What Is a Productivity Suite in Computers?

A productivity suite is a group of programs for your computer that includes a word processor, a spreadsheet creator and a presentation creator accessible by launching one main application. The suite enables you to share data among the three programs as well as download and use templates from online template providers. Productivity suites include Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, Google Docs and Apple’s iWork. The suites are available for multiple platforms including Windows, Mac and Linux systems.

Computer-based Suites Productivity suites are available in both computer-based and online versions. A computer-based productivity suite requires that you physically install the program on your office computer via a CD-ROM or by downloading the suite from the Internet. The suite includes an installation wizard that walks you through setting up and personalizing the suite to your liking. Computer-based productivity suites include Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, Corel WordPerfect Office, iWork and Lotus Symphony. These suites vary in price; some of them are free to install and use.

Online-based Suites Online productivity suites are accessible via the Internet and do not require you to install anything on your computer. Online suites include Google Docs, Microsoft Office Web Apps and Zoho. Online productivity suites are free to access on multiple platforms and enable you to conduct business from a remote location without having to access your company’s computer network or your office computer. You can even store documents, spreadsheets and presentations within the online suite’s storage space.

Word Processing and Spreadsheets Both computer-based and online productivity suites include the ability to create new documents and worksheets, create mail-merge documents and spreadsheets with automated tasks as well as edit existing documents/worksheets and share files with others. The word processing and spreadsheet components also include help and conversion features. Files created in one productivity suite are compatible with other productivity suites if you save the files in a format that is universal like the Rich Text Format, Excel or Comma-separated values (CSV) format.