Microsoft Foreword for Office 365 for IT Pros

This is the Foreword for Office 365 for IT Pros, 2022 Edition. The writing team is grateful for the support we receive from Microsoft engineering groups, who answer our many questions patiently and endure our complaints without rancor.

The Microsoft mission to “help every individual and every organization on the planet achieve more” is only possible with the contributions, insights, and opinions of our diverse community of employees, partners, customers, and of course, MVPs.

MVPs are independent technology leaders who provide invaluable, autonomous perspectives back to Microsoft engineering groups, helping us improve experiences and support our customers more effectively. By listening to the opinions and views of MVPs, Microsoft gains an insight into how our technologies work in the real world.

One of our most accomplished and prolific MVPs, Tony Redmond, has built an admirable body of work around Microsoft 365, in particular the applications which make up Office 365. Based on their practical experience of working with the software, Tony and the rest of the Office 365 for IT Pros writing team have helped IT professionals around the world stay abreast of new features, best practices, and important nuances within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem that add tremendous business value, while helping further the Microsoft mission.

This is especially true of the eighth edition of “Office 365 for IT Pros.”  In this time of pivotal change, this update arrives just in time. Of course, the pandemic has fundamentally transformed the way we work, do business, and meet customer needs – everything. But this is just the beginning. The move to remote work showed us that we can be increasingly productivity with more freedom and autonomy around how and when we work. This is huge culture-changing stuff that presents an enormous opportunity for growth and even further reimagining of how to empower employees, engage customers, optimize operations, and transform products. It also means that building optimal hybrid work environments is critical for businesses that want to stay competitive and retain top talent.

Office 365 can help but understanding how to tap into its full potential is imperative. Tony says that in the last year, it became clear to his team that the more people understand how Office 365 technologies work, and operate within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, the more readily they can master the world of hybrid work and experience its benefits.With the capacity to revolutionize every function within our work environments for greater connection, collaboration, security, and innovation, the possibilities are limitless. 

To that end, this year’s updates to Office 365 for IT Pros are substantive and, frankly, invaluable. Referencing numerous feature changes within the ecosystem (Teams alone had more than 300 feature updates), plus the “recipes” (as Tony call them) for Office 365 solutions to a multitude of real-world scenarios, the book provides readers with vital insights and best practices for creating hybrid work environments that really work.  

I want to thank Tony and his team for their efforts on this edition, and for their ongoing contributions to our community. As with a really good recipe book, I’ve already started bookmarking numerous sections. I highly recommend the latest edition of “Office 365 for IT Pros” and look forward to hearing about your hybrid work achievements in the months to come.