Office 365 seems a good deal with skydrive any one using full time
or should i go hosted with a chrome book
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Google Drive is just as good, if not better (and very collaborative and smart device friendly) as Office 365.
Make sure whatever system you have, it's got a good anti-virus too. Chromebooks are meant to be pretty good actually, I've heard a lot about Samsung notebooks too.
If you want to go all out, opt for Macs even, but only if you're prepared to fork out a bit of extra cash and get used to a whole new operating system!
Office 365 small business premium also includes up to ten downloads of the desktop versions of the full Office suite. £9 or so a month plus VAT. Insane value IMO.
Just bought a new MacBook
Which i'm dual booting with Windows so the small monthly subscription would seem a small price for the desktop versions of Office alone.
The extra SkyDrive space will come in handy too.
Office
We moved to Office 365 around a year ago and it's been great, for £100 per user, per year you get a full copy of Office 2013 installed locally, hosted exchange with 25gig of space per user and lots of storage on skydrive.
We don't actually use Skydrive for file storage as we encrypt all our data and so use a more bespoke solution, but may move to it in the future once I can get some time to set it all up.
New computer ... get a Mac
If you are after advice on what computer to get, I'd opt for a Mac ... a bit like the original Volkwagen Golf, they just work. Oh, and they do tend to last a good while, too .... but you pay through the nose for the build quality and ease of use. But I'm most definitely biased ... been using Macs since the cradle.
double check
.....that you can use your current programmes with 365 and be prepared for some nightmares in transferring email history etc. Sage for example can be used if you are desktop based but won't work in the cloud.
Office 365 isn't just cloud based
.....that you can use your current programmes with 365 and be prepared for some nightmares in transferring email history etc. Sage for example can be used if you are desktop based but won't work in the cloud.
If you go for the office 365 option which allows for local copies of the applications to be installed then it's exactly the same as using Office 2013, so any applications which works with that will work using Office 365. The issue only starts if you decide to go for the "cloud only" option with 365 as then nothing is installed locally which means any other applications which rely on accessing the local copy of office will not work, well that part of their functionality anyway.
Not sure why there would be a nightmare in transfering email history, well depending on what you are moving from but assuming it's Outlook based then you simply import your PST into your new Outlook hosted exchange account.
Hosted Desktop
move everything to a hosted desktop
then get whatever device you want
simple :-)
p.s. having used a chromebook - they are ok - but nowhere near as fast to work with as a mac laptop for example
What cost?
move everything to a hosted desktop
then get whatever device you want
simple :-)
p.s. having used a chromebook - they are ok - but nowhere near as fast to work with as a mac laptop for example
Per user roughly?
roughly
Per user roughly?move everything to a hosted desktop
then get whatever device you want
simple :-)
p.s. having used a chromebook - they are ok - but nowhere near as fast to work with as a mac laptop for example
Roughly £40 + VAT per month per user - including the Microsoft Office suite
There are quite a few providers out there but the two that seem to get the most Aweb love are: Hosted Accountants and Hosted Desktop UK
RM
Jeese
Per user roughly?move everything to a hosted desktop
then get whatever device you want
simple :-)
p.s. having used a chromebook - they are ok - but nowhere near as fast to work with as a mac laptop for example
Roughly £40 + VAT per month per user - including the Microsoft Office suite
There are quite a few providers out there but the two that seem to get the most Aweb love are: Hosted Accountants and Hosted Desktop UK
RM
I was quoted £1300pa for me alone recently so steered clear. That may well be something I revisit in the not so distant.
Do you find it as responsive as a normal desktop setup? Many moons ago I occasionally used GoToMyPC to log into my work PC from home - it was like pulling teeth!
wow!
I was quoted £1300pa for me alone recently so steered clear. That may well be something I revisit in the not so distant.
Do you find it as responsive as a normal desktop setup? Many moons ago I occasionally used GoToMyPC to log into my work PC from home - it was like pulling teeth!
Wow! that's expensive!
It is very responsive - I would say that it isn't quite as snappy as when it's running on your local desktop but it's very very close. Best thing to do would be to get in touch with a couple of providers and ask them to give you access to their demo servers so you can play around with excel and some accounting apps.
Just Signed upto 365 last night myself.
I thought I would give it a whirl and start the migration across to the cloud. for the money its great value IMO. 5 downloads for £8 per month and you can download it either MAC or PC format depending on which device you are wanting to install it on. I bought an all singing and dancing PC last year with i7 processor etc. But I only ever seem to get 3 years out of one so when this one packs up I will be getting a Mac next as I expect to fully cloud based by then. My laptop has also just packed in so I am hoping Mrs Glennzy is looking for a MacBook air for me for Xmas.
Windows vs Apple
Windows users will say go for Windows.
Mac users will say go for Mac.
That's the way it is when you ask enthusiasts for views on a particular OS.
Better to refer to a review by a magazine (such as PC Pro, January 2014 edition) where things came out fairly evenly balanced.
Special Apps
Hosted desktops can be excellent if you just want to run standard applications (Office etc), however if you want to include any accountancy apps such as Sage then it can get quite complicated and therefore expensive.
GotoMyPC can be great when used over a fast line with decent upload speeds, when used over ADSL or slower then it can suffer from performance issues.
as many apps as you want
Hosted desktops can be excellent if you just want to run standard applications (Office etc), however if you want to include any accountancy apps such as Sage then it can get quite complicated and therefore expensive.
GotoMyPC can be great when used over a fast line with decent upload speeds, when used over ADSL or slower then it can suffer from performance issues.
Not really - I'm running BTC, VT and Moneysoft. And I could stick a few more apps on if I wanted - wouldn't effect my cost from what it is now.....
Sage
Hosted desktops can be excellent if you just want to run standard applications (Office etc), however if you want to include any accountancy apps such as Sage then it can get quite complicated and therefore expensive.
GotoMyPC can be great when used over a fast line with decent upload speeds, when used over ADSL or slower then it can suffer from performance issues.
Not really - I'm running BTC, VT and Moneysoft. And I could stick a few more apps on if I wanted - wouldn't effect my cost from what it is now.....
If you are with a provider who specialises in accountancy apps then won't be a problem, from experience it tends to be Sage apps which cause the most headaches.
Sage
If you are with a provider who specialises in accountancy apps then won't be a problem, from experience it tends to be Sage apps which cause the most headaches.
Serves anyone right for still using them in that case!!! ;-)
Thanks everybody
i am sticking with a Windows PC , moving to Office 365 as i need to get off 2003. i will only use cloud apps in the future so hosted desktop not necessary. My problem will occur when i have to decide what to do with software such as Payroll Manager which i love, will i have to ditch it for an online solution etc ?
What's the problem with Payroll Manger?
i am sticking with a Windows PC , moving to Office 365 as i need to get off 2003. i will only use cloud apps in the future so hosted desktop not necessary.
Good decision.
My problem will occur when i have to decide what to do with software such as Payroll Manager which i love, will i have to ditch it for an online solution etc ?
Why will you have to stop using Payroll Manager? I use it and do not expect to have any problems.
Programs that rely on Excel
i am sticking with a Windows PC , moving to Office 365 as i need to get off 2003. i will only use cloud apps in the future so hosted desktop not necessary. My problem will occur when i have to decide what to do with software such as Payroll Manager which i love, will i have to ditch it for an online solution etc ?
Do you run anything that relies on Excel, such as VT for example? I signed up to 365 yesterday and am already annoyed that their advertised desktop versions of Office aren't the standard versions you'd expect (and need in my case)
An important point
That's right Platform....the desktop versions of Office 365 are 'click to run' and apparently they do not support VT (according to the VT website). I was going to test it out (after getting my ATT exam out of the way) but it looks like you have already done so....and run into problems. For those of us starting out from scratch it is almost impossible to buy older copies of Excel (2010 etc) that don't cost a fortune - and are from a seller that I trust enough to part with my cash. After spending a week on the phone to the Microsoft support team trying to work out why my trial of Office 365 Small Business Premium won't download onto my computer I am getting very wary of buying anything without trying it first. Turns out my new desktop came with some pre-installed software that interferes with Office - Microsoft didn't tell me that, I found it on a techie blog after hours of googling.
Excel 365 not Compatible with VT
That's right Platform....the desktop versions of Office 365 are 'click to run' and apparently they do not support VT (according to the VT website).
That is an absolute disaster. If older copies of Excel are going to cost a fortune, I wonder if VT has some plan for this.
BTW, what does "click-to-run" mean?
Click to run
what does "click-to-run" mean?
Just found this in case anyone's interested http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/click-to-run-introduction-HA101850493.aspx?CTT=5&origin=HA101850565
Pre-installed Bloatware.
Turns out my new desktop came with some pre-installed software that interferes with Office
Yeah, I got the same thing with a Lenovo Thinkpad. I got a pure Windows 7 disk from a friend and reinstalled the OS from that, and it works perfectly now.
Microsoft didn't tell me that
To be fair to MS, how could they know the manufacturer would do that? It is the manufacturer's fault.
Not loving Microsoft I'm afraid!
Turns out my new desktop came with some pre-installed software that interferes with OfficeYeah, I got the same thing with a Lenovo Thinkpad. I got a pure Windows 7 disk from a friend and reinstalled the OS from that, and it works perfectly now.
Microsoft didn't tell me thatTo be fair to MS, how could they know the manufacturer would do that? It is the manufacturer's fault.
I don't feel like being fair to Microsoft at the moment. I was on the phone to them for about 5 hours in total - they had live access to my screen and they went round and round in circles until I felt like pulling my hair out. They also asked me to scroll down the list of programs installed on my PC so that they could see what was there. Apparently a common problem that has been identified is a program called Abby Fine Print - it was right at the top of my list of programs and Microsoft saw it - they clearly didn't know about it. I did ring them back and tell them what I had found and they asked me to email the details to them. Hopefully this will save some other poor soul 5 hours of torture.
p.s. I don't know what click to run means either!
Ooopps
i am sticking with a Windows PC , moving to Office 365 as i need to get off 2003. i will only use cloud apps in the future so hosted desktop not necessary. My problem will occur when i have to decide what to do with software such as Payroll Manager which i love, will i have to ditch it for an online solution etc ?
Do you run anything that relies on Excel, such as VT for example? I signed up to 365 yesterday and am already annoyed that their advertised desktop versions of Office aren't the standard versions you'd expect (and need in my case)
Potentially ignore me. I'd installed VT before Office but forgot to go back in to download Final Accounts! I've just done it now and everything would seem to be running perfectly.
Sorry for the scare folks!
Tax and final accounts in the cloud
i will only use cloud apps in the future
So which cloud aps will you be using for tax and final accounts Carnmores?
might be a waste of money
have you considered new computers? it may not be worth your while upgrading the old ones.
i meant i am not changing to Apple @TonyK
@chatman = i love it but i want a cloud version! , i want to rid my self of the back up and security problem following an attack on my desktop recently that got past my antivirus thats another story.....
Payroll Manager Online
@chatman = i love it but i want a cloud version!
Yeah, me too to be honest.
Backups
i want to rid my self of the back up and security problem following an attack on my desktop recently that got past my antivirus thats another story.....
You may have already considered and discarded this idea, but have you thought of something like Dropbpox, Wuala or Sugarsync that keep your files synchronised with the web? If all your files get corrupted you just download previous versions.
Speaking of new computers
I am switching to a. Mac as my laptop has packed up (only 2 years old)
What's the best between a Mac Book Air & Mac Book PRO
Glenn
Why a Mac?
I am switching to a. Mac as my laptop has packed up (only 2 years old)
That doesn't make sense. Why not just get a decent non-apple laptop? Macs cost a fortune for no apparent benefit.
What bit of the laptop has packed up? Surely you could get it repaired for a fraction of the cost of a Mac. In fact, you could buy a new laptop for a fraction of the cost of a Mac.
Chatman
I have iPhone and iPad for a few years now without any issues. All PC based stuff I have is always problematic and IMO are almost disposal. As rarely get more than 3 years out of a PC before they slow down and start causing problems with crashing. Laptops last even less the last one I had lasted 2 years before it fried had it back to be repaired about 4 times each came back worked for a few weeks then crashed again. Once out of warranty took it to an Independant shop and was told it was repairable. Was not a dead cheap one cost £650. Replaced it with £700 hp laptop which is now crashing ever time I am doing something and again been told its a hardware issue which not cost effective to repair. I have only persevered with PC based machines to run the likes of Sage etc but as they are all running cloud based now there is no need to. Good laptops are nearly as expensive as a Mac now anyway. You can get a MacBook for £1000 from John Lewis with 3 year warranty. There customer service is brilliant as is apples unlike PC World and Dell. macs don't slow down with age and don't break they also don't get viruses. I know people who have 10 year old macs they use everyday and still work as they did out of the box. How many people have a 10 PC based machine that still works well. A MacBook will last twice as long as a laptop so well worth the extra hundred pound or so. And they also make you look cool Lol.
Glennzy - Mac v Windows
Glennzy - You must be the unluckiest person in the world. I must admit, if I had had your luck I would be looking for an alternative too. I have never spent over £500 on a laptop, and not even as much as £100 on a desktop, and never had one pack up on me. I have had to replace a motherboard once and two hard discs, but this is over ten years, so a Mac would still have cost me far more, and had a cash flow disadvantage. I have never heard of anyone having had such bad luck as yours, although anyone can get a faulty product occasionally, computer or otherwise.
It is not just an extra hundred pounds or so; it is £500 or more. For the price of a Mac you could get an absolutely top-of-the-range bleeding edge Windows PC.
If I get my laptop nicked, I can get a new one for £500. It would be double that for a Mac. And a Mac is more likely to get stolen simply because it is more valuable and the white makes them stand out more.
PCs do not slow down over time any more than Macs do, but new software is often more resource hungry than older stuff, as writers expect computers to have more processing power.
Virus writers do not bother with Mac OS because they can get more coverage with the more popular Windows OS (I have heard it referred to as "security through obscurity"), but with Macs becoming more popular virus writers will move their attention to Mac OS. If you are worried about viruses, why not use Linux? It is free, and doesn't suffer viruses for the same reason.
Many people agree with you that white gear looks cool, but I always feel it marks people out as IT-illiterate fashion slaves. I know that is not the case for all Apple users, and I am sure it is not for you, but it definitely is for many that I have spoken/listened to.
VT and Office 365
I use VT and Office 365 without any problems whatsoever, however you have to remember to install 32 bit Office, not 64 bit, as VT does not work with 64 bit applications.
Confused about VT and Office 365
I use VT and Office 365 without any problems whatsoever, however you have to remember to install 32 bit Office, not 64 bit, as VT does not work with 64 bit applications.
Are you sure you don't have an old desktop version of Excel on your PC?
chatman
Was at a friends and their mac had Trojan there on the increase. I don't use any excel add in programs Yet!
VT Final Accounts and Office 365
Office 365 is fine with VT Final Accounts provided the Office 365 plan includes a locally installed copy of Excel. Our website was out of date and we have now corrected the system requirements page.
VT should always be installed or re-installed after installing Excel, and the VT installation program will give a warning message and will not run if it cannot find a suitable version of Excel.
Just for the record, VT Final Accounts runs in Excel 2002 or later including Excel 2013.
Philip Hodgson
VT Software
VT
Phillip
you should remind people on that systems pages to install 32 bit not 64, I know you say it elsewhere, but Office 365 will default to 64 bit unless you tell it otherwise on a 64 bit computer
Great program thanks
Office 365 32/64 bit and VT
Phillipyou should remind people on that systems pages to install 32 bit not 64, I know you say it elsewhere, but Office 365 will default to 64 bit unless you tell it otherwise on a 64 bit computer
Does it offer the option during the install Metrobrit, or do you need to go looking for it?
Office 32 bit is now the default install option
I've just taken out an Office 365 subscription to check this out.
The 32 bit/64 bit option is given on the download web page when you are logged in with your Office 365 ID, but 32 bit is now the default option with a link to the following help topic.
Philip Hodgson
VT Software
Forgive the intrusion....
....from the class dunce but what exactly is hosted desktop? I sort of understand "in the cloud" although I'm still not convinced about relying 100% upon the internet, but how does hosted desktop differ?
Hosted Desktop
@adam.arca - A hosted desktop is where you log in to another computer (which is hosted by someone else, possibly miles away) which has all your programmes and data on it. If you have ever used LogMeIn or GoToMyPC to log in to another computer it is like that. They are then responsible for installing and maintaining all your programmes on their computer and backing up your data.
OK
Cheers, Chatman. I guess the clue is in the name (!) but I like that idea even less than just having my data in the cloud.
Cheap starter pack
I'm starting from scratch: zero income and am successfully using Amazon cloud free 5 GB, to store and sync my data files, and can access and work on them at home, or in the ( very cheap... and cold) office. Having shelled out for a whizzy new PC with windows 8 ( nightmare) to enable me to run the luxurious Iris, for a modest donation I am using Libre Office, which I love. can't comment on 365 as it is beyond my budget.