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Whilst both products enjoyed success,
Microsoft has now become locked in a battle
with Google for cloud supremacy. Docs,
Google’s client productivity package to
rival MS Office, has gained a huge
following, along with its enhanced version
for business users, Google Apps.
With
other ‘software as a service’ (SaaS)
solutions, such as those from Amazon and
Salesforce.com, already on board the cloud
computing bandwagon, it was only a matter of
time before Microsoft did something major to
ensure their share of the market. |
Now anyone can get their hands on the cloud
service which encompasses always up-to-date
versions of Office Professional Plus,
SharePoint online, Lync Online and Exchange
Online. |
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So what can users look forward to from
Microsoft Office 365? Here we take a look at
some the main features that could have you
reaching for the clouds.
What is Microsoft Office 365?
Over the years, Microsoft hasn’t done too
badly out of selling its software solutions,
netting the odd billion here and there. But
these days, the big news in IT solutions is
cloud computing – that’s software
applications hosted by remote servers over
the Internet.
After many months of
work and huge financial investment, Office
365 is Microsoft’s new portfolio of
cloud-based desktop applications.
Many will welcome the familiar interface of
Office’s popular applications as opposed to
those of Docs or others on the market and,
building upon BPOS, Office 365 will see new
features, notably Lync Online for instant
messaging and online meetings.
Easy to access
Purchasing Office 365 as opposed to other MS
software offers the user a good deal more
flexibility. Rather than a one-off cost,
users subscribe to the service on a
month-by-month basis, on a sort of
pay-as-you-go basis. It may be that you
require 15 licences this month but, say,
only 10 next month. Not a problem. You
purchase exactly what you need as you go
along.
Lengthy set ups will be a
thing of the past. Setting up a new employee
will no longer mean having to install vast
amounts of software. As long as they have an
Internet connection, users are ready to go.
This also means accessibility from
pretty much anywhere. Office 365 is
compatible with the vast majority of
smartphones, making working on the move a
doddle – if you have connection to the
Internet, you have access to Office 365.
Always up-to-date
With Office 365 you will always have the
latest product versions without ever needing
to run software updates yourself. One of the
beauties of cloud-based products is that
updates are run across the host’s platform
with no need for the user to lift a finger.
Flexible pricing
When considering the appropriateness of
Microsoft 365 for you or your business,
you’ll no doubt be looking at cost. The good
news is that, whilst prices are yet to be
confirmed, it is expected that 365 will come
in significantly lower than BPOS’s pricing.
The latter specified a minimum licence
purchase of 5, with BPOS Suite UK starting
at £6.72 per licence per month. So with
Google’s free offering of the user-friendly
Docs and its business version, Apps, costing
just £33 per year (available on individual
subscription), it seemed like a no-brainer.
Microsoft Office 365 is seeking to
address this imbalance, and it is thought
there will be no minimum licence purchase
necessary. Instead, is likely that
businesses will need only to pay for what
they actually require - great news for SMEs.
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