The quiet achiever powering your workflows By Stephanie Oley

Few work tools are as ubiquitous as Microsoft 365. The software suite has evolved markedly in the 3.5 decades since debuting as the trio of Word, Excel and PowerPoint in 1989, and now includes more than 20 apps and services.

It has around 354 million subscribers globally, revenues of $77.8 billion, and double-digit customer growth in recent years.

Parent firm Microsoft marked its 50th anniversary in 2025 and arguably plays a large role in our wider working and recreational lives too. Microsoft owns gaming brand Xbox, networking platform LinkedIn, and cloud platform Azure. It has collaborated with computing brands including IBM, Adobe and SAP. When Microsoft’s Bliss meadow photograph – an iconic feature of the desktop setting – recently turned 30, several media articles even marked the occasion.

CCE facilitator Danish Malik, who presents several courses on Microsoft 365, describes it as being the largest common factor in business. ‘Although some businesses use different platforms, and even customised solutions, Microsoft 365 is a safe way of making your work accessible to the widest stakeholder group possible,’ he says.

What’s new in Microsoft 365?

So, what can users expect from the tool today? Many industry experts say the biggest recent change within Microsoft 365 have been its integration of platforms, not the launch of new tools or functionalities. Malik agrees, adding that this presents unique opportunities for professionals keen to shape more productive habits.

‘For users who have had an ad hoc journey to mastering their Microsoft 365 skills, there can be confusion around how all these apps interconnect. Understanding this is the key to more efficient work practices,’ he says.

Many participants of Malik’s courses have administrative backgrounds, and this is where Microsoft 365 is particularly valuable. Not too long ago, Executive Assistants and other admin professionals completed countless manual functions each day.

These ranged from adding email attachments to completing mail merges and managing version control (document v1, v2 and so on). Such processes are time-consuming and error-prone (‘Um, I didn’t see the attachment?’) and are increasingly redundant, Malik says.

‘For example, when someone creates an object in Microsoft Teams, this action automatically creates a SharePoint site in the background with multiple connectivities that everyone can access.’

Microsoft Teams can manage entire communication sequences in place of emails, Malik adds, allowing users to create meetings, assign tasks, set deadlines and manage files. ‘Users can create important documents in Teams such as budget proposals or project reports. Microsoft 365 is configured to allow everyone to easily access the latest version of these using a series of tabs,’ he explains.

Security and compatibility unrivalled

The subscription-based model of Microsoft 365 – in place since 2011 – also means issues such as version compatibility are a thing of the past.

‘Before, you would have to manually download Microsoft updates onto your desktop, meaning that new features or changes were offered less frequently. But with the cloud-based program, change is constant and you get the latest version of a tool automatically at no extra cost.’

Importantly for Business subscribers, this includes advanced security against cyber-threats across your Microsoft ecosystem. If you’re a Microsoft 365 user, you’ll already have experienced its seamless and AI-boosted defence across email functions, collaboration tools and file storage facilities.

Adding AI to the Microsoft mix

Of course, another major change to Microsoft 365 tools has been the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) across all products. Copilot was launched in 2023 and uptake quickly grew to 100 million active users within the first two years. AI also sits behind Microsoft’s cybersecurity, actively develops new products (through Azure AI Foundry), and is prompting an ever-expanding wave of datacentres to be built.

To quote CEO Satya Nadella from a recent annual report:

This generation of AI is radically changing every layer of the tech stack, and we are changing with it.

- Satya Nadella

Learning how Microsoft 365 works

Of course, a degree of legwork sits behind all this workplace efficiency. Permissions must be preset correctly to ensure security protocols are maintained. Data must be prepared a certain way to display correctly across a range of tools. Your organisation’s AI policies must be fully understood for you to get the most out of Copilot.

This is where structured, instructor led professional development makes a difference. In a single day, the Microsoft Office with 365: Essentials course gives participants a refresher of time-saving tools to know in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and others in the cloud-based setting of OneDrive.

For more advanced users, the Microsoft 365 Course: Collaborative Tools goes a step further to refine how these tools are integrated across workplace scenarios. Learn how to do the same tasks with less rework, fewer risks and greater confidence.