Microsoft strikes blow to Google Apps

The version Microsoft Office is available in "cloud" now. The final release Microsoft Office 365 is going to be released next year, and the beta is already available in thirteen countries and regions. It included the Office web applications Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft SharePoint Online and Microsoft Lync (Skype for Business)Online.

Office 365 for the companies where the number of users does not exceed 25 people, will cost $6 for one user a month. Additional options will be more offered the organizations, including initially on a subscription of Office Professional Plus it will be offered for $24 for one user a month together with other components of a packet.

Larger organizations will be able to connect service on the conditions beginning with $2 for one user for e-mail for employees who need only this functionality and above - for receiving the full-function opportunities including Microsoft Office Professional Plus - for research associates and heads.

The beta of the program will be functionally expanded after testing by several thousand companies. Later Office 365 will include Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, and the version for organizations of education will be released next year, as well as updating for Live@Edu service and others.

Office 365 is the next version Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite (BPOS) which includes the "cloud" version Microsoft Exchange 2007, Microsoft SharePoint Server 2007 and Office Communications Online, but not Office Web Apps. At the heart of "cloud" versions of Exchange and SharePoint there will be edition 2010 of this software while Lync - the next version of Office Communications Server, and the online version of Lync - updating for Office Communications Online.

"The product is created taking into account all technologies of 2010 so in all directions we will implement ample opportunities in our "cloud" services. For all clients it will be a major step forward", -Betsy Webb, the general manager of division of Microsoft Online Services [[Webb Betsey|]] told.

Office 365 will act as the integrating brand and the unified technology platform for the different cloud services, such as BPOS, Office Web Apps and Live@Edu developed by the company in recent years. It clears up some confusion in brands,Guy Creese, the analyst of Gartner[[Crisis Guy|]] commented.

As a part of Office 365 "cloud" applications - the word-processor, spreadsheets and the presentations, e-mail, the calendar, contacts, instant messaging (IM), a web meeting, video conferences, the intranet and web tools for developers of the websites will be offered. The product is delivered with almost absolute guarantee of faultless work (99.9% - such marketing mix of Microsoft?) and access through different browsers, computers and mobile devices, including IPhone, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone.

At first sight Office 365 seems stronger competitor to cloud rivals in a part of communications and joint work. Such as Google Apps which put considerable competitive pressure upon Microsoft in recent years. According to Crisis, the product will help Microsoft with opposition of Google.

Rebecca Wettemann, the analyst of Nucleus Research, also expects fierce competition for G Suite (before Google Apps). Whether "It will be Google Apps death? Not at once, especially if the end looks as at Office, only the rope is longer". But this statement will be threat to each agreement of Google Apps. Without considerable efforts in improvement of Apps and more close attention to case, Office 365 can return Google "back to school", in the field of corporate applications.

Nevertheless, and Microsoft is what to be engaged to provide on a review what is sounded in general concerning Office 365. Clients expect fast response time (irrespective of type of connection to the Internet), different methods of joint work in applications and opportunities of control of versions. Reliability in "cloud" – key value, and Microsoft is traditionally not strong reliability on a desktop.

Analysts of Gartner -Matthew Cain and Michael Silver wrote in an analytical note: so far BPOS well is on sale, but receives different comments concerning IT administration, feature set and stability. According to Cain and Silver, the technology family of 2010, as a basis of Office 365, should improve its weak points and help Microsoft with involvement of larger companies as for the present BPOS is developed, on average, up to 50 users.