Enhancing information rights management in Word, Excel and PowerPoint mobile apps

Finding the balance between protection and productivity is critical to any organization. With the increased distribution of data, organizations need sensitive data to be born protected. This is why we invest in Azure Rights Management to help you protect information in today’s mobile-first, cloud-first world.

Information rights management (IRM) is now supported everywhere in Office Mobile as we are pleased to announce that we are extending Azure Rights Management to the Word, Excel and PowerPoint mobile apps for Android. You are now able to open, read and review rights-protected emails and Office documents on any device—whether it runs Windows, Mac, iOS or Android.

Other upcoming enhancements

We are hard at work building several other new features and enhancements to make the IRM experience even better for Office 365 subscribers in future updates.

These planned updates include:

• Document tracking and revocation with Azure Rights Management Premium—Azure Rights Management Premium users will be able to track usage of and revoke access to documents that were protected with rights management services (RMS). We’ll deliver this first for Office for Windows, followed by Office for Mac and Office Mobile for iOS.

• Single sign-on and multiple accounts in Office 2016 for Mac—We are making changes to support single sign-on in Office 2016 for Mac, which means you won’t need to sign in again to view an RMS-protected document if you’re already signed in. This will work for any Office 365 account that you’re signed in to—even if you have more than one account. We’re also removing the limitation where you have to view an RMS-protected document first before you are able to protect new documents with RMS.

• Improved user experience in Office 2016 for Windows—We’re making targeted improvements to our error-handling and authentication mechanisms to make reading and authoring RMS-protected documents and emails more seamless. If you are unable to read RMS-protected content because, for example, you aren’t signed in to Office or you don’t have permission to read the content with any of your signed-in accounts, we will clearly explain why and offer options to resolve the issue.

• Open legacy file formats—The Office apps for Windows Universal and Android will support opening RMS-protected documents that were saved in legacy formats, like .xls, .doc, and .ppt. Office apps for iPhone and iPad already support this.

Visit the Azure Rights Management website and read the product documentation to learn more. If you already use Azure Rights Management, make sure you update your Android devices with the latest versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint today so you get all the new functionality we have released.

Managed Solution is a full-service technology firm that empowers business by delivering, maintaining and forecasting the technologies they’ll need to stay competitive in their market place. Founded in 2002, the company quickly grew into a market leader and is recognized as one of the fastest growing IT Companies in Southern California.

We specialize in providing full Microsoft solutions to businesses of every size, industry, and need.

Technology can help bridge the gap as cures are sought for ALS

On Friday, GLEASON, the critically acclaimed documentary about former NFL player Steve Gleason, will open in select theaters across the U.S. GLEASON tells the incredibly powerful story of Steve’s life both leading up to and after his diagnosis in 2011 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease. I’ve been fortunate to see the documentary a few times over the last few months and I’ll be honest, you’ll need tissues and strong stomach muscles. It is real, gritty, warm, humbling and hilarious. The Gleasons have a relentless drive to empower others with ALS to ‘live’ and live a life that is worth living, and I know I’m not the only one who feels unbelievably lucky to partner with Team Gleason on technology to help support that goal.

Microsoft’s work with Team Gleason got ignited two years ago this week at //oneweek, our annual hackathon where thousands of Microsoft employees spend days poring over projects that have a real impact. Steve had issued a challenge to Microsoft to develop technology to help people with ALS, specifically to help him communicate more easily, play with his son and move his wheelchair independently. The 2014 //oneweek Ability EyeGaze hackathon team came together to tackle that challenge and ended up winning the whole hackathon that year.

Two years on, Team Gleason and Steve continue to work on these goals with the Microsoft Enable team in Microsoft Technology and Research, producing technology that enables people to move their wheelchairs and communicate through their keyboards using nothing more than the movement of their eyes. The passion and dedication of everyone that has touched this project has been overwhelming; it’s been a remarkable experience in which to participate. In that time, the project has evolved from an early stage hack into technology that helps Steve do exactly what he asked: be more independent. Steve is regularly using the technology to get around and to communicate with friends and family, just as he had envisioned at the beginning.

The technology may now be real and have a lot less duct tape involved than when we first started, but the work is far from done. We are still in the research phase and are continuing to improve it – even here at //oneweek this week – with the goal of making it available to everyone who can benefit from it.

We have learned so much along the way from many families impacted by ALS and we are humbled by their generosity. We know that technology has the power to change lives and we are fired up at the chance to work with so many amazing people to help make that possible.

To stay up to speed on the latest developments in accessibility, visit the Microsoft Accessibility website. You can also read more about exciting new research projects like this on the Microsoft Enable team’s website. And follow us on Twitter at Microsoft Accessibility (@MSFTEnable), Microsoft Research (@MSFTResearch) and Team Gleason (@TeamGleason).

Lastly, please, go see this documentary, and you’ll see why we’re so passionate.

As Steve says, ‘Until there is a cure for ALS, technology is the cure.’

7 simple calendar tricks that will level-up your team’s productivity

What’s the secret to maximizing productivity and efficiency? There’s no single silver bullet, but one sure-fire way to make gains is with calendar tricks that will keep you organized and focused. From scheduling “no meeting” time blocks to integrating mobile so you never miss a meeting—the art of calendar optimization is crucial.

Here are seven simple calendar tricks you can use to bring your productivity to the next level:

1.Schedule “no meeting” time blocks—Instead of multitasking, set aside time without interruptions. “When people multitask, often they do multiple things badly,” says David Sanbonmatsu, University of Utah professor of Psychology. “A lot of times, the people who multitask the most are the worst at it…it’s individuals who lack impulse control.” (From Forbes.)

2.Set out-of-office (OOO) time—Identify blocks of time on your calendar as “unavailable,” “not working” or “OOO” if you’re not working a certain day or are traveling.

Pro hack: If you have a regular non-work appointment or commute time when you’re unavailable, schedule it as recurring OOO time. To do this in Outlook, just open the meeting you want to set as recurring and on the Meeting tab (in the Options group), click Recurrence. Select your desired frequency, set options for the frequency and click OK.

3.Connect your calendar on your mobile—It happens to everyone: You’re not on your laptop and a meeting runs late, you forget when and where your next meeting is and you end up shuffling in with a flurry of apologies five minutes after the next meeting begins. Integrate your calendar on your mobile device to stay up-to-date on all your meetings.

4.Install buffer time—Whenever possible, schedule an extra 10 minutes on either side of every meeting, so that you have enough time to clean up from the current meeting and then prepare and set up for the next meeting. This will also help you avoid the feeling of “running” from meeting to meeting.

5.Schedule breaks—When you’re completing tasks like a do-it-all, it’s easy to plow through and work till you’re fried. “Getting up for a few minutes and getting our blood flowing and some more oxygen to the brain is a necessary piece of the work day,” according to the Huffington Post’s Healthy Living team. Schedule breaks into your calendar to avoid burnout and boost creativity and let your calendar reminders hold you accountable.

6.Set check-in reminders—As major deadlines approach, schedule check-ins with reminders for benchmarks along the way. This avoids end-of-project stress and ensures you’re checking off tasks before they’ve passed. Include team members on your calendar reminders to encourage team check-ins as well.

7.Integrate business contacts—Simplify inviting business contacts by integrating your calendar with your contact list.

Pro hack: You can add a contact from an email message in Office 365. Open the message so that the person’s name is shown in one of these lines: From, To, Cc or Bcc. Right-click the appropriate name and click Add to Outlook Contacts. A new window opens, where you can fill in the details you want and then OK when done.

Use your calendar to stay on top of your day by optimizing organization and ultimately making you more productive. For more productivity tips learn how to work smarter in the cloud. To ensure you and your team are more connected get the eBook: “Collaborate, Anytime, Anywhere.“

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Is your company’s data secure?

Keeping data secure is pivotal to the success of all organizations. Office 365 Enterprise E5 Plan is Microsoft’s most secure productivity solution ever—offering industry-leading security and compliance features. Microsoft’s cybersecurity intelligence and machine learning capabilities help protect against unknown malware and detect anomalies quickly to allow a rapid response.

In addition, Office 365 meets many industry and regulatory requirements and helps organizations respond to legal issues with machine learning that quickly identifies relevant content for eDiscovery.

Organizations improve visibility and control with Office 365. Administrators can set control policies, discover “shadow” IT, control data access and gain critical insights into threats.

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