Alternative Productivity Suites Can Rock as Hard as Office

Transcription

1 Alternative Productivity Suites Can Rock as Hard as Office Microsoft is the headliner when it comes to productivity suites, but there are plenty of smaller acts that can get the job done just as well. FIVE ALTERNATIVES

2 EDITOR S NOTE The Enterprise and Microsoft Office: Till Death Do Us Part? When you think of productivity suites, Microsoft Office most likely springs to mind. The applications in Office are some of the most ubiquitous in the enterprise, and for good reason. Office has tons of features and applications, and it s relatively easy to use. This guide was even written and edited in Word. But Office isn t the only suite of productivity applications out there, and it s not the right option for every company. Some businesses might want a more cloud-focused approach, in which case Office 365 or Google Apps might be the way to go. Companies looking for free access to word processing, spreadsheet and other applications can look to open-source alternatives such as OpenOffice and LibreOffice. Apple has its own suite for Mac users. And there are plenty of mobile productivity applications, some of which are free including those from Microsoft, although they re very limited without an Office 365 subscription. It s worth it to look at both desktop and mobile alternatives to Office, because the options are so competitive these days. Consider features, support, user needs and, of course, pricing. For many companies, Office could still be the best option. Volume licensing can help with cost concerns, and the continued updates and support Microsoft provides are a draw for businesses. Additionally, it s important to think about the learning curve, help desk tickets and user frustration that can come from moving users to a completely new and potentially very different interface. Still, taking another look at the productivity suite market can t hurt. So why not begin with this three-part guide? n Margaret Jones Site Editor End-User Computing Media Group TechTarget 2

3 SUITE SMACKDOWN Compare Office 365, Office 2013 And Open Source Suites Many companies that haven t already embraced Office 2013 Professional are considering other options to reduce expenses and increase productivity. Often, those businesses look to Office 365 because of its extended services, lower up-front costs, and better compatibility with the on-premises version of Office. Other organizations might consider a more radical departure from the ubiquitous Microsoft product by turning to open-source suites such as LibreOffice and OpenOffice. They are easy to install, simple to use and best of all free. Each alternative has its advantages and disadvantages. Even Office 2013 might prove the best choice for some organizations. OFFICE 365 VS. OFFICE Office 365 delivers the traditional Office suite as a subscription service that users can access either through the local client applications or via a browser, depending on the service level. Microsoft currently offers six Office 365 plans for business, with subscription rates between $8 and $20 per user, per month. In addition to the usual core components of Office Professional Word, Excel, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and Access Office 365 also includes a number of services and features that are not part of the desktop suite. For example, most of the plans let users install the full set of Office applications on up to five PCs or Macs, with the proviso that Mac OS X doesn t support Publisher or Access, just like its Office 2011 counterpart. Users can also install Office client apps on up to five tablets and five smartphones. An Office 2013 license permits only one installation on a single PC or Mac. In addition, all Office 365 business plans provide up to 1 TB of integrated OneDrive storage 3

4 SUITE SMACKDOWN per user, and most of those plans include social networks, unlimited online meetings and team intranet sites. Office 365 for business also bundles Exchange Online, SharePoint Online and Lync Online, and it provides automatic updates that incorporate security improvements, bug fixes and new features across all the services. Despite all the extras that come with Office 365, it does have its downsides. For instance, incorporating non-office users into the document workflow can be difficult, and OneDrive synchronization is still a bit buggy. Adding files to a synced local drive, for example, doesn t always guarantee that OneDrive will properly sync them. Adopting Office 365 can put businesses and their users at the mercy of Microsoft s maintenance schedules. Microsoft can update Office apps without warning, which sometimes introduces bugs, changes how features work or breaks in-house systems. A subscription service can also end up being more costly in the long run than an on-premises setup, depending on an organization s existing infrastructure and number of users. Although Office 365 comes with relatively low up-front costs, subscription fees continue long after the software is paid for. Organizations considering a choice between Office 2013 and Office 365 should first perform a careful, longrange cost analysis. OPEN SOURCE VS. OFFICE 2013 A more promising way to reduce spending might be an open source option. Businesses can not only save on licensing fees, but they can also modify the source code to meet specific organizational needs. The two most popular open source productivity suites available today are LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice. Both products share a common ancestry in the StarOffice suite, which Sun Microsystems acquired in Soon after, Sun open sourced the software and dubbed it OpenOffice.org. When Oracle acquired Sun in 2011, the company renamed the product and then discontinued it. To counter this situation, a group of developers forked off the OpenOffice.org code and created LibreOffice. Then Oracle handed 4

5 SUITE SMACKDOWN OpenOffice.org over to Apache, which created the two branches: LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice. Although the two efforts took off in their own directions, they continue to share much of the same code base and deliver the same types of applications: word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing, database and math equation editor. The interfaces are very similar, and the differences can be difficult to discern, even when they re opened side by side. Users can perform most of the same basic tasks in the open source suites that they can in Office They can: Create and edit documents Import and export them to and from different formats Add tables, images and other elements Insert comments Run macros Office 2013 provides a more sophisticated, streamlined and polished environment, yet OpenOffice and LibreOffice are surprisingly robust and support a wide range of formatting, editing and viewing options to help workers stay productive. And for some, the simpler interfaces are a welcome. The best part about OpenOffice and Libre- Office is that they re totally free. Even if they can t compete with Office 2013 on a featureby-feature basis, they still have plenty to offer. They re simple to install and provide benefits not available with Office 2013, such as the ability to run on Linux. Unlike Office, the LibreOffice and OpenOffice editions that are available to Windows, Mac OS X and Linux computers are comparable. Microsoft lets the Mac version of Office lag behind its Windows counterpart. In fact, OpenOffice and LibreOffice will run on Windows XP and Vista, something even Office 2013 can t do. Robert Sheldon 5

6 GIANTS VS. OPEN SOURCE Do Companies Even Need Microsoft Office? The way corporate users work has changed over the years. Today, questioning whether the same processes and applications companies have always used are still relevant can lead to big changes with enterprise implications. Take Microsoft Office, for example: Do business users really need it anymore? Aren t there alternatives better suited to cloud and mobile computing? There are quite a few Office alternatives to consider when evaluating workplace needs. From a top-line perspective, they may make a lot of financial sense for basic business purposes. APACHE OPENOFFICE The OpenOffice suite is probably the alternative that comes closest to Microsoft s Office capabilities. Most editions are free, and for basic tasks, OpenOffice does just fine. Some technical and academic publishers use Writer OpenOffice s word processor to develop in-depth manuscripts. The Calc spreadsheet doesn t have some of the advanced data mining features of Excel, but it is up to the task for the majority of budget spreadsheets, forecasts and table-based information organizers. Many folks say using OpenOffice is like using Microsoft Office s old menu-driven interface. GOOGLE APPS Google Apps such as Docs and Sheets often come up in the conversation about Microsoft Office alternatives, but they have some downsides. First, Google s productivity software is nowhere near as full-featured as the other desktop office suites. It s also Web-based, which means it lacks offline capabilities; users can accomplish some tasks offline, but they re 6

7 GIANTS VS. OPEN SOURCE limited and require planning. Finally, Google can view all the documents users save there. For personal and personal Office documents that may be an acceptable tradeoff, but the privacy and security implications of allowing a third party to mine business data to target advertisements can violate even simple nondisclosure agreements. Companies that do business with a Fortune 500 firm likely cannot use Google Docs without a special exception. For the majority of business users, OpenOffice is a free alternative that should be sufficient. And it could save organizations money by eliminating license fees. A COMPLICATED DECISION Nevertheless, there are a few reasons why companies might choose to stick with Office over a free version. For example, many midsize and larger companies like volume-license agreements such as Software Assurance because for a fixed fee (per license per year), they receive upgrades. And depending on how many licenses the agreement covers, the price per seat for Office can be less than $100. Office licenses may not represent a huge corporate expense, and upgrades are typically already included. Additionally, OpenOffice exchanges documents well in the old DOC and XLS formats, but it suffers when using the XML-based DOCX and XLSX file formats introduced in Office Now that many companies use these more recent versions, exchanging documents in the older versions becomes a hassle and a source of frequent help desk calls. Finally, Exchange shops obviously want Outlook for Windows users. And companies that use SharePoint lose a lot of user-friendly integration features within the productivity products when they switch to OpenOffice. For some businesses, it doesn t make sense to pay for Outlook and sacrifice SharePoint without getting the rest of the Office suite for just a little more money. Jonathan Hassell 7

8 GO MOBILE Five Mobile Alternatives to Microsoft Companies that aren t ready to jump on the Office 365 bandwagon or are for other reasons unenthused about Microsoft s late-tomarket mobile offerings can look to alternative mobile office applications to keep their workers productive. Microsoft finally caved in to market pressures and released Office apps for Google Android and Apple ios. The apps are free, but with one restriction: Users need a qualifying Office 365 subscription to create, edit or save Office documents. Otherwise, all they can do is read them. Business users must pick from one of five available plans, or there s little anyone can do with the apps. But Microsoft s Office apps aren t the only way to go: There are a variety of mobile office applications that allow access to documents on mobile devices. Some organizations might be willing to let employees choose for themselves, but many companies want tools that fit into their mobile device management (MDM) strategy so they can control security and administrative processes. CHOOSING A MOBILE OFFICE APPLICATION One of the main considerations for a mobile productivity application is the set of features it supports. For example, some apps let users access password-protected files and others do not. Some let employees work with Office template files; others do not. Some let workers generate PDF files and others do not. One of the best ways to limit your choices is to determine which mobile platforms the application must support. If a company provides an app for iphones and ipads, for example, but not Android devices, that might eliminate it right there. Same thing with cloud integration: If an app lets users connect only to Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive, but 8

9 GO MOBILE workers require Dropbox access, businesses will probably be able to eliminate that one. These are five popular mobile office applications with a range of features. Each one supports both Android and ios, and provides at least basic editing capabilities. A lot more products are available, so these five are not the only ones worth considering. Test the apps that make the shortlist on all the devices that workers will use. And don t assume that just because features are available on one OS that they re available on all the others. DOCUMENTS TO GO PREMIUM Price: $14.99 (Android and BlackBerry); $16.99 (ios) Platforms: Android, BlackBerry, ios File support: View, edit and create Office files ( ); view PDF files; support for password-protected files, including PDF Cloud support: Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, icloud (ios), SugarSync (ios) With its roots in Palm OS, Documents To Go has been around longer than just about any mobile office product. It supports an assortment of file types and cloud services, which helps provide a range of flexibility other options can offer. Being able to access password-protected files only adds to its flexibility, and it integrates with enterprise systems. Criticisms of Documents To Go often point to its lack of usability and presentation features, but for basic editing and formatting, the app generally meets expectations. The product s InTact technology helps retain the formatting of the original Office document. Plus, users can save changes to memory cards or cloud services and sync files to their desktops via USB or Wi-Fi, depending on the platform. The ios version recently added Apple AirDrop support, and the company plans to add other ios 7 features. KINGSOFT OFFICE Price: Free Platforms: Android and ios (plus Windows and Linux desktops) File support: View, edit and create Office files ( ); view files in 23 formats, including 9

10 GO MOBILE PDF and text files; save to PDF; support for password-protected files Cloud support: Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive (ios) and WebDAV Kingsoft Office is first and foremost a desktop suite, with the mobile component added in for good measure. Still, Kingsoft Office is no slouch in this arena. Not only is the app free, but it s also as rich in features as many of its pricier counterparts. It supports a range of file types, integrates with a number of cloud services and works with WebDAV services. Plus, the app includes a built-in file manager that lets users switch between multiple documents, and it s integrated with the system s mail. Kingsoft Office also lets you add bookmarks to Word and PDF files. Some people have found the interface a bit clunky and performance slow, but overall, users seem to like it. OFFICESUITE PROFESSIONAL Price: $14.99 (sometimes on sale for $1.99 for ios) Platforms: Android and ios File support: View, edit and create Word, Excel and text files (doc, docx, rtf, txt, log, xls, xlsx, csv); view, edit and create PowerPoint files (Android); view PowerPoint files (ios); view multiple file types, including PDF; support for OpenOffice documents (Android) Cloud support: Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, SugarSync, icloud (ios) and WebDAV With OfficeSuite Pro for ios, users can only view PowerPoint files they can t edit them. In addition, OfficeSuite doesn t support the full range of Office file types, such as template files. It does support several additional formats however, including text and OpenOffice documents. Despite those limitations, OfficeSuite has a solid reputation, making it one of the most popular mobile office applications. OfficeSuite Pro includes a file browser that facilitates its extensive cloud integration, and it offers WebDAV support. OfficeSuite also lets users easily open attachments and zip files, work with Outlook EML files, and share documents via or Bluetooth. The most 10

11 GO MOBILE recent version receives high grades for its user interface and set of features. GOOGLE QUICKOFFICE Price: Free Platforms: Android and ios (also available for Chrome) File support: View and edit basic Office files (doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx); create Office 2013 files (docx, xlsx, pptx); additional support for other Office file types (Android); view PDF files; annotate PDF files (Android) Cloud support: Google Drive Google purchased QuickOffice and turned the app into a Google Drive product, dropping support for cloud-based services such as Box, Dropbox and Evernote. Workers sign in with their Google accounts, an approach similar to what Microsoft is doing with its Office mobile apps. That said, QuickOffice still delivers the same basic editing features found in other products, and if shops have already invested in the Google infrastructure, they ll likely appreciate the smooth integration with Google Drive. QuickOffice has proven a popular office alternative for Android and ios users, but some features such as editing DOTX files or annotating PDF files are limited to the Android edition. Neither edition supports RTF files. Still, given that the app is free, there s little to lose by trying it out, assuming the hoopjumping isn t an issue. SMARTOFFICE Price: $9.99 Platforms: Android, ios, webos, Bada and Symbian File support: View and edit basic Office files (doc, docx, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx); create Office documents based on templates; export to PDF; view PDF and graphic files Cloud support: Box (ios), Dropbox, Google Docs SmartOffice beats the competition when it comes to supported platforms, and the company will release editions for BlackBerry and Windows Phone. But SmartOffice is not quite as robust as other products when it comes to supported file types and cloud integration. The 11

12 GO MOBILE dashboard-style user interface might take getting used to, but it does the job, and it also provides tutorials along the way. SmartOffice also makes creating new documents easy. It includes a set of preloaded templates and lets users choose fonts and colors and apply formatting. Plus, workers can print to a wide range of wireless printers, send and receive attachments and access files on an SD card. SmartOffice also supports 3D document viewing and slideshow presentations. The cloud integration limitations require circumnavigation, but the app is at least worth a test drive. Robert Sheldon 12

13 ABOUT THE AUTHORS JONATHAN HASSELL is an author, consultant and speaker residing in Charlotte, N.C. His books include RADIUS, Hardening Windows, and Windows Vista: Beyond the Manual. ROBERT SHELDON is a technical consultant and freelance technology writer. He s written numerous books, articles and training materials related to Windows, databases, business intelligence and other areas of technology. He is also the author Ebook Now, a step-by-step guide about publishing e-books. Alternative Productivity Suites Rock as Hard as Microsoft Office is a SearchEnterpriseDesktop.com e-publication. Colin Steele Editorial Director Margaret Jones Site Editor Linda Koury Director of Online Design Josh Garland Publisher jgarland@techtarget.com TechTarget 275 Grove Street, Newton, MA STAY CONNECTED! today TechTarget Inc. No part of this publication may be transmitted or reproduced in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher. TechTarget reprints are available through The YGS Group. About TechTarget: TechTarget publishes media for information technology professionals. More than 100 focused websites enable quick access to a deep store of news, advice and analysis about the technologies, products and processes crucial to your job. Our live and virtual events give you direct access to independent expert commentary and advice. At IT Knowledge Exchange, our social community, you can get advice and share solutions with peers and experts. COVER: FOTOLIA 13