This year's Olympics is one of the most highly anticipated events across the world, as 205 nations compete in 300 events for gold trophies.

To make this all happen has taken years of planning and tremendous effort, as well as commitment on an individual, business and country level. On July 27th the spectacular opening ceremony will kick start the games as all the organisation and training pays off.

Software starting pistols

Organisers of the games may well feel like athletes themselves due to the massive amount of organisation they've had to do for the global event. They've had to build the Olympic Village, find locations for all the London 2012 games sites across the country and set up the thousands of spin-off events that form part of the competition, in addition to finding sponsors! To assist them in completing all of these tasks it's very likely that Microsoft Office featured in some way, perhaps in similar ways as mentioned below.

Spread the work with Excel spreadsheets

Lists are a necessary part of any project, from the materials you need, to the names of staff and costings. With big projects your list may quickly turn into pages and pages of words and numbers that need cross referencing and organised. This is where Excel comes in - it's a spreadsheet program that can make organisers' tasks much more straightforward. From the very beginning of the games, data was being collected concerning the countries involved, potential Olympic sites, transport issues and budgeting - all this can be entered into Excel spreadsheets so there's an accurate record of what is needed and when.

Global lookout with Outlook

While the initial foundations are being laid and the Olympic committee is being formed, they'll be constant communication among project managers, construction companies, security personnel, catering staff and the media. Email is swift, reliable and an affordable way to send out mass messages and Outlook gives additional features that enhance organisation and provide extra tools. For example, project leaders can organise messages into folders and conservations - such as budgeting - and use the calendar functions to keep track of meetings and events.

Give sponsors the power via PowerPoint

The Olympics is reportedly costing around £11 billion and sponsors can help offset this with the money they pay to advertise brands. Stadiums, athletes and events are all likely to attract some kind of sponsorship deal, but it's not always as easy as it sounds. Some multi-million pound firms want to know what the games can do for them and PowerPoint presentations are the ideal way to show this off. Professional-looking slides that hold different kinds of media - such as audio slides - can be quickly created. In addition, if potential sponsors find it awkward to travel then the presentation can be broadcast across the web.

Go public thanks to Publisher

After sites have been constructed, sponsors set up and events organised, then they'll need advertising. As part of the games, London 2012 festival is holding musical, arts and comedy events across the country. These can be advertised with the help of Publisher, as the program is engineered so anyone can put together professional marketing materials. The intuitive ribbon and many design options mean that events' organisers can design the perfect media releases for their needs.

Security and Access

Some £553 million is expected to be spent on security for the games, as sites require hi-tech equipment, intelligence and the staff needed to maintain safety. Security measures were required from the moment the Olympic Village was built and this need will continue throughout the Olympic and Paralympic events. Access is the ideal program to build a database of security process and staff. The reason is may outperform Excel is because you can form relationships between data that impact on one another, while also being able to put information in different tables for cleaner storage. In terms of security, then you may have the lists of security staff in one table, their scheduled tasks in another and their pay schemes in a third.