Setting up my first desktop with the new Office 365 (Wave 15) was easier than the earlier "version".
Previously, you needed to
- download and install Office
- run a Desktop setup app that installed updates, a sign-in assistant and shortcuts / connections to Office 365 services
- download and install Lync
Now there's 1 step. Ok, correct me and say there are 3 steps but I say 1. The other two are instructions for "how to connect your mobile devices" and "how your colleagues can set up the their desktop.
What is this magic one step?
Set up your Software.
Simply click "Install" to download and install Office 2013.
Through the magic of the new Click-2-Run deployment method, the very latest version and build of Office will be installed.
Lync is included in this build, so there's no need to download and install separately.
Now, what's missing from the mantra our helpdesk used to say? "Did you run Desktop Setup? It's step 2 in your portal".
There is no need for Desktop Setup.
- Office will now periodically check for updates and patch itself. If your IT department has planned ahead, they will have created a place on your local network to download Office and as a backup, to check Microsoft Online Services for the latest version.
- Office is already designed to connect to SharePoint and make it easy to find your files located in SharePoint.Desktop Setup doesn't need connect the new Office 2013 to SharePoint.
- Sign into Office, IN OFFICE. Apparently, there is no Sign-In Assistant anymore either. Is this part of the new build of Office 2013 via Click-2-Run? Perhaps. I think we need to confirm this assumption. But the point is, when you fire up an Office application for the first time, you are not asked to log into Office 365 as before. However, you can log into Office 2013 at the top right corner of the applications to take advantage of all the great new features such as remembering where I was working last and connection to SkyDrive / SkyDrive Pro.
Now you are ready to connect Outlook to your Office 365 mailbox, sign into Lync and get communicat'n and visit your team site / SkyDrive Pro files.
Simple Desktop Setup - now available with the new Office 365
