Recently we have been producing articles telling you about the benefits of the tools in our 365R package – but sometimes we forget that at the heart of the system is Microsoft 365 for Business. We wrap some great security and compliance tools around Microsoft’s software and add our experienced IT support staff to give you the best experience possible but you still use Word and Excel as you have always done to get your business working.
Microsoft Office – then Office 365 and now Microsoft 365 – has come a long way since I sat down one day with a pile of floppy disks (that were not floppy, but that is a different story), I think there were 24 of them, and it took a while to install. I can remember getting the next Office version on CD and that saved a lot of messing around time. (For those of a certain age do you remember when a floppy would fail part way through a multi-disk install?)
That segues nicely into a cool thing about the latest version of the worlds most used office software – it saves me time. Not that I think I pick my way across a keyboard any quicker today than I did back then. I love the way I can (nearly) seamlessly move from writing this article at my desk on my laptop to completing it on my iPhone, sitting out in the sunshine, drinking a cup of tea. The ability to pick up where I was in a document, wherever and whatever device I choose to work on is one of my favourite features. This functionality sold our 365R service to a client who realised that he could now go away on longer holidays and still be in contact with the day-to-day operations of his business. (No judgements here on work/life balance – he owns the company, he makes his own choices.)
The Home screen on the iOS Microsoft 365 app gives quick and easy access to the recent files I have been working on – see the screen shot. It also shows some useful location information, that for the purpose of this article I thought I had better redact. There are similar apps for Android OS and iPad. This app includes many other great features and I can see a blog about it in my future.
Just one more quick thing…
I have found myself using Word so often on my phone – particularly when people want me to review documentation for them – as the process works right out of the Outlook app to the Microsoft 365 app, that when I recently replaced my iPhone XS, I bought the iPhone 12 Pro Max for the larger screen. (Please note as with all my previous iPhones we had it serviced and then it was passed onto one of our team.)
Please follow the links above – of course not the Apple one – if you think your company would benefit from a more effective integrated, IT support, security and compliance solution.
Clive Catton MSc (Cyber Security)
Clive is the CIO at Octagon Technology with special responsibility for data privacy and security. The world of business technology is constantly changing and to meet this challenge he recently graduated from Edinburgh Napier University with an MSc in Advanced Computer Security and Digital Forensics. His dissertation was on data privacy in small businesses using Microsoft 365 for business.
The degree is not the end of the studying – to keep current Clive spends some of his time at work simply reading and studying the latest technology trends and threats so our clients can benefit from this knowledge. This knowledge also shapes and supports the products and services our people deliver to clients.
To make full use of Clive’s new Master’s degree in Computer Security, Clive and Diana have a joint venture with an international research company to get access for our clients to up to date information, schemas, analytics, templates, actionable tools and guidance. Whatever the size of your organisation if you are not approaching IT, security and privacy in a way that supports and benefits you, they can help, from the boardroom to the shop floor.
If you would like to discuss any of these matters with Clive, email me at kamila@octagontech.com and I will organise a video meeting for you. He will be happy to answer questions about your particular issues.
Kamila (General Manager)
