Faster Smarter Microsoft Office System -- 2003 Edition

The Office System is designed to support the entire life cycle of an idea ”from that first spark in the back of your head, to the brainstorming meeting with Product Development, to the project management and final production of the end result. Each aspect of Office ”the core applications, the online services, the customizability of key features, the instant communication, the underlying XML support ”supports a way you can capture, explore, contribute, and build on your ideas. With an emphasis on communication and collaboration, the vision for the Office System includes these important aspects of working with information effectively:

• Capturing ideas wherever and whenever they spring up With support for the Tablet PC in all core applications, you can jot notes on your tablet in a meeting (or on your Pocket PC) and then e-mail them directly to others on the team. You can save, store, and file information in a variety of ways, including XML, which gives you the ability to pull it into an almost unlimited number of forms.

• Communicating instantly with integrated messaging Now Windows Messenger is built right into Outlook (and appears as smart tags when you type recognized names in application documents), which means you can see whether others in your contact list are currently online. And if they are, you can ask a quick question, or send a fast update, while you re thinking about it.

• Collaborating more effectively with enhanced team features Improved collaboration features in the major applications, as well as improvements in Microsoft SharePoint Team Services makes collaborating ”working with others both inside and outside your organization ”easier to manage than ever before. With new meeting and document workspaces, you have a place for gathering and discussing (and revising), anywhere you have access to the Web. You can also customize templates for your SharePoint site, compare calendars, set alerts, and create customized lists for the way you organize and view your site.

• Creating a personalized collection of services you need and want The new Microsoft Office Online site is an online collection of templates, supports, and services that not only help you answer questions about Office, but also extend its core functionality, by offering complementary products and services to help you get your work done ”the way you want to do it.

• Making your data go farther with XML XML is changing the way we work with information, by enabling us to separate our data ”the document s structure and meaning ”from its format (Word document, Excel spreadsheet, Access report, and so on). Because the data is stored separately, using a structured, self-describing language, the data itself can be used in many different forms, producing a variety of end results. This allows you to use the same data to create a brochure, a Web site, a report, articles, and more. This means that you will save time creating what you want to create, instead of copying existing documents, removing formats, and starting again. Not only can you tag and work with XML in Word, Excel, and Access (in the Office System Professional versions), but Smart Documents use XML to also bring this enhanced functionality to Word and Excel ”and InfoPath enables you to prepare sophisticated forms to gather and re-use information.

• Simplifying the upgrade and deployment process Adding new software always involves a learning curve and, depending on the size and structure of your organization, it may be a major undertaking. The Office System takes a shot at resolving upgrade challenges by adding a new Custom Installation Wizard, and Custom Maintenance Wizard, for corporate deployment. For individual users, the Setup interface and process has been improved, stabilized, and expanded to be more accessible for everyone.

The next section looks more specifically at ways the Office System meets the needs of individual information workers, small businesses, and large corporations, by offering new and improved products and services that make communication, collaboration, and data application easier and more flexible than ever before.