Today, Microsoft officially launched Microsoft Office 2010 and Microsoft SharePoint 2010, as well as Microsoft Visio 2010 and Microsoft Project 2010. The official launch caps off what has been Microsoft’s largest beta programs ever, with nearly 8.6 million people are already using Office 2010 and related products.
So, what should we be looking forward to with Office 2010? Here’s just a few of the highlights:
Better Collaboration Tools
Better version control and co-authoring tools for Word 2010, PowerPoint 2010, Excel Web App that let you work on a file with multiple people at once and from different locations.
Microsoft Office Web Apps
Office Web Apps lets you store your Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote files online and then access, view, edit, and share content seamlessly through the Web.
Better Management for High E-mail Volumes
With Outlook 2010 you can compress long e-mail threads into a few conversations that can be categorized, filed, ignored, or cleaned up. A new ‘Quick Steps’ feature also lets you perform multi-command tasks, like ‘reply and delete’ in one click, saving you time and inbox space.
Enhanced Data Analysis and Visuals for Excel
The new Sparklines feature delivers a clear and compact visual representation of your data with small charts within worksheet cells and ‘Slicers’ for PivotTables data in multiple layers using Slicers to spend more time analyzing and less time formatting.
Broadcasting for PowerPoint
Broadcast your PowerPoint presentation to a remote audience, whether or not they have PowerPoint installed. The new Broadcast Slide Show feature allows you to share your presentation through a Web browser and centralizes the process of ‘webcasting’ your presentations.
Microsoft has put together a number of resources, specifically for IT pros, so if you’re considering the upgrade to 2010, be sure to check these out:
- Office 2010 Trial Download
- Office Environment Assessment Tool
- Plan an Upgrade to Office 2010
- Application Compatibility Assessment and Remediation Guide for Office 2010
Though it won’t be in stores for about a month, you can download the Office 2010 trial today, or take take a test drive with your browser of the new features.