Office 365 Adding Features for Deskless Worker Plans

The Office 365 Enterprise K1 plan has gained more features for file sharing, scheduling, and many other tasks. K1 is a lower-cost alternative to full Office 365 plans and is designed for workers without dedicated PCs, such as manufacturing line workers and mail couriers. With the changes, K1 could serve more job roles and enable more organizations to trim their Office 365 subscription bills. However, the plan lacks some key features that could limit its use, and organizations that employ premium Office 365 security and management features will still have to purchase these for all users.

Services for Deskless Workers

The K1 plan is designed for employees who do not have their own PCs at work. The plan includes many of the online services that are part of Office 365 enterprise plans, but it does not include desktop or mobile applications. The K1 plan is designed primarily for collaboration with other employees.

Users on a K1 plan can use organizational e-mail through Exchange Online, Yammer, SharePoint Online, and Office 365 Groups for collaboration, and Office Delve for search and discovery of content and users.