Microsoft Office 365 Launches Worldwide
Microsoft Office 365 Launches Worldwide by Robbie Pleasant
Microsoft has announced that its Microsoft Office 365, introduced in beta last year, is now available in 40 markets across the globe. Having already reported positive results, with reduced IT costs and boosted productivity, Office 365 is accessible at a low price, and targeted at businesses of all sizes.
Office 365, which ranges in price from $2 to $27 per user/month, offers a wide range of service plans. With it, customers can use Office Web Apps, Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Lync Online, and an external website, providing easy access to enterprise-grade e-mail, video and web conferencing, and more.
There's a variety of choices for Office 365 users, ranging from simple e-mail to comprehensive suites, designed to match the needs of businesses ranging in size from small to large, and even government organizations. Microsoft Office Professional Plus is offered on a pay-as-you-go basis, and each plan comes with advanced IT controls, security, and 24/7 IT support.
"Microsoft’s Launch of Office 365 has the potential to be a true crossroads in the UC&C space," says UCStrategies' David H. Yedwab. "The crossroads are signaled by many figurative and business stop-lights. Such as, what types (sizes, geographical spread, verticals) will migrate some or all of their UC&C to a Microsoft hosted Cloud? What does this mean for on-prem UC&C solutions as well as competitive cloud UC&C solutions? What impact will Office 365 have on Microsoft’s Office cash cow? – perhaps the biggest risk to Microsoft since the anti-trust case over a decade ago. How will the other leading players in UC&C respond to compete, cooperate (interoperate) or both? All these actions will likely be driven by how well Microsoft’s huge channel adopts to being a reseller of a recurring monthly service versus resellers/implementers of stuff. Also, hinted at but not fully described yet are the significant Telco SPs that will be 'hosting' services in conjunction with Office 365. Much more to come over the next few weeks, months and years."
Don Van Doren of UniComm Consulting and UCStrategies agrees. "David points out many of the risks inherent in this major business shift for Microsoft," he states. "Yet for companies that are dominant in their field, the biggest risk is to miss or ignore shifts in market dynamics that make their fundamental business premise obsolete. A hosted or cloud offering, especially one that works seamlessly in a hybrid (cloud and premise) environment, provides the kind of deployment flexibility that will be increasingly attractive to enterprises."
Office 365 for small businesses and Office 365 for enterprises are available now. Businesses can try a free 30 day sample online or from their local Microsoft partner.
For more information, visit www.microsoft.com.