Microsoft’s move to turn Office into a subscription-based service is working out well for the company. With millions of consumers and businesses now using the platform, Microsoft has to be clear in the way it implements changes since they control the infrastructure of the service.
To help businesses prepare for upcoming changes, the company is increasing its commitment to transparency by posting an Office 365 roadmap. It provides a glimpse at what is to come for the service in terms of major new features, enhancements and updates. Microsoft is not ruling out the ability to provide an even more long-term agenda for the platform, but for now, it is sticking with a forecast that extends just a few months ahead.
If you are like us and don’t like waiting for new features to come down the pipe to your machine, Microsoft is also now offering up ‘First Release’. This is a new program that provides customers the option to enjoy a small selection of significant enhancements to the Office 365 user experience, SharePoint Online, and Exchange Online before others in the general release group.
Microsoft says that customers who join First Release will get new features, at minimum, two weeks before everyone else in the "standard release" schedule.
Both of these announcements will surely appease users as it helps to provide a more structured approach to the subscription service. With the roadmap, corporations can know what to expect and prepare for the enhancements before they are released. And with the First Release program, users can now get an expected roll-out time window to receive their enhancements in a more timely manner.
If you have questions about the updates, Microsoft will be hosting a YamJam (yeah, a party on Yammer) on June 24th at 9 a.m. PDT. If you want to participate, hit the source link below to get all the details about how to join the conversation.
Source: Microsoft