Bitrix24 Enhancements to Compete with Microsoft Office 365
Bitrix24 Enhancements to Compete with Microsoft Office 365 by UCStrategies Staff
An updated cloud-based enterprise collaboration suite was released by Bitrix24 on Wednesday, and this is set to compete with Microsoft’s Yammer, Skype and Office Suite, according to the company. Enterprise customers are expected to find the mobile CRM app appealing.
Bitrix24 is based in Alexandria, Virginia, and is a business communication platform company which has issued over 90,000 company subscriptions to the intranet solution since it was established in May last year. The regional director for North America at Bitrix, Stephen Ankenman, said that the new version of Bitrix24 will ensure that numbers double quickly.
Ankenman stated: “It took us about 15 months to hit [90,000] subscriptions. We will do the same amount three to four times faster with this version.”
The number of enterprise partners that have adopted all or some of the Microsoft Office 365 package remains unclear, but analysts believe that it is not as high as the company initially expected.
In February of last year, a CIO report noted that Office 365 adoption was probably 1 in every 7 enterprise partners, and in February of this year, that number grew to 1 in 5.
According to Ankenman, the latest version is the third key update of the solution since its creation, but still has up to six changes which makes it much better than anything previously released by the company.
Ankenman said: “Our original version did not have a mobile app at all. With our new mobile CRM, we are seeing a whole second wave of customers.”
Clowd Technologies is a Bitrix24 partner based in Doncaster, England, and the owner of that company, Damian Edwards, stated that the new user interface and mobile CRM has been anticipated for quite some time. Edwards said that two of the key improvements he will note to customers are the new mobile app and the ability to edit documents.
Users are able to create, edit and collaborate on documents via the cloud with Bitrix24. Edwards added that the improvements invalidate the need for a third-party word processor, which is a key step toward a holistic enterprise intranet solution.
Furthermore, the instant messenger service has been revamped, and enables videoconferencing, screen share abilities and email links to Outlook, Gmail and iCloud, as well as others.
Ankenman said: “Other improvements, like precise integration of notifications and a configurable menu, are personal touches so people can create a workspace where they are comfortable.”
The price point is another key advantage of Bitrix24, and this is offered to companies of 12 or fewer employees, at no cost.
Prices reach $99 per month for unlimited users and 50-GB storage, $199 per month for unlimited users and 100-GB storage, and $8 per user per month for 10-GB storage per user.
Office 365, on the other hand, offers services similar to the Microsoft Office suite, Lync instant messenger, social intranet, email and calendars, file sharing, Skype and other offers from $12.50 per user per month, with a $150 annual payment for businesses of 1 to 10 employees. (CY) Link