Five essential Microsoft apps for Office 365 users on the move – exciting new arrival Whiteboard, the indispensable Teams, and more.
Teams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKU-FMzZFF0
Teams has fast become the number one tool for internal communication here at METHOD IT.
If your organization has business or enterprise Office 365 you already have access to this app and need to be using it!
For those without Office 365, Teams is now available in a free version with limited features, so there’s no excuse not to take it for a spin!
Teams is a collaboration hub, pooling together many important Office 365 apps and features in an easy-to-use interface.
Key features include:
- Each Team in your organization is divided into Channels for easily categorized and focused collaboration – e.g. Offices (Team) > Branch (Channel)
- Group and private chat (text, audio, video) with scheduled meetings
- @username mentions for instant notification
- Shared files, OneNote notebooks, Planner, to-do lists, Power BI and more, all per Team/Channel.
- Channels have their own address to CC in your regular email correspondence. Keep a record of all messages in chat and automatically store mail attachments in shared files.
- Integrations with popular third-party services – Adobe Creative Cloud, Survey Monkey, Wunderlist, ZenDesk, and many others.
- A full, global business calling experience when paired with a phone system
- Enterprise grade security, compliance, and manageability, including built-in information protection, secure guest access, and multi-factor authentication.
Teams also works in all major web browsers and is available as a desktop app for Windows and Mac.
Find out more here
Whiteboard
Just released in July 2018, Whiteboard is a freeform, intelligent canvas for real time ideation, creation, and collaboration.
- Draw, type, or add images. Use sticky notes to organize ideas. Stack things up and move them around. Designed for pen, touch, and keyboard, Whiteboard allows you to share your ideas naturally. Intelligent ink recognizes shapes and makes creating tables a snap. And because the canvas expands along with your creations, you never have to worry about running out of space.
- Teammates can huddle around a large touchscreen in the same room or work together on their own devices from around the world. Avatars on the canvas help you keep track of who is doing what and bring a natural rhythm to the interaction.
- All your brainstorming sessions are saved automatically to the cloud, so you can pick up where you left off, whenever – and wherever – inspiration strikes next.
- Whiteboard works with a personal Microsoft account or a work Office 365 account.
- Teams integration plus iOS and browser-based versions are due later in the year.
Get Whiteboard here
Windows 10
StaffHub
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8ZE-IsgFow
A purpose-built app for firstline workforce, StaffHub lets workers and their managers organize their time, communicate with their teams, and share content.
- See all staff working hours in a simple calendar with multiple views
- Add/remove workers from teams
- Control and approve shifts and time off
- Assign tasks to workers who then mark as completed
- Make announcements to all staff
- Share documents such as training manuals
- Have 1:1 chats
- Add notes to shifts and particular days
- Syncs with everyone’s Outlook calendar
- StaffHub is available with selected Office 365 plans. Contact us for more details.
Get StaffHub here
iOS | Android
Edge
It’s a little known fact that Edge, the default Windows 10 browser, is also available for iOS and Android.
The mobile Edge provides a clean, streamlined interface for browsing, but its most important feature is that it synchronizes all content and data with your desktop browser, making it the perfect choice if you’re an iPhone user with a Windows 10 PC in the office.
News
The free Microsoft News app was recently given an overhaul and we’re loving its clean look, simple navigation, and fast loading times. News topics are arranged in swipeable pages that you can customize to match your interests, with stories pulled from multiple sources across the internet. Adjustable font size, a dark night mode, and syncing between mobile and desktop are also much appreciated.
Get News here
iOS | Android | Windows 10