Digital News Report – Microsoft hosted several events worldwide to launch their new Microsoft Office 365 cloud service. This new monthly subscription service brings Microsoft Office, Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Exchange Online, and Microsoft Lync Online in a cloud service.
Cloud computing has the data stored on a server by the host service. In this case, Microsoft would host it. The users can log onto the service where they have Internet service. This opens up the person to be able to move from one electronic device to another without having to worry about syncing data. The files are accessible by others in the company, which allows an easier way to collaborate on a project.
Microsoft was beta testing the Office 365 last year and had over 200,000 organizations use the service. Microsoft said that businesses using the Office 365 service have reduced IT costs by almost 50 percent.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in a statement, that their new Office 365 service would allow small and midsize businesses a way to collaborate like big businesses have been doing for years.
Office 365 service has several different month subscription plans. A small business or professional with up to 25 people have a monthly plan of $6 per user per month. The mid-sized and large businesses they offer a 30-day trial, but there is no mention of price. There is also an education service that has a 30-day trial, and that pricing is not available. On the Office365.com website, they do mention that the larger organizations can get annual pricing versus month-to-month rates.
By: Victoria Brown