Office 2016: Collaborative Work and Other Innovations

Microsoft has officially unveiled the new Office 2016, focusing heavily on collaboration. The first and most significant innovation in the Office suite is the ability for multiple users to work on the same document simultaneously, even remotely. You won’t encounter a document that has been modified after saving; Word text will change dynamically as words are typed. This happens in real-time for the entire team working on the same document.

The second innovation is in the realm of search. If you need to perform a web search, Office 2016 allows you to do so without leaving your open document. The search, which can also be voice-activated, can be initiated directly within the file itself. This is made possible through the full integration of the Cortana voice assistant, which can suggest the best tool at that moment to complete your search or other PC operations. Another important integration is with Skype, which can also be used directly from open documents.

Everything seems to have been designed to facilitate simultaneous teamwork. Access has even been extended to students (up to 5 additional devices) if schools and institutions already have a subscription to Office 365 ProPlus or Office Professional Plus. These users will simply need to update their existing devices. To use Office 2016, Windows 7 or later operating system is required. The application is also available in 47 different languages and runs on Apple Macs.