Why This Matters
Some of the most helpful office tools are softwares that allow you to create documents, graphs, presentations etc and share with other users so that they too can edit, collaborate, create and add to documents. The two most popular ones are Microsoft and Google Workspace (formally Google Suite/GSuite).
Resources
What is Microsoft Office? – What you need to know about the package of apps that make up Microsoft Office.
Google Account – A Google account gives you access to many Google products and this how-to walks you through setting one up.
Google Workspace (formerly Google Suite/GSuite) – Use Google Workspace for business email, video conferencing, cloud storage, and file sharing.
Google Workspace vs. Microsoft Office – Explore the pros and cons of each product in depth and explain why, and when, you might want to use one over the other.
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Recommendations
Microsoft Office – Manage documents and collaborate with online versions of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneDrive, Outlook, Teams and OneNote. Save documents, spreadsheets, and presentations online, and share between team members. There are versions available for home, business, enterprise and education. There are paid tiers depending on your need for individual, family or business.
Google Workspace – Google Drive/Docs/Sheets/Slides. Manage documents centrally with Google Workspace, which offers tools for creating documents, presentations and spreadsheets. Changes are tracked and several individuals can be working in a document at the same time. Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides are each similar to Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and are cross-compatible as well. (Note: you can still use all of these documents with a personal Google Account as well).
Using Google Drive also includes their suite of productivity tools (Docs, Sheets, etc.), allowing you to create and share new files quickly, easily and securely, right from your own Drive. Google Workspace includes:
- Docs, Sheets and Slides – Google’s answer to Word, Excel and PowerPoint (and they are all cross-compatible, too)
- Chat and Meet – For collaborating with your team via text, voice and video calls
- Forms and Sites – For building rich surveys and websites
- Keep – For tracking all of your notes and lists
There are several other tools in the Google Workspace, but these are the most widely used (aside from Gmail and Calendar) and are accessible via any web browser on any device with internet connectivity. Plus, all changes are automatically saved on the fly…no more hitting the ‘Save’ button every few minutes to protect your work.