Confused as to which version of Microsoft Office is best suited for you and your small business ?

Use our  quick look guide to the different versions of Office 365 for business available, to help you decide which is the best for your small business.

So what is Office 365 ?

Office 365 is is a subscription version of Microsoft Office, which offers cloud storage and Skype bundled into the various versions and works on a subscription model, i.e monthly payment terms, either pay as you go, or under a 12 month commitment (a 12 month commitment normally attracts a pricing discount).

Office 2013/2016 in its traditional form (i.e a one off purchase) is still available, however  applications are not automatically updated and to get the latest greatest version, you need to purchase the product again when it is available. None of the cloud based services are available.

Online Only Versions of Office 365

The Office 365 plans that are online only are a great choice for certain business needs, and they are designed to work with the latest version of Office, Office 2013, and Office 2011 for Mac. However you will need an internet connection to access the Office applications online and some functionality may not be available.

It is important to note that previous versions of Office, such as Office 2010 and Office 2007, may work with Office 365 with reduced functionality.

Office 365 packages which include the desktop version of the latest Office applications, allow users to install across multiple computers and devices (including PCs, Macs, Android tablets, Android phones, iPad, and iPhone).

The fully installed applications include: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, and Access. (Publisher and Access are available on PC only.) and can be used without an internet connection after they have been installed.

When you have an active Office 365 subscription that includes the desktop version of Office, you always have the most up-to-date version of the applications.