an automatic update to give the application its new icon and name later this month. Your existing account and profile, subscription, and files will remain untouched. This is mainly just a heads-up to let you know that your Microsoft subscription will see some changes so you aren’t concerned when it happens.

Something that won’t change, however, is that we’ll be here whenever you have challenges or questions concerning your IT. Give us a call at 607.433.2200 to learn more about our services.