Microsoft has today announced the availability of Service Pack 1 for the 2007 Office system product range, and you don't have to wait the 3-6 months which Microsoft says it will take to appear in the automatic updates either. In actual fact you can download it right now from OfficeOnline.

So what can you expect to find in Office SP1?

Unsurprisingly, SP1 focuses on the issues that have been raised by customers through direct feedback and error reporting tools including:

• Stability. Using data from the Dr. Watson bug-reporting system, Microsoft have fixed the top software issues for each application in the 2007 Office system. The 2007 Office system SP1 also improves the stability of server components in the 2007 Office system and delivers compatibility with Windows Server 2008, so you can confidently plan for future upgrades.
  
• Performance. The 2007 Office system SP1 improves performance in applications and servers. Performance improvements can be found in Microsoft Office Excel 2007, Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007, and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.
  
• Security. By incorporating incremental advances in security and results from application testing, the 2007 Office system SP1 offers home and office users better protection against malicious software and potential threats to privacy.

Microsoft promises that SP1 eliminates distractions and performance issues that disrupt workflow, allowing employees to be more productive in the work that they do. For the full list of improvements, check out the Microsoft SP1 whitepaper here.