Cloud comeback
Software giant Microsoft has finally launched the full version of its cloud productivity suite - Office 365 - nine months after first announcing it, and three months after launching the public beta.
Office 365 is a cornerstone of Microsoft's bid to reinvent itself from being a boxed-product software company to a cloud services provider. While the move to software-as-a-service it now a well-established tech trend, Google's investment in Google Apps has long been viewed as a major threat by Microsoft, and one which required a strong response.
Microsoft is, of course, the leading productivity software company via the ubiquitous Office, but the days of everyone being forced to shell-out for the full monty are numbered thanks to various competitive offerings and cloud computing. Office 365 is Microsoft's attempt to keep Office as the default choice for professionals and small businesses by making it more bespoke and affordable.
So now you can get Exchange Online, Office Web Apps (including mobile compatibility), SharePoint Online collaboration tools, Lync Online unified communications, and some security software, for £4 ($6) per user per month. There's also a 30-day free trial for small businesses that offers ten user licenses.
"Great collaboration is critical to business growth, and because it's so important, we believe the best collaboration technology should be available to everyone," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. "With a few clicks, Office 365 levels the playing field, giving small and midsize businesses powerful collaboration tools that have given big businesses an edge for years."
Over 20 third party service providers announced they would resell Office 365, including Vodafone via its hosted telephony service, Vodafone One Net. "The combination of our fixed and mobile communications service with Office 365 helps deliver the benefits of agility, productivity and flexibility," said Tom Craig, Vodafone Business Services Director "This allows firms to respond extremely quickly to queries and puts them on a level playing field with larger companies."
Microsoft will be hoping that the massive install-based of Office, its existing relationships with developers and the channel, and strong integration with Windows Phone 7 will be enough to keep it ahead of the Google alternative.
