What is Microsoft 365?

Microsoft 365, which was called Office 365, is a subscription service

that provides you access to various business and office applications.
It’s basically a combination of tools and features from the following:

Windows operating system

Microsoft 365 suite
Enterprise mobility
Security package

There are various plans in Microsoft 365 (for home, office, business, etc.)
that come with a combination of apps and tools.

If you’re running a business and you need a one-stop-one-shop for

business software needs, I highly recommend Microsoft 365.
Note: For more information regarding the benefits of Microsoft 365,
check out this article: Office 365 Benefits: The Importance of Microsoft
365.
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Microsoft Office apps
Out of all the tools and apps from Microsoft 365, office applications are
the ones everybody is more familiar with.

For most office apps, you can use their watered-down, online versions for
free. You only need to create a Microsoft account.

Here are the different office apps from Microsoft 365:

Microsoft Word
Word is most likely the most popular Microsoft application there is. Most
people have used or at least know the app.
From the name itself, Word is a word processor that’s available on
various platforms, including Android and Apple.
People use Word to:

Create text-based documents

Format and edit text-based documents
Detect grammatical errors

As one of the most advanced word processors on the planet, Word

has most of the features you can think of:

Font style, color, size, etc.

Insert graphics like images, charts, and graphs
  Change page layout elements like margins, columns, lines, etc.
 Reference options like citation, footnote, caption, etc.
 Review features like spell check, thesaurus, word count, etc.
Microsoft PowerPoint
The next contender for the most popular Microsoft 365 app is
PowerPoint.
Similar to Word, most people have likely used the app or at least have
seen a presentation that used PowerPoint.

People use PowerPoint to:

 Create a professional-looking presentation for school, work,
business, etc.
 Create graphics like posters, brochures, flyers, etc.
 Create animations with or without voice
 Edit videos to a certain degree In terms of features,
PowerPoint can:

 Add and design new slides

 Insert media like images, videos, audio, etc.
 Ready-made templates and background designs
 Slideshow
 Slide animations
Microsoft Excel
Another Office 365 app that’s popular with businesses is Excel
—
a spreadsheet software for analyzing numerical data.
As a spreadsheet, the interface of Excel is made of tables with
numbers representing rows and letters for columns.
Here are how people usually use Excel:

Data entry and management

Financial analysis and modeling
Graphing and charting
Time and task management
As for features, Excel has the following:

Graphical features like charts, smart arts, shapes, pictures, etc.

Functional features like VBA Macros, conditional formatting, formulas,
etc.
Database features like tables, filtering, data validations, etc.
Microsoft OneNote
OneNote is a popular note-taking app from Microsoft. Think of it as
your own electronic or digital notebook.
Of all available note-taking apps out there, OneNote is the most robust
due to its deep organization hierarchy.

Related: What Is OneNote Used For: What Are Its Main Benefits
People use OneNote to:

Take down notes

Write journal entries
Project related documentation
Share notes with other users
Here are the most important features of OneNote:

Notebook organization
Web clipper
Text search
Recording and other media
Notes translation
Ink-to-text and ink to math

Many people also use OneNote for collaboration, especially since you
can share notes with other people where they can make changes.
OneNote also has compatibility with most media, from images down to
videos. You can even scan handwritten notes with it.

Note: For a step-by-step tutorial, check out this guide: Microsoft

OneNote Tutorial: Step-By-Step Guide for Beginners.
Microsoft Sway
Have you heard of Sway? It was released last August 2015 so it’s
understandable if you haven’t heard anything about it.

To put it simply, Sway is a presentation tool that’s an alternative to

PowerPoint (and yes, both are from Microsoft).
Sway helps you create the following:

Reports
Presentations
Newsletters
Stories

There are a lot of featured templates in Sway to help newcomers get

started in creating and sharing interactive stories and presentations. In
terms of features, Sway got the following:

Multiple
document layouts and styles
Accessibility view
 Audio recording
 Remix and style customizations
 Visuals and live content
 Closed captioning
 Responsive/interactive documents

In terms of differences, Sway is only a free-to-use online software

(needs an internet connection) while PowerPoint has a dedicated
desktop app.

As for creating content, you have more freedom with PowerPoint.

Sway is better for remixing content and tweaking them down.
Microsoft Visio
Visio may not be that popular with regular users. But it’s a popular tool
in industries that need to create detailed diagrams.

Basically, Visio is a flowchart and diagram tool with the purpose of

making diagramming as easy as it can possibly be.
In terms of uses, people use Visio to:

Create computer diagrams

Draw structured charts
Create business workflows

Most users of Visio are enterprise users, mostly those who are at the
corporate level, to create serious diagrams that will be shared with the
entire organization.

For features, Visio can:

 Convert Excel process map data to diagrams
 Document diagrams in Word automatically
 Make parts of a complex diagram into PowerPoint snippets
 Pull in live data from an external source

Visio also enjoys the usual features that Office 365 apps enjoy like
offline viewing, real-time co-authoring, sharing a diagram, etc.
Task management
Microsoft has a few task management options, including apps you can
use within Microsoft Teams and SharePoint.
In terms of dedicated apps, there are three primary Microsoft 365
apps that were built for task management.

Microsoft Planner
Planner is a powerful checklist app that can also double as a task
manager app (with each plan linked to a Microsoft 365 group).
It’s a competitor to apps like Trello that primarily uses a kanban board
to display projects and tasks.
Planner is used to:

Make plans and assign tasks

Track project/task progress
Organize teams and tasks

Planner is branded as a task management app rather than a project

management tool since it lacks robust project management features.
But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t hold a candle against big apps as
Planner also has the following features:

Schedule view
 Task assignment to multiple users
 Group and filter functions
 Due date notifications
 External user access
 Calendar feed

Note: For more info on this app, check this beginner’s guide: What is
Microsoft Planner? How to use it?
Microsoft To Do
In the hierarchy of task management apps in Microsoft, you can say
that To Do is at the bottom tier.

It’s not really that bad as its basic function is to increase workplace
productivity by giving users a simple checklist app.
Related: How to Create a Checklist in SharePoint Online (Guide)
Task organization in To Do is divided into three groups:

Groups
Lists
Tasks

Groups is the highest tier and can contain multiple lists. Lists is a
collection of tasks centered around a theme.

As for features, To Do has the following:

 Accessibility to the list anywhere and anytime (on almost all
platforms)
 Share lists with others
 My day feature (task suggestion)
 Sub tasking big tasks

Note: For a comparison article between To Do and Planner, check

this out: Microsoft To Do vs Planner: The Better Tool.
Microsoft Project
It’s impossible for Microsoft to not have a dedicated tool purely for
project management.

Project (which is sometimes called Microsoft Office Project) is a

project and portfolio management suite of tools and apps.
Here’s what you can do with Microsoft Project:

Manage resources
Measure performance
Create project schedules
Analyze opportunities
Assess project risks
Track deadlines

Project is used in a lot of industries like manufacturing, government,

retail, financial services, construction, and more.

The main features of Project include:

Project timelines
Resource planning
Resource leveling
Create milestones
Show critical paths
Set baselines
Taskboards

Though Project isn’t that complicated, it’s also not something you can
fluently use on the first try. It takes time to learn all its ins and outs.
Note: For an introductory guide to Project, check out this
tutorial: Microsoft Project Tutorial: Introductory Guide for Newbies.
Microsoft Lists
If you know SharePoint, you must know that there is a main component
in it called lists.

Well, the Lists app is basically that feature made into an independent
app that can work even outside SharePoint Online.
You can use Lists in a variety of ways:

Track inventory and assets

Track customer/client issues
Schedule content

As you can see from the earlier image, the interface in Lists is
composed of web-based tables or databases.

For features, Lists has the following:

Column formatting
 Starting templates
 Sharing and commenting
 Show a list as a calendar/board
 Set up alerts and rules
 Power Apps and Power Automate integration
 One-click Power BI visuals

If you have experience using SharePoint, then you can jump right
away into using Lists. But rest assured that the app is easy to
use.

Note: For an introduction to this app, check out this

article: Introduction to Microsoft List: The Modern SharePoint List.
Intranet and file storage
Microsoft has two dedicated tools specific for intranet purposes and
file storage.

Both are fairly popular with businesses that use Microsoft Office 365
apps and tools.

OneDrive
Whether you use Microsoft apps or not, you must’ve heard of
OneDrive already.

After all, it’s one of the most viable cloud storage solutions in the
world on par with the likes of Google Drive and Dropbox.
There are two primary ways how people use OneDrive:

Filesharing and file storage/backup

Knowledge sharing and collaboration (without emailing back and forth)
What’s awesome with OneDrive is that you can virtually use it on any
machine — from desktop computers down to mobile devices. It also has
a feature called OneDrive Sync that syncs files and documents stored
between Microsoft cloud and your device.
Here is a list of the basic features of OneDrive:

File
storage
Search file (with shared libraries)
Recycle bin
 File restore
 Data encryption
 Files on-demand (can access documents stored without
downloading them)
 App integration
 Live integration

When using OneDrive on mobile, you can also annotate readable

documents with tools like pens, highlighters, and an eraser.
Note: For more information on using OneDrive, read this tutorial: How
to Use OneDrive: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide.
SharePoint Online
SharePoint is known as a tool for creating intranets. Although that’s
basically true, SharePoint Online is more than that.

Essentially, SharePoint is a collection of various tools and

technologies that organizations can use to collaborate with
partners, teams, and clients.
Here are examples of how organizations use SharePoint:

Modern enterprise wiki

Company landing page
Modern document management
Ticketing system/customer service system
Human resources site

Related: Microsoft Teams: Intranet Alternative to SharePoint Online?

Compared to its past version — the classic experience — the new
modern SharePoint today is a totally new experience.
Since SharePoint acquired new modern web parts and components,
you can use it for most modern purposes you have in mind.
Here are the features you can find in SharePoint:

Document libraries
 SharePoint lists
 File sharing (in tandem with OneDrive)
 Event management
 Microsoft Office 365 suite integration
 Drag and drop page editor

Now, using SharePoint as a consumer isn’t that difficult. However,

building things with SharePoint might get a little hairy.

Note: For that, I suggest reading this tutorial first: How to Use
Sharepoint: The Definitive Guide for Newbies.
Enterprise application platforms
There are also Microsoft Office platforms made for enterprise use to
simplify business processes and fulfill business goals.

Three of the apps below are part of the Microsoft Power Platform
that aims to help users create custom apps for business needs.
Power Apps
How about a tool you can use to create an app without entering a
single line of code?

That’s basically what Power Apps is all about — democratizing app

building and making it easy for regular users.
Here is what Power Apps is capable of:
Create and share apps
Collaborate support
Integrate with cloud-hosted storage
Model data from the dataverse
Connect with various platforms

Power Apps works closely with other platforms in Microsoft as well.

For example, Power Apps can work together with SharePoint.
By the way, there are different types of apps that you can create in Power
Apps, depending on what you need to create the app for:

Canvas apps
Model-driven apps
Power Pages

The easiest to create are canvas apps as all you have to do is connect
to a data source and use the drag-and-drop page builder.

With model-driven apps, you need to add components and use a bit of
logic while Power Pages is for creating an external-facing website.

Note: If you want to learn more about Power Apps, check out this article:
Explained: The Types of Power Apps in Microsoft Power Apps.
Power Automate
In tandem with Power Apps, there is also an app that automates tasks
from various platforms.

Basically, Power Automate is a cloud-based business process

automation software that automates workflows and processes.
Here are examples of where you can use Power Automate for:

Create an approval workflow

Follow up on a message
Click a button to email a note
Notify a team when Planner tasks change status

Related: Microsoft Flow Approval: Multiple Approvers (2023 Guide) A

benefit of Power Automate is that you can set and forget a flow and you
can expect it to perform its function.
In addition, it can connect with more than 300 applications — both
Microsoft apps and external apps (like Twitter, Google, etc.).
In Power Automate, there are five basic flows you can create:

Automated cloud flows

Instant cloud flows
Scheduled cloud flows
Desktop flows
Business process flows

Note: For more info on Power Automate, read this article: Introduction to
Microsoft Power Automate.
Power BI
Power BI is a business intelligence and data analytics tool that
provide users with interactive visualizations.
Imagine PowerPoint with the power of Excel with nice-looking and
interactive graphics to present information.
There are six components that make up this power platform:

Power Query
Power Pivot
Power View
Power Map
Power BI Desktop
Power Q&A

Similar to the previous two platforms, Power BI can access data from
multiple sources, especially those from the Microsoft dataverse.
It’s also easy to use with its drag-and-drop functionality and a feature
for copying all formatting on similar graphics.
Note: For a tutorial on Power BI, check this out: What is a Power BI
Dashboard [Power BI Dashboard Tutorial].
Microsoft Viva
Microsoft Viva is fairly new — it was only revealed in February 2021.

It’s a tool called EXP or employee experience platform and is

primarily geared for HR and internal communications.

Microsoft Viva has four primary modules:

Topics
Connections
Learning
Insights
Topics is a knowledge discovery platform with artificial intelligence while
Connections is a gateway to internal communication.
Learning aggregates resources from different resources for employee
training while Insights helps increase productivity and improve well-
being.

Note: For more info on Microsoft Viva, read this article: Microsoft Viva:
The New Employee Experience Platform.
Collaboration and communication
Microsoft has a lot of communication tools and collaboration tools that
you may already be familiar with.

In fact, there is one that you might already be using on a daily basis to
communicate with team members and clients.

Microsoft Teams
Since the pandemic, the number of Microsoft Teams users ballooned to
270 million in 2022 — from 20 million users pre-pandemic.
It’s understandable as Microsoft Teams is basically a digital
collaborative work environment (or a chat-based workspace).
People use Microsoft Teams for the following reasons:

Voice/video calls and meetings

Lesser email thread (more on chats)
Create/share/edit documents right within Microsoft Teams
Chat and instant messaging

Recent Microsoft Teams added a ton of new features that make online
meetings even more comfortable and effective.
For example, you can now create an impromptu ice-breaker or check- in
poll that would meet the meeting participants.

Here are some of the features of Microsoft Teams:

  Teams and channels (with chat/call/video function)
 Document storage (in SharePoint)
 Integration with plenty of apps (usage inside Microsoft Teams)
Note: For a tutorial on Microsoft Teams, check out this
article: Microsoft Teams Tutorial: Become a Teams Expert Quickly.
Skype
Except for the first three Microsoft Office 365 apps, Skype is the most
popular tool in this list (and might even be more popular than all of
them).
Skype is one of the most popular multi-mode communication tools
that you can use on desktop computers and mobile devices.

In terms of features, Skype has the following:

 Audio calling and HD video meetings
 Smart messaging
 Screen sharing
 Call recording and live subtitles
 Call phones
 Private conversations

The basic functions of Skype are free. The paid features are all about
calling landlines or mobile devices.
There was another version of Skype, Skype for Business, where you
can add more people to meetings. But it will be replaced by Microsoft
Teams.
Note: Skype and Teams are always pitted against each other. See
more here: Skype for Business vs Teams: Only One Remains in
2023.
Microsoft Outlook
Though not as popular as Skype, plenty of people still know Microsoft
Outlook.

That’s because many people mainly use Outlook as an email

client though the tool was originally made as a personal information
manager.
The beauty of Outlook is that you can use it as a stand-alone
application and as a software or tool for multiple people.
The basic functions of Outlook are as follows:

Send emails
Set up appointments and meetings
Track sent and received messages
Set up activities

Unbeknownst to some, Outlook has advanced or hidden

features that could make communication much easier.
For example:
 Custom email signatures
 Schedule emails
 Use email templates
 Share calendar and assign tasks
 Create email handling rules
Microsoft Yammer
Yammer is only known to a few that use this tool within their
organizations.

Basically, Yammer is an enterprise social network platform

for connecting members of the same organization and guests.
Organizations use Yammer for the following reasons:

Directaccess to leaders
Alternative for email newsletters
Informal employee training
Connect employees
Showcase achievements to build people up

Yammer though isn’t exactly made by Microsoft. It was only acquired

in 2012 from Geni, an online community of casual and expert
genealogists.
In terms of features, you will notice the following:
 Post a discussion, poll, question, etc.
 Move a post to another community
 Pin and close a conversation
 Feature a conversation
 Assign topics to conversations

Note: For more info on Yammer, check out this article: What Is
Microsoft Yammer Good for & Why Companies Use It.
Microsoft Whiteboard
Released in 2017, Whiteboard is a collaborative digital canvas from
Microsoft that can be used during meetings in Teams.
It provides a freeform whiteboard that your team can use during
ideation and meetings when you want to show your ideas.
Inside the canvas, you can do the following:

Add notes, texts, shapes, images, etc.

Use pens and highlighters
Use whiteboard templates

This enables teams to work on an idea together especially since they

can edit the canvas in real-time no matter where they are.

Microsoft Kaizala
Kaizala isn’t that known to the public as only people who vastly need to
secure their messaging use it.
The app is essentially a secure messaging and work management
app that people inside and outside an organization can use.

Think of it as Microsoft’s answer to WhatsApp, with more emphasis on

business needs.

Unfortunately, this app is scheduled to retire on August 2023 and

recommends users move to Microsoft Teams instead.
Microsoft 365 admin centers
There are also a lot of helpful admin tools that you can use to govern the
organization.

One thing to note here is that most platforms have their own admin
centers within Microsoft 365 admin center.
Admin centers
Admin centers are where you can manage your business in the cloud
for that specific app.
Some actions like removing users and changing licenses can only be
done in an admin center.

The admin centers in Microsoft 365 are the following:

Security/Defender
Compliance
AzureActive Directory
Exchange
SharePoint
Teams

Security/Defender
The security center is where you can manage intelligent security
solutions from Microsoft for identity and access management.
Within security, you can find the following:

Incidentsand alerts
Actions and submissions
Secure score
Trial
App governance
Reports, audit, health, permissions, and settings

Compliance
The compliance center allows you to assess your compliance risks,
protect your data with sensitivity and retention labels, and more.
Related: How to Create Sensitivity Labels in Microsoft 365 Within
compliance, you can find the following solutions:

Catalog
App governance
Audit
Content search
Communication compliance
eDiscovery
Data lifecycle management
Information protection
Insider risk management
 Records management
 Privacy risk management
 Subject rights requests
Azure Active Directory
Basically, Azure AD is a cloud-based identity and access
management service so employees can access external
resources. Azure AD enables you to manage the following:

 Users
 Groups
 External identities
 Roles and administrators
 Admin units
 Delegated admin partners
 Enterprise applications
 Devices
 App registrations
 Identity Governance
 Application proxy
Related: Types of Groups in Microsoft 365: Comparing Groups
Other Microsoft 365 tools
Here are other Microsoft 365 tools that don’t fit well with any of the
categories I listed above:

Microsoft Forms
Many students know Forms since many of them use this in school.

Forms is a freemium tool for creating interactive surveys and

quizzes. Businesses use it to gather feedback from customers.
Related: Microsoft Forms Update: New Features Announced
(Early 2023)
Besides creating forms, Forms has the following features:

Anonymous form submissions

Customized thank you messages
Exernal user accessibility
Branching logic

Note: For more info on creating a form, read this guide: How to
Create Microsoft Forms: The Definitive Guide.
Microsoft Stream
Did you know that Microsoft has a tool that’s like YouTube?

Stream is a video service where members of an organization can

share and manage videos.
Stream has a classic version and a new version. The new version
integrates really well with SharePoint.

With the new version, videos become a content type that’s equal to other
content types in Microsoft 365.

Note: For more info on Stream, check out this article: What is Microsoft
Stream? How does it work with SharePoint?
Microsoft Publisher
Publisher is a popular desktop publishing software that you can get
even with the lowest tier Microsoft 365 subscription.
Basically, Publisher enables its users to create gorgeous newsletters,
flyers, brochures, and more professional documents.

For features, Publisher offers the following:

Apply technical effects to texts, images, and shapes

Mail merge capabilities
Drag-and-drop interface for importing images
  Share documents
Publisher’s greatest benefit is that you can easily create
professional layouts with the help of templates.
Microsoft Bookings
Bookings is a tool for scheduling meetings.

Think of it as an extension of Outlook that clients and customers can

use to book a meeting with you or your team.

Bookings is directly connected to Outlook as it includes a web-based

calendar. it can also be used together with Microsoft Teams.
People use Bookings for the following reasons:

Real-timeappointment schedule availability

Smooth website integration
Automatic notifications and confirmations
Text and email notifications greatly help in lessening the number of no-
shows in meetings as they remind everyone of the upcoming meeting.
In addition, Bookings is sometimes confused with Bookings with me,
which is an Outlook feature meant for 1:1 meetings.
Note: For more info on using Bookings, check out this tutorial: How to
Use Microsoft Bookings: The Complete Tutorial.
Microsoft Delve
Think of Delve as a combination of an enterprise social network, a
collaboration space, a data visualization, and a discovery tool.
It’s cloud-based and powered by Office Graph with the purpose of
helping users discover and find information.

Here are the functions of Delve:

Find people and documents

Connect users and help them collaborate
View documents other users are working on
Find and organize information

A benefit of Delve is that it keeps things private unless you want to share
content or what you’re working on.