In late 2021, we moved over 20,000 of our people’s inboxes to the latest version of Outlook and enabled licences for Microsoft 365 for all employees. While this may seem like a simple change, it required a coordinated and multidisciplinary approach, giving everyone in Monash Health access to a suite of Microsoft 365 applications online or on their desktop.
The change didn’t just open up new opportunities to work collegiately and collectively, providing technical stability; we have had no email-based Code Yellows since we made the change, improving our email system stability like never before.
The move has also enabled our people to work from anywhere they need to be – and it keeps getting easier! But there’s so much more that you can do with Microsoft 365.
The Next Phase
We’ll be introducing you to an added range of features, benefits and integrations in Microsoft 365 soon with a planned foundational pilot of the Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive applications. The pilot will include a cross-section of groups at Monash Health.
Learn more about the Phase 2 Pilot in M365 presentation from Digital Health
The pilot program aims to test the system and gather feedback from end users to refine our systems and create a foundational design before a full-scale rollout. This means some groups will be given special supported access to Sharepoint, Teams and OneDrive, working with the project team to determine the best standards to apply to the whole organisation. Our pilot program will grow as they look to learn from different areas, so we’ll be back soon to tell you more!
What is Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 is a suite of digital productivity and collaboration tools. As a cloud-based platform, you can access your data and applications from any device with an internet connection.
Microsoft 365 includes applications such as Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive – these work together with seamless integration. Once the system is appropriately configured, we can say goodbye to attaching files to emails and creating multiple document versions by working on the same document in real-time via a shared link. Interacting with teammates is an enjoyable part of work life, Microsoft Teams enables you and your colleagues to communicate and express yourselves readily with fun GIFs and emojis plus access and share your files.
In addition to the features you use, the platform offers advanced security features that work in the background to help protect data and prevent unauthorised access. These features include multi-factor authentication, data encryption, and mobile device management tools. By using Microsoft 365, we can ensure our data and yours are secure, even when working remotely. However, like any other system you also play a crucial role in protecting our systems. Please ensure you have completed your cybersecurity training on LATTE to learn how.
An array of tools
While access to applications and features varies across Monash Health, some of the tools include:
- Microsoft Word: a word processor for creating and editing documents.
- Microsoft Excel: a spreadsheet program for organising, presenting and analysing data.
- Microsoft PowerPoint: a presentation software for creating and delivering presentations.
- Microsoft Outlook: an email and calendar management program.
- Microsoft Teams: a communication and collaboration platform for messaging, video conferencing, and file sharing.
- Microsoft SharePoint: a web-based collaboration platform for creating and sharing documents, lists, and other content within Monash Health.
- Microsoft OneDrive: personal file storage accessible from anywhere on any device
Of course, there are many more which we will gradually introduce to Monash Health over time.
Everything working together
How you use your Microsoft 365 environment is up to you!
All of these applications are designed to work together, so you can insert Excel spreadsheets or charts into a Word document, create a PowerPoint presentation using charts and tables from Excel, and set rules in your Outlook mailbox, save attachments and more.
Need some help?
We’ll tell you about some more great ways to use Microsoft 365 in upcoming stories, but support is available if you need assistance.
For immediate help getting the most out of the Microsoft 365 platform, you can check the M365 Knowledge Hub for FAQs, Quick Reference Guides and Training materials.
If you need technical support, call the IT Help Desk on (03) 9594 7255 or log a TBS Central Ticket.
We’ll be back ‘soon with more, so be sure to look out for upcoming events!
Approved by Associate Professor Emilio Pozo, Executive Director Digital Health