In practically any and every industry that you can work in today, you are likely to encounter an office productivity suite of some sort. Office productivity suites are perhaps one of the most important pieces of software you need on your computer or laptop. These suites allow you to create, edit, open, and manage documents, presentations, spreadsheets and other types of files that are commonly used in the workplace. Perhaps the most popular productivity suite out there is Microsoft Office, a comprehensive software set that has become the standard for practically all forms of word processing and office productivity. Another productivity suite that is climbing the ranks is Google Docs. Each of these productivity suites has its own strengths and weaknesses, but why not use both of them in harmony to make the most of what’s available to you? Here’s how you can do exactly that:
Strengths of Microsoft Office
The best thing about Microsoft Office is simply the fact that it is the standard for office productivity. Whether you are dealing with .doc, .xls, .ppt, or other file formats commonly associated with office productivity, Microsoft Office will be able to handle it. Another great strength of Microsoft Office is that you don’t necessarily need an Internet connection to use it, which is the opposite of Google Docs which requires you to connect to the Internet to use most of its features.
Strengths of Google Docs
While Microsoft Office is perhaps the king of offline office productivity suites, Google Docs is the king of web-based productivity suites. The Internet is more accessible than ever before and an increasing number of gadgets are using the Internet to communicate, share, sync, and stay up-to-date. This is what makes Google Docs a great alternative to Microsoft Office. Connect to Google Docs and you get a versatile, feature-packed web service that allows you to view, edit, and create files on the go. Perhaps the best feature of Google Docs is the ability to collaborate with multiple users. You get real-time editing for multiple users, with tracked revisions, easy revert options, and continuous syncing.
Enhance your productivity by using both Microsoft Office and Google Docs
A wise man once said, “life is good when you have choices”. This is just another example of the truth behind such a saying. Why choose between Microsoft Office and Google Docs if you can choose to use both of them together? Using both of these powerful tools is a great way to boost your productivity and get the most of both offline and online features. The most obvious way to use both of these pieces of software in unison is to use Office for your offline needs and then use Google Docs to share your files or backup your files online. Beyond this, however, you can grab some of the following apps and plug-ins to help you make the most of both Microsoft Office and Google Docs:
- OffiSync - A Microsoft Office plugin that allows you to open and save documents directly to Google Docs, make use of collaboration features, and more.
- DocList Uploader - An easy application that allows you to log in to your Google account, then drag and drop files that you want to upload to Google Docs.
- Google Calendar Sync - Allows you to easily sync your Google Calender and Gmail to Microsoft Outlook.