Visio Brought to Parity with Office

Visio 2013 was released in Jan. 2013 with new and improved features, including new collaboration tools, updated themes and styles, improved templates, and a new file format that makes it easier to share Visio diagrams via a Web browser or access the diagram’s information programmatically. Like Office 2013 products, this Visio release also allows use on touch-enabled tablets. Teams that edit and share Visio diagrams on SharePoint are likely to benefit most from the changes. Visio Standard 2013 and Visio Professional 2013 received price increases, and the Premium edition has been discontinued. A subscription service, Visio Pro for Office 365, provides similar functionality to Professional.

Up to Date with Office 2013

Visio is a Windows client application for creating business and technical diagrams, such as flowcharts and office layouts. It is particularly popular with users who are not graphics professionals because it provides large libraries (stencils) of predrawn shapes and sophisticated tools for automating diagram layout. Visio is also a platform for custom and vertical computer-aided design applications created by third-party developers. Visio Services running on SharePoint can deliver dynamic diagrams in a Web browser for users who have not installed the Visio application. Visio versions and service packs generally appear with those for Office.