Exploring standalone versus online 365 apps
In this section, we will discuss the difference between the latest release of Office 2021 versions. Microsoft Office 2021 is offered as a one-time purchase, which grants you a lifetime license for the software.
The Microsoft 365 plans include online apps and can be purchased as subscription services (monthly or yearly) with regular updates to features. Apps that are included with Microsoft 365 can be shared to your devices, as well as within your family unit.
With the Office 2021 standalone desktop version, you are limited to one installation per user. You will need to purchase any further upgrades for the software when they're released. However, security updates will be pushed out to both platforms (standalone desktop and online apps).
Reference
More information regarding Microsoft 365 can be found here:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office.
There are various purchase options for the desktop version of Office 2021 and your requirements will determine the best option. The following applications are always included as a standard:
- Word 2021
- Excel 2021
- PowerPoint 2021
Other applications such as Access 2021, Outlook 2021, Publisher 2021, Teams, and OneNote 2019 form part of the offering, depending on the plan you choose:
Figure 1.1 – Microsoft Office 2021 plans
The Microsoft 365 contribution (2021 apps) is divided into Home and Business plans, with a range of different options under each. Visit the following website for details: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-365/buy/compare-all-microsoft-365-products-b?. Regarding the operating systems that Office 2021 requires, it can run on Windows 10 and 11 (as well as macOS).
In this chapter, we will refer to OneDrive and SharePoint. It is important to note the difference between these two online storage apps. OneDrive is a personal online storage and sharing tool that is provided, along with other apps, when you sign up for a Microsoft account. As a personal user with OneDrive, you can grant others access to files, known as file sharing. Note that some plans are free, while some must be paid. SharePoint is used to collaborate on files via a team within an organization. SharePoint offers a higher level of security and access to files is managed by the Admin team.
Let's move on to the next section, where we will look at what changes have been made to the Microsoft Office 2021 interface.