For a more detailed overview of what's under the bonnet on Mac Office 2008 then please visit this site. It has some great graphics of the new release plus access to the Mactopia newsletter.
The official release for Mac Office 2008 will be/was at Macworld where you can join in if you're lucky enough to be over there.
I know of one university that has been on the beta for Mac Office 2008 and is ready to start installing the final release once they're able to get hold of it. IMHO one of the main features of this new release is that it is all about re-connecting users with the power of Office. As well as this, there are some significant updates to the components in the suite which should impress.
I'm not a Mac user but I look forward to having a tour of Mac Office 2008 with friends that are, and I'm sure they'll give me their opinion of the new version.
We've been talking about it for quite some time - and the beta and trial versions of the new 2008 products have been floating around on the web. The official launch event for all of the products - Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008 - is happening on March 19th, and will be followed by a series of technical roadshows around the country.
In WIndows Server 2008 there are new web tools, virtualisation technologies, security enhancements and management utilities to help save time, reduce costs and provide a solid foundation for your IT infrastructure. If you'd like to find out more - or download a trial of the products - to help with your ICT planning going forward, then click across to our Heroes Happen Here website, which has all of the latest information, downloads and links to more detailed product information.
Firstly, what is OpenXML? Well, it's the underlying document format in Office 2007. Market researchers with the Burton Group have issued a 37-page study– not commissioned by Microsoft or any other tech vendor — that finds Microsoft’s OOXML document format to be more useful than the rival ODF format backed by Microsoft’s competitors.
After comparing the respective merits of OOXML and ODF, Burton made its recommendations for IT managers:
“Any organization directly or indirectly (e.g., exchanging files with business partners) using Microsoft Office applications should plan to exploit OOXML. In addition to being the default file format in Office 2007, OOXML offers significant compression and security advantages relative to earlier, binary Microsoft Office file formats. “Although moving to OOXML file formats involves some administrative challenges, the opportunities for improved content management and productivity outweigh the short-term inconvenience of migrating from binary file formats.”
“Any organization directly or indirectly (e.g., exchanging files with business partners) using Microsoft Office applications should plan to exploit OOXML. In addition to being the default file format in Office 2007, OOXML offers significant compression and security advantages relative to earlier, binary Microsoft Office file formats.
“Although moving to OOXML file formats involves some administrative challenges, the opportunities for improved content management and productivity outweigh the short-term inconvenience of migrating from binary file formats.”
The full article can be found at: http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1107
I've noticed how the use of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems have been growing rapidly in education. I have traditionally thought about "students" rather than "customers", but the changes that have happened in the FE sector over the last few years, and an increasing focus on business customers (through things like 'Train to Gain'), have meant that sophisticated customer management techniques are vital to support the continuing development of your business. And after all, building a relationship with an existing customer is a lot less expensive than finding new ones every year.
The Microsoft Dynamics CRM system version 4, is being launched on 31st January, at our main offices in Reading, with a follow up launch at The Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh on 26th February. The event will give you a chance to see how the CRM system is developing, and an opportunity to hear a customer talking about how it is being used within their business. (I notice the General Manager for Dynamics CRM worldwide will be there, so a chance to ask some deep questions about our strategy too!).
Use these links to find out more about the event, and register to attend, in London on 31st January or Edinburgh on 26th February.
A customer case study within education
You may also be interested in reading about how one of our customers is using Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The case study is just over a year old, and examines the issues that the DfES wanted to tackle when they implemented a pilot CRM system in their Corporate Services and Development Directorate. You can read more about it on our worldwide Case Studies website.