This is both helpful and unhelpful that Microsoft has such rapid change and improvement in Office 365.

I have written about Office 365 often because it is an interesting change for Microsoft. To go from a slow lumbering company that releases things every 18 months, to making live changes each day is huge. For their users as well, it can be overwhelming at times.

Working in IT it is my job to be as familiar with the system as possible. So each day I try to learn something new in Office 365. It is remarkable, but everyday I find multiple new things to understand. I could be dedicated to just Office 365 and not scratch the surface.

While all of these features are wonderful, most people are overwhelmed with change. Since I am the subject matter expert on this topic, I get lots of questions about things that people don’t understand. Basic things that you would think Microsoft has thought through, but obviously hasn’t.

For example, OneDrive. OneDrive is trying to compete with other file storage services, but for people who have never used those before, it can be confusing. You can manage it in the portal or the desktop client, and people prefer the desktop client. The problem is that right now, Microsoft hasn’t done the same level of work on their desktop client. So it is problematic. It is probably the most difficult and unreliable part of the Office 365 suite. Online OneDrive works great, but get the client installed on a computer and oh boy issues are constant.

For me, these changes are exciting and I like that we are having a rapid evolution in features. Google has really scared and pushed Microsoft and for that I am grateful. Apple never seems to understand how to work network related things. For that reason I had to give up on their network services. They just don’t seem to have it in them to innovate the way that Office 365 has helped companies. I can’t understand why apple didn’t do Office 365 first. They have Appleworks, and that was the template of integration between applications. They just didn’t see it through.

I ride the wave of development in Office and enjoy learning new things each day. I can’t think of any other service or IT related thing that has so much development and features being put into it. It is remarkable for companies of all sizes. I’m not a Microsoft fan, so please take this as a sincere compliment. Microsoft has its faults, but it is coming through on functionality in a way that few other companies are delivering.

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