People have been using tools to do more with less for millions of years. Whether it was the invention of the wheel, fire, the PC, or the Internet, human beings have always utilised innovation to become more productive in their professional and personal lives, writes By: Colin Erasmus, device sales lead at Microsoft South Africa.
In 1990, the pace and scope of the evolution of productivity hit top gear with the release of Office 1.0, as it brought productivity software together in a way that empowered workers across all departments of an organisation in a way that was unprecedented.
Since then, there have been many versions of Microsoft Office, with each iteration building on the feature set of the last as part of an evolution that has shaped the way people work across the globe.
Today, digital transformation is changing every aspect of business: shaping growth, disrupting industry landscapes, and providing the catalyst for new business models, products, services and experiences. It is enabling businesses to reimagine their structures and become digital businesses.
Doing more in less time, fewer steps
As a non-renewable resource, employees need to devote their time to the most important tasks with the highest returns on investment for the business. New features in Office enable them to save a great deal of time and hassles including features such as Smart Lookup and Researcher.
The former is available from within Word and uses Bing to enable users to look up information right from within Word, while the latter enables users to pull in relevant content right into their document.
Additional time and effort can be saved by using Designer within PowerPoint, which automatically provides designs for your slides based on any image you insert. With a single click, you can pick from a ton of designs that complement your content and give your slides a professional, polished feel.
Additionally, Morph lets you focus on writing great content while PowerPoint creates eye-catching transitions between slides that make your presentation look like it’s been professionally animated.
New capabilities keeping your devices secure
Buyers can opt for a range of new Windows 10-powered devices that come in various form-factors from traditional notebooks through to tablets, All-in-Ones and convertible (two-in-one) laptops. These devices boasts many new capabilities that will boost your productivity while keeping your data secure.
For instance, Windows Hello logs you into your Windows devices in less than two seconds, three times faster than a password. This feature is available on notebooks and two-in-one devices that sports an Intel RealSense 3D camera or built-in fingerprint reader for enterprise-grade security.
When you are logged in, you can use natural input to input data the way you want, using touch gestures on touch-enabled notebooks and tablets, or digital ink via a Windows Ink capable device by using a stylus to jot notes, use annotations and draw.
Windows 10 Pro -powered devices allow you to use BitLocker Drive Encryption on your computer’s hard-drive as well as for removable drives on which data is stored, to prevent sensitive data falling into the wrong hands.
In the digital era, managers need to re-envision entire business models and embrace a different way of bringing together people, data, and processes to create more value and better experiences for their customers. Office and Windows has been designed to help meet your organisation’s needs for robust security, enhanced productivity, and taking the hassles out of standard, everyday business tasks.