Microsoft has always been at the top when it comes to software development. Whether it’s the Windows OS or the applications like Microsoft Office, the company has built a successful reputation and has maintained its dominance throughout the years. The success of Microsoft hasn’t stopped competitors from trying to achieve the same public perception, for example Google Docs. Google Documents enable users to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and drawings from any location using cloud computing.

 

from http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/, June 2011

The new direction in cloud based computing may have drawn in a few of Microsoft’s customers however that was before Microsoft released its own cloud based software. Tuesday June 28, 20111 CEO Steve Balmer announced the worldwide availability of Microsoft Office 365, a collection of the Office, SharePoint, Exchange, and Lync software all available on a cloud service.

Office 365 offers users the most recognized productivity and collaboration tools through the cloud for a monthly subscription. Microsoft may not have been the first to offer these cloud based services but given the fairly new trend of cloud computing and Microsoft’s strong reputation, they are likely to remain ahead of their competitors. Google Docs does however offer one advantage to their individual users, it’s free! When facing opposition from software that is offered for free the quality and extra features of Microsoft become the major selling point for many customers.

Beta testing for Microsoft Office 365 began over a year ago and has earned high praise from the businesses who had signed on to try it. The test included over 200,000 organizations, most of which reported a boost in productivity while reducing their IT expenses. If Microsoft’s reputation, customer service, and experience still aren’t enough to convince you to Try out Microsoft Office 365 the following list of features may help you decide.

• Variety:

Office 365 is designed for all types of businesses and comes in a variety of pricing plans. The professional/small business edition is perfect for organizations with less than 25 workers and limited IT needs. This Professional Plan is $6 per user per month and comes with 25GB storage, 25MB sharing using Exchange, Access to Office web apps, Mobile access, document sharing with SharePoint, Desktop sharing with Lync, and premium Anti-virus and spam filtering. For larger businesses that need more IT assistance there is the Enterprise Edition which is offered at $10, $16, $24, and $27 per user per month depending on what features are necessary for your business.

• Collaboration:

With Office 365 users can achieve a new level of connectivity by using instant messaging and video chat for virtual meetings. These features enable users to remain on the same page and work more productively. The cloud service now allows multiple users to work on files at the same time, share ideas, share calendar items, and work together with ease from any location. Using Microsoft exchange, SharePoint, and Lync will also enhance the communication and collaboration through document sharing and desktop sharing.

• Productivity:

Microsoft Office 365 provides online access from any location to all the favorite software programs like Word, PowerPoint, Exchange, OneNote, and Outlook. The 365 software also helps maximize your current technology and avoid overspending on IT. The flexible per month subscription lets users increase or decrease their service needs and spend more efficiently.

• Support:

The Office 365 has a huge online support community and comes with 24×7 phone and online IT support. The service is also hosted on the best of the best data centers and has strong security and privacy features. With the administrator console IT professionals can easily monitor and control all user accounts and their access rights. In addition the service is financially guaranteed to have a 99.9% uptime. Users can also visit the Office 365 Support page or the Microsoft Trust Center to learn more about the privacy and security settings for Office 365.

To learn more information about Microsoft’s online productivity suite check out more information at Microsoft Office 365 and the official Microsoft Office 365 Press Release.

Thanks for Reading have a Great Day!

Dustin

CDTek.com