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An Amaxra consultant relayed an interesting customer insight recently when an Office 365 customer requested information on Microsoft Teams. 'Maybe this is because I'm Generation X,' the customer confessed to our consultant. 'But I really don't 'get' Microsoft Teams. I just know all of the Millennials keep trying to use Slack on our network, so I need to get in front of that and add Teams to our Office 365.' This is an interesting insight for two reasons:
It was facing stiff competition with Microsoft's Windows OS. Apple executives considered purchasing or leasing an operating system from several different sources, including IBM. Ultimately, a phone call from Steve Jobs to Apple convinced the company to acquire NeXT in order to use its OS in Mac computers. Install Office for Mac now Office 365 customers get the new Office for Mac first. You’ll have Office applications on your Mac or PC, apps on tablets and smartphones for when you're on the go, and Office Online on the web for everywhere in between. Dec 06, 2010 No you can't. Mac programs are a.dmg file, and a windows program is a.exe file.exe does not work on mac, and.dmg does not work on windows. December 7, 2010 at 7:35 pm. No, Apples Operating System (OS X) is based off of Linux (actually BSD Unix and the Mach Kernel). I do not believe there is a remotely easy way of. May 07, 2013 The complete guide to using Android with a Mac. With AFT you can browse the folders system of your Android device and drag and drop files between it and your Mac. You don't have to do.
The Office apps in the Mac App Store are production releases. To see which version of Office you have installed on your Mac, open one of the apps, and look at the License text in the About dialog.Can I get Office Insider builds from the Mac App Store?No. Office 365, Office 2019, and Office 2016 use the same application and file names. How do a iexpand window in microsoft office for mac.
The uptick we've seen in Microsoft Teams adoption among Amaxra customers is often based on that business-value calculation. Rather than thinking of Teams as a key component to a larger productivity-enhancing strategy for their business, some of our customers are reactionary; seeing the majority of the software development team surreptitiously installing Slack clients on their computers is enough to make most business owners nervous about the obvious potential for cybersecurity issues from unauthorized software on the corporate network. Moving to Microsoft Teams is a reaction to the issue of Slack infiltration rather than a 'killer feature' in Teams that the business can't do without.
However, Amaxra believes there is a real killer feature when it comes to Microsoft Teams: Its ability to replace your entire business phone system with a managed cloud service. This feature, called Phone System, enables private branch exchange (PBX) business telephony capabilities from within Office 365. This feature enables employees to be so much more productive for such a relatively small effort that we're surprised more businesses don't use it.
Replace your business phone with the cloud
If you already have Office 365 and Teams, then you already know that anyone in your organization using Microsoft Teams can make voice over IP (VoIP) calls to any other team member using a Windows PC, Apple Mac/iPhone/iPad, and Google Android device running the Microsoft Teams app. However, these VoIP calls are essentially an intercom system for employees inside a company because the Teams app does not connect you to the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Most businesses connect to the PSTN using PBX hardware installed at an office location. Without access to the PSTN through a PBX, the Teams app cannot be assigned a phone number and therefore nobody outside your organization can dial a number and talk to you.
The Phone System in Office 365 feature provides your business with a 100% cloud-based PBX system. Microsoft took the complicated and expensive equipment required at your office location to bridge your VoIP calls with the PSTN and made it a subscription service in the cloud. With Phone System, you can use Microsoft Teams exactly like you use your regular phone—and do it from any device running Teams and from anywhere in the world as long as you have internet access.
You can add Calling Plans that fit your business needs (e.g. your finance department employees only make domestic calls while sales makes both domestic and international calls) that provide standard Phone System features, such as call answering and initiating (by name and number) with integrated dial pad, call holding and retrieving, call forwarding and simultaneous ringing, call history, voicemail, and emergency calling. Most importantly, you can do all of this from the Teams app on your laptop, tablet, and smartphone or from a wide array of Teams-compatible headsets and conference-room speakerphones from top brands if you have investments in 'traditional' office phone hardware.
How to set up Phone System in Microsoft Teams
Phone System can be turned on in the Office 365 admin center for those with an Office 365 Enterprise E5 subscription plan or as an add-in for the Office 365 Enterprise E1/E3, Office 365 Business Premium, and Microsoft 365 Business plans. In Teams, there are two options to enable users to make, receive, and transfer calls to and from landlines and mobile phones on the PSTN:
To get the most out of these options, we recommend you first envision how your employees will get the best experience out of Teams' voice services. For example, never underestimate the importance of network quality. When a call from Teams goes to the cloud, to the PSTN, and finally reaches your intended recipient, one low-quality link in that network chain can cause problems. The majority of urban and suburban offices in North America, western Europe, and Oceania should have no problems sourcing sufficient broadband to make Phone System for Teams work splendidly. However, we caution potential Teams users with offices in rural areas with aged wireline or spotty wireless internet that their experience will be less than optimal.
Get everyone ready to collaborate with Teams and Phone System
When you make the choice to deploy Phone System for Teams at your company, there's a good chance that you'll see that generation gap open up again. It is very likely Millennials will start making calls using Microsoft Teams the day you offer it to them. Or they might not. And the Gen Xers could 'get' the Phone System but won't get Teams. That's why preparation for the change to Phone System for Teams is crucial to success. Amaxra recommends that you educate employees on the benefits and process of using Phone System for Teams a month prior to the rollout and for a month after the deployment.
Amaxra consultants have successfully deployed Microsoft Teams with Phone System for numerous enterprise customers and are experts at training and supporting the service. We're also such firm believers in the cloud-based voice collaboration solution that we dropped our onsite PBX hardware in favor of Phone System for our own employees.
Feedback and comments are always welcome. If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact me at [email protected]. You can also connect with me via LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/jpodonnell2.
Over the years many folks in client sites have noticed the glowing apple on the lid of my laptop and knowing that I’m running Microsoft Project have asked me: “How the heck do you do that?!”
My quick reply: “Well, let me show you…”
To start, you have to learn about the wonderful world of “virtualization.” Virtualization is a techie buzzword that simply means running another operating system (with all its associated applications) on another operating system — for example, running Windows 10 on your Apple’s macOS platform.
The implication of this apparent magic is that you can actually run Microsoft Project on your Mac — something that most folks find unfathomable since Microsoft doesn’t make a version to run natively on your shiny aluminum Apple laptop. So why not turn this problem on its head and just run Windows on your Mac?
6 Reasons for Running Windows on a Mac
If you’re not already doing this, why would you want to run Windows on a Mac? Let me count the reasons…
A Native Mac App
Project Viewer 365 from Housatonic is a native Mac app that allows you to view or edit Project files on your Mac without virtualization. For users who don’t touch Windows PCs that’s a perfectly reasonable solution. However, it should be noted that the cost of $80 per year for a version of Project Viewer 365 that edits your .MPP files is oftentimes higher than the cost of buying true virtualization software. In my mind, running true-blue Project software to edit your precious project files is the safest and best way to go.
Microsoft planner for mac desktop. How to Get Windows up and Running on Your Mac
Getting Windows (and ultimately Project) to run on a Mac is neither complicated nor expensive. Note that if you’re not technically inclined, the procedure may sound a bit challenging because it requires a software installation akin to installing Windows.
Basically, you need to purchase virtualization software, which is less than $80 on popular retail sites. My top preferences are:
I’ve vacillated between these two choices over the years, with both doing the same thing in about the same way. I’ve recently settled on the Parallels product because of its great product support and overall simplicity.
A note to those who have tried Apple’s Boot Camp Utility to run Windows on a Mac in the past: forgettaboutit — not recommended!
Regardless of your choice, the procedure is the same:
Microsoft Business Phone System
Basic Requirements and Under-the-Cover Operations
Before you begin, it’s best to understand the following regarding requirements and what is really going on under the covers:
The important take-away about VM files is that once created, they can be copied, modified and shared. Everything you need is self-contained in that one ginormous file. Typically, (as done within my organization), a techie initially creates the VM file and shares with other staff (with appropriate software licensing applied).
Working with Your Both-in-One Mac/Windows Machine
Once all is installed and set up, you’ll find working with Microsoft Project no different from working on any other type of machine. You just do what you do: create project schedules, produce Gantt charts and interact with Project Server just as you did on a PC. Nothing has changed here. You’ll find that Project is snappy and responsive, as are all other applications running in your virtual environment.
When storing your work files, I recommend that you not save them inside of your virtual space, but instead save them to the cloud or to the file directories on the Mac side. VMs are great for running a different operating system and Windows applications on a Mac, but I wouldn’t keep my precious project files there. I store all my work files in the cloud, so that no matter what happens to my machine, virtual or otherwise, I know they will be safe. Why? VMs can be used as temporary spaces, to either test new applications or otherwise be blown away — in case you catch a malware bug, which is common when working with Windows-based machines.
You may have work files in your Mac directories (on the desktop, in your documents folder, etc.). In that case, no fear! Your new VM will see these files and allow you to edit them directly without having a copy on the Windows side of things. In short, the VM running Windows is a collection of software running in a virtual space, interacting with all of your files on the Mac side.
You also get to choose which applications are run where, regardless of which side of the fence you’re working on. For example, Parallels Desktop can be configured to open up all of your web pages in Safari, just in case you’re not a fan of Internet Explorer or Window’s new browser, Edge. Likewise, with document files; you can choose to open up spreadsheets in either Numbers or Excel, or presentations in either Keynote or PowerPoint.
My recommendation is this: If you’re running, say, Windows 10 on your Mac, why not open all your document files using real Windows software? I know I do, and I have never been sorry. As a long-time Mac user, I have run into situations when using Numbers or Keynote that the files don’t translate well into Excel or PowerPoint when I’m sharing with Windows users — too many gotchas for my nervous system!
Working within the Best of Both Worlds
As a lover of both the Mac operating system and the Windows 10 operating system, I’ve never been happier with my two-in-one machine. I’ve saved tons of money using this method and no longer have to tote around two laptops — the one I love (my Mac) and one I must use for my business (the PC).
Does Microsoft Phone System Work With Mac Software
For the past several years, I’ve found other advantages outside of maintaining two separate laptops. First, I find work much more enjoyable and affordable. Yes, I’ve had to upgrade my SSD, and I’ve had to buy top-of-the-line Macs, but I’ve saved tons of dollars and no longer have to work on what I consider inferior and short-lived hardware. I’ve truly found comfort and joy while working within the best of both computing worlds.
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