Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Microsoft Announces Office 365 to compete in the Cloud

Hopefully no one out there is still thinking the Cloud is going to do anything but completely transform the technology industry. The latest evidence is Microsoft's newest entry in the Cloud computing market, Microsoft Office 365. 


Microsoft Office 365 offers Cloud versions and pricing on Microsoft Office Web Apps, Sharepoint Online, Exchange Online and Lync Online, according to a Microsoft news release. The product goes into Beta in 13 countries this week and Microsoft plans to launch worldwide next year. 


Microsoft claims "Office 365 Changes the rules." They then go on to describe the difference the Cloud has already made, without Microsoft, in delivering technology to business - especially smaller businesses.This is what the Cloud already does, while Microsoft is still in Beta with their new, flagship product.  
To date, only the largest businesses have been able to take advantage of modern, enterprise-caliber IT solutions. Office 365 changes that. No longer will enterprise technologies be reserved for traditional office workers and the larger organizations that can afford their own data centers. Instead, organizations of all sizes and people in all types of jobs will use enterprise-grade collaboration tools, social networks and unified communications to improve the way they work – and never again be trapped behind the firewall or on applications from last decade. In a few clicks, a small business can get enterprise-caliber productivity applications, an expansive capacity to grow, and a team of IT and security experts on its side. It’s not realistic for a small company to acquire these resources on its own, but delivered at scale, customers can get these solutions at a dramatically lower cost – saving 10-50% over comparable alternatives.
This is not to say that On-Site Technical Solutions, as a Microsoft Partners and Small Business Specialist, won't be using these Microsoft products next year. This simply opens up the door to even better, and less expensive, Cloud technology for our clients. We'll be able to deploy another partner's products, Google, or Microsoft based on the functionality of the product and the needs of the business. We're looking forward  


Pricing for small business (less than 25 employees) is $6 per user per month, similar to the Google Apps pricing of $50 per year per user. And of course they "can be up and running... in just 15 minutes."


Larger organizations that use Microsoft's Business Productivity Online Suite will pay $10 per user per month. For $24 per user per month organizations will receive "Office Professional Plus along with e-mail, voicemail, enterprise social networking, instant messaging, Web portals, extranets, voiceconferencing and videoconferencing, webconferencing, 24x7 phone support, on-premises licenses, and more."


Here are some links about Microsoft Office 365


Visit On-Site Technical Solutions for information on how you can move to Google Apps or other Cloud Computing applications. We can also help you with your mobile computing. You should follow us on Twitter @MHBoys and become a fan on Facebook. Call or text me at 1-949-212-2168.



 

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1 comment:

sharepoint said...

its a great news that Microsoft Office 365 offers Cloud versions and pricing on Microsoft Office Web Apps, Sharepoint Online, Exchange Online.Now it will become quite easy to use this.
sharepoint news

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