Microsoft 365 | StaffNet | The University of Aberdeen

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 - previously known as Office 365 - brings common Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint together with a range of online communication and collaboration tools and services including Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive for Business and OneNote.

Our Education licence for Microsoft 365 allows staff to access apps, tools and services on:

University managed Windows, iOS, and Android devices
Personal devices via a web browser, or mobile app (iOS, Android, Windows phones)
Staff with a Microsoft 365 A3 or A5 licence and all students can also install Word, Excel and PowerPoint on up to five personal devices free of charge - apps include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook

Access for external colleagues

You can also add external users (i.e. non 'abdn' domain) to your Microsoft Teams site or SharePoint site, or share files with them in your OneDrive for Business without having to request a external IT account for them. This new functionality, introduced in August 2020, makes it easier to collaborate with external partners. To help you get started:

Add an external guest to a Team
Request external access to an existing SharePoint site
- Adding an external colleague to a SharePoint site
Share files with external colleagues in OneDrive for Business

Communication

Outlook

What it is

Email, Calendaring, and Contacts app
Best for sending more formal or official messages, including those to customers, vendors, etc.

What you get

Work efficiently with email, calendar, contacts, tasks, and more
Calendar sharing and delegation
Integrated into the MS Teams to allow meeting scheduling, calendar events, and notifications

Access

Anytime, anywhere via a web browser at https://www.office.com/
Desktop app on University managed devices
Dedicated Outlook mobile app

Support and guidance

University of Aberdeen Toolkit resources - Email , Calendar
Microsoft 365 Training Center

Teams

Teams is available to all registered University of Aberdeen staff and students. External sharing is also possible, allowing you to invite external colleagues to be Team members.

What it is

Cloud-based collaborative hub
Best for smaller groups of people that work closely together in a directed way

What it does

Chat, voice calls, and video calls
Create/upload and collaborate on files
Integration with personal Outlook calendar
Organise and participate in audio/video meetings, including ability to chat to participants, share screen, and share files and meeting notes
Create Teams and Team Channels to organise project work, research, or any scenario where teamwork is required

Access

Anytime, anywhere via a web browser - sign in at https://www.office.com/ with your University username@abdn.ac.uk and password
Desktop app on University managed devices
Dedicated Teams mobile app

Information Governance

Please remember that Teams is a collaboration tool. Information or files you post on a Teams site may be available to all other team members. It is for communication related to your job role and should not be used for personal chat not related to your work. Information you record on Teams could be disclosed in response to a freedom of information request or to someone you refer to in Teams chat. You should consider the appropriateness of what you record on Teams, and only record what is relevant and necessary. If you are unclear about how and where to appropriately record information, please contact the Information Governance Team at dpa@abdn.ac.uk

Support and guidance

Yammer

What it is

Private social network
Best for ad hoc interaction with people across an organization, for University-wide communication and general announcements

What you get

Connect to individuals and groups via conversations
Share information, discuss ideas, and collaborate across teams
Organise around communities and projects
Communications are secure and only visible to people within the University

Access

Anytime, anywhere via a web browser - sign in at https://www.office.com/ with your University username@abdn.ac.uk and password
Dedicated Yammer mobile app

Support and guidance

Microsoft 365 Training Center

Which tool to use? A quick comparison

Outlook: best for sending more formal, or official messages to customers, vendors, etc.
Teams: best for smaller groups of people that work closely together in a directed way
Yammer: best for ad hoc interaction with people across an organization, for University-wide communication and general announcements

Diagram showing MS 365 communication tools and when to use each.

Collaboration

SharePoint

What it is

Management information system supporting collaborative working and enhancing business processes within specific departments across the University.

What you get

Access to a School, departmental, or Project SharePoint site
Document management and storage
Collaboration including share files, data, news, and resources
Business processes, from simple tasks like notifications and approvals to complex operational workflows

Access

Contact the IT Service Desk to request a new SharePoint site , or to request external access to an existing SharePoint site . Your request will be sent to our SharePoint team who will review the request and create the site if approved, or delegate it to the appropriate Site Administrator for approval.

Once your site is set up:

Access anytime, anywhere via a web browser - sign in at https://365abdn.sharepoint.com/sites/gateway/ with your University username@abdn.ac.uk and password

Support and guidance

Teams

Teams is available to all registered University of Aberdeen staff and students. External sharing is also possible, allowing you to invite external colleagues to be Team members.

What it is

Cloud-based collaborative hub
Best for smaller groups of people that work closely together in a directed way

What it does

Chat, voice calls, and video calls
Create/upload and collaborate on files
Integration with personal Outlook calendar
Organise and participate in audio/video meetings, including ability to chat to participants, share screen, and share files and meeting notes
Create Teams and Team Channels to organise project work, research, or any scenario where teamwork is required

Access

Anytime, anywhere via a web browser - sign in at https://www.office.com/ with your University username@abdn.ac.uk and password
Desktop app on University managed devices
Dedicated Teams mobile app

Information Governance

Please remember that Teams is a collaboration tool. Information or files you post on a Teams site may be available to all other team members. It is for communication related to your job role and should not be used for personal chat not related to your work. Information you record on Teams could be disclosed in response to a freedom of information request or to someone you refer to in Teams chat. You should consider the appropriateness of what you record on Teams, and only record what is relevant and necessary. If you are unclear about how and where to appropriately record information, please contact the Information Governance Team at dpa@abdn.ac.uk

Support and guidance

OneDrive for Business

Note: OneDrive for Business online storage is intended for business purposes and is not the same product as OneDrive personal online storage. You cannot link to OneDrive from your OneDrive for Business account.

What it is

Cloud-based file storage

What you get

1 Terabyte storage

Access

Anytime, anywhere via a web browser - sign in at https://www.office.com/ with your University username@abdn.ac.uk and password

Support and guidance

OneNote

What it is

Digital notebook

What you get

Capture, collate and share information - including text, attachments, video, audio, and images
Notebooks can be private or shared with and edited by others

Access

Anytime, anywhere via a web browser - sign in at https://www.office.com/ with your University username@abdn.ac.uk and password
Desktop app on University managed devices
Dedicated OneNote mobile app

Support and guidance

Office Online (Office web apps)

What it is

Cut-down versions of common Office applications available via your web browser

What you get

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook
- Staff who have Windows devices and who are on a MS 365 A3 or A5 licence will also get Publisher and Access
Create, edit and access files without installing software
Files created in Office Online are automatically saved to your personal OneDrive for Business

Access

Anytime, anywhere via a web browser - sign in at https://www.office.com/ with your University username@abdn.ac.uk and password

Support and guidance

Common apps

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook

What you get

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook

Access

Desktop apps on University managed devices
Web apps - anytime, anywhere via a web browser - sign in at https://www.office.com/ with your University username@abdn.ac.uk and password
Dedicated mobile apps
Staff with an MS365 A3 or A5 licence can also install Word, Excel and PowerPoint on up to five personal devices free of charge

Support and guidance

Microsoft 365 Training Center
University of Aberdeen Toolkit resources - Word , Excel , PowerPoint