Microsoft 365 launched for hybrid work model: All you need to know

Users will be able to log into their PCs from any device and access all their personalised apps, tools, data, and settings from the cloud across any device. You can pick up right where you left off, because the state of your Cloud PC remains the same, even when you switch devices. (Image Source: Microsoft blog)

Microsoft is launching its new service ‘Microsoft 365’ a step up from the company’s collaborative apps in Microsoft Teams, giving users access to content and data across multiple devices amid the new hybrid work patterns.

This was announced in a blog post on July 14, by Jared Spataro, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft 365, and Alysa Taylor, Corporate Vice President for Industry, Apps, and Data Marketing.

The service will be available from August 2, it added.

So, here is all you need to know about the company’s new offering:

- Windows 365 connects the PC to the cloud and gives people the ability to connect to their content, applications, data, and settings without limiting them to any single device.

- It is a new hybrid-work innovation to the Microsoft cloud to keep people “connected, productive, and secure while they work, create, and learn”.

- The service will allow users to connect to their apps, data, and settings from any device and any endpoint, creating a “Cloud PC”.

- Users will be able to log into their PCs from any device and access all their personalised apps, tools, data, and settings from the cloud across any device. You can pick up right where you left off, because the state of your Cloud PC remains the same, even when you switch devices.

- The service has the Microsoft Endpoint Manager dashboard, wherein a group of Cloud PCs can be provisioned within minutes—including defining which version of Windows, assigning specific users or groups, and more.

- It is built on the principles of ‘Zero Trust’ and information is stored and secured in the cloud, not on the device. Microsoft 365 uses multifactor authentication (MFA) to explicitly verify any login or access attempt to a Cloud PC through integration with Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). And within Microsoft Endpoint Manager, you can pair MFA with dedicated Windows 365 conditional access policies to assess login risk instantly for each session.

- The service facilitates collaboration with Microsoft Teams, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform.

- Microsoft 365 will be available from August 2, 2021.