Inside Office 2016

Microsoft said Outlook 2016 provides the smartest inbox yet. It claims the new email client offers "lightning-fast search and automatic removal of low-priority mail." The new version also integrates with cloud storage, which means when an email is sent everyone on the To: line has the right access to documents in the cloud, according to Microsoft.

However, with people using multiple devices to access email, the idea of a feature-rich email client like Outlook may seem somewhat dated. But it remains a key part of the MS Office productivity suite. The key question for IT is whether the feature-rich Outlook 2016 client outweights running on a laptop outweights the convenience of Office 365 on Android and iOS devices.

 One could argue Outlook is the link between the Microsoft Windows desktop and its server products - Exchange, SQL Server  and Windows Server, and so strategically, Microsoft needs to make it as feature rich as possible.