If you have the latest version of Windows or Office, chances are that there is a tool called OneNote. OneNote is a very dynamic tool with many features that let it shine in the business environment.

This blog focuses on the most recent version of OneNote: 2016. Older versions might lack some of the same features, so if you are running an older version of Microsoft Office, it might be time to consider an upgrade to a more recent version.

The Benefits
OneNote was designed with the intention of providing businesses with a tool to foster collaboration. You can save your Notebooks on either your local network drive or to Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud. You can then share these Notebooks with other users within your organization, allowing users to collaborate on projects and share notes through a virtual environment.

OneNote might not be able to create a myriad of documents like the other Microsoft Office apps, but it can be described as the ultimate highlight reel of the other Office 365 software. You can write, build simple tables, display charts and graphs, and draw on documents. Just keep in mind that it won’t be useful enough to completely replace the features of these other Office 365 apps.

Note-Taking Capabilities
OneNote offers many features that allow you to create notes and organize information. When you create a Notebook, you can divide it into tabs, and further divide them into pages. There are even pre-made templates online that you can use. Alternatively, you can create your own template that best accommodates your specific needs.

Your notes can even include more than just simple text. OneNote lets you take clips of web pages and directly insert them into your note. OneNote also allows for the pulling of text directly from images. All you have to do is right-click them, or search for the text that appears in the images. You might be surprised by how accurate this search function can be. This is very handy when taking photos of physical documents and business cards.

OneNote even supports handwritten note-taking with the ability to convert it into a font-based text. It also has a great math function. This allows you to type or draw out a simple equation. It can then convert them to text and solve them.

You can also format your pages to suit your specific needs. Alongside this, OneNote offers functionality that allows you to link content on one page to other OneNote locations for quick and easy access. In terms of security, notes can be assigned password protection, which means that only those who are given this privileged credential can access them.

It’s clear that OneNote is great for any business environment, but how are you using it? Do you currently have OneNote installed, or are you hoping to take better advantage of it in the future? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to subscribe for more great information on SMB technology.