Microsoft launches Office into the cloud

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

In a long-awaited move to boost its hosted enterprise software, Microsoft recently announced it is adding web-based versions of Office to its collection of cloud-based software with the unveiling of Office 365.

Office 365, which is scheduled to ship next year, will bring together Office applications with hosted versions of SharePoint, Exchange and Lync in the cloud.

The software will be delivered as a monthly subscription service, charging as little as $6 per month for companies with fewer than 25 employees. For larger organizations, Microsoft will offer several options, ranging from $2 per user per month for a bare-bones service to $27 per user for the most full-featured service, which includes on-premise Office Professional Plus on a subscription basis, along with other suite components.

Microsoft said the new service will add convenience to the way users connect to coworkers, partners, customers and information by reducing the amount of time they spend on technology management and maintenance.

According to CNET, Microsoft is apparently ready to compete more aggressively with Google, which offers its own cloud-based productivity applications for businesses through Google Apps. Google sells its Google Apps service for $50 per user per year.