Microsoft Office suite

Microsoft Office suite is a comprehensive collection of desktop productivity applications, primarily comprising Word (word processing), Excel (spreadsheets), and PowerPoint (presentations). Initially designed for macOS and later for Windows, it rapidly became the de facto standard for office…

Key facts

First appeared
1989
Category
technology
Problem solved
The suite addressed the fragmented nature of individual productivity applications by bundling best-of-breed software, ensuring interoperability, and providing a consistent user experience. This solved the inefficiency of users having to learn and switch between disparate applications from different vendors for common office tasks, and ensured that documents created in one application could be seamlessly integrated or shared with others.
Platforms
Android, Web browsers (Office Online), iOS, macOS, Microsoft Windows

Related technologies

Notable users

  • Virtually all Fortune 500 companies
  • Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs)
  • Educational institutions
  • Government agencies
  • Individual consumers globally