- Microsoft Office is used throughout the organization for content creation, distribution, and consumption.
- Deployed company wide, Office can be an expensive investment and an unnecessary drain on company resources for users that have little need for productivity suite software.
- Alternatives to Office exist, but there are many to choose from and the needs of individuals vary throughout the organization.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Office 365 is a game changer. Organizations can take advantage of tiered licensing to get employees the features they need, rather than deploying full functionality to every employee.
- Improvements in functionality in open source office suites, like OpenOffice and LibreOffice, mean organizations can distribute a free alternative to employees with smaller content creation needs.
- Bring-Your-Own brings new opportunities to build a content creation ecosystem by introducing the office suites most suited to employee needs.
Impact and Result
- Focus on appropriate access for the majority of users. Organizations where documents are only for internal use can consider a hybrid on-premise/cloud environment that may include low cost alternatives.
- Ensure that tablets are a consideration in your long-term productivity strategy. The core issue for end users is not Office, it’s access on tablets. Not supporting these devices will decrease productivity and introduce non-compliance with corporate policy.