Microsoft Office 365 – better Office suite available online

Users that are unwilling to spend a fortune on an Office suite have available free alternatives (both online and offline). Google offers users the Google docks suite online, while Microsoft launched an online suite with Office 2010 called Microsoft Office Web Applications.

If in the case of usual users there are solutions the same cannot be said about the enterprise segment. Here Google has a package dedicated to business but it is minimal. Microsoft, on the other hand, has big plans and is preparing the Office 365.

This online service includes 4 Microsoft products:

• Office Professional Plus,
• Exchange Online,
• SharePoint Online,
• Lync Online.

Microsoft says that with the help of the Office 365 any company, whatever its size is, has the possibility to build an integrated e-mail, office synchronizing, and sharing documents solution in a very short time. The interesting part is just starting. Microsoft worked with its clients in order to create the Office 365 package, and the result is great.

A company can creates its own perfectly functional infrastructure and will then pay just for the software it actually uses. This way expensive hardware, administration experts, electrical costs and expensive subscriptions are eliminated. Questions regarding the originality of the Office license companies use also disappear. Services are compatible with the most popular web browsers, smartphones and other desktop applications.

Practically, wherever you are (home, office, car), and whether you use a notebook or a mobile phone you can access a database of documents and emails of the company. All users have the right to see them, modify them and setup meetings, create presentations etc. When there is no internet connection all info can be locally exported.

Office 365 start page

The Redmond based company has thought about offering clients 3 different versions called as follows: Office 365 for small businesses (for 1 to 25 users), for enterprises (more than 50 users), for education. Each version contains a different set of characteristics and prices are big or small depending on each ones needs. I think any small or medium company will find the Office 365 to be a trustworthy partner, but I doubt the big companies, with solid IT departments will easily choose to migrate to the internet.

Office 365 and its four components

Availability and price

At the moment Microsoft Office 365 is in its Beta state and can only be accessed by a reduced number of companies. The official launch is expected to take place next year, when Office 365 will become available in 40 countries. The costs on the US market are the following:

• 6$/month for each small business user

• Between 10 and 24$/month for any user that selects Office 365 enterprise.

All other prices will probably be announced once the official launch happens next year.

Here’s a presentation video of Microsoft Office 365 online suite: