What is Microsoft 365?

- [Instructor] Just before we log in and start working with Microsoft 365, which we will do momentarily, you might be wondering what exactly is Microsoft 365? And more importantly, what's the difference between Microsoft 365 and the Microsoft Office Suite? Well, a simple definition of Microsoft 365 might be a hosted collaboration and productivity suite. Hosted, meaning everything you need is online and accessible from virtually anywhere because it's not necessarily installed locally on your computer, like a standalone version of Microsoft Office out of the box. And the collaboration and productivity part means you get anywhere access to your emails, your contacts, calendar and web-based versions of the Office Suite apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, even OneNote. And because Microsoft 365 includes SharePoint connectivity, sharing and collaborating on the files you create with these web apps has never been easier. So let's switch over to Microsoft 365. Now, we will be going through the login process together very shortly. For now though, sit back and take a look at Microsoft 365 in action. It's not simply a web version of the Office Suite that you may have installed on your desktop computer. Yes, you do get access to cloud-based or online versions of applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, perhaps even OneNote. And depending on your plan, you may also get exchange for your email platform, giving you access to outlook mail, Calendar, and Contacts. You might also get the power of SharePoint and Teams for document sharing and collaboration and you could get access to communication services. It give you instant messaging, HD video conferencing, PC phone calling, and a whole lot more. So let's talk about how Microsoft 365 works. It's a subscription based service that can be tailored to many like home users, professionals and entire businesses. You log in and up here in the top right corner, you'll see a link to your account credentials. Clicking, this shows access to your account, which opens up a new tab in your browser. So whether it's your own home version or perhaps you're accessing it via your organization, when calculated, this can cost far less than installing and running all of these apps locally on servers or on end users computers. Now there are different plans for different home or business scenarios at different costs. And we'll discuss those plans in greater detail in the next movie. But you should also know that you can continue to use full-fledged office apps. Over here, in the top right corner, We see Install Office. Clicking this shows that we can install office 365 apps, directly to your computer. So once they're installed, you have access to them on your computer, but you also have access to all of the cloud services through Microsoft 365. Just remember, Microsoft 365 automatically maintains the latest defenses against viruses and spam. Your desktop versions will need to be constantly updated to keep up. So with a basic understanding of what Microsoft 365 is, let's now explore the various subscription plans that are available.