News |
Microsoft Office 2010 Web Apps and Microsoft SharePointMicrosoft released a preview of Office 2010 to all attendees at the Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans, as part of a Technical Preview program, along with Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 and Project 2010. Office 2010 is expected to be released to the public early next year. Microsoft Office remains the standard for office productivity among both businesses and consumers. However, companies led by Google are attempting to challenge Microsoft with free Web-based versions of Office tools, along with their push into Microsoft's previous browser dominance (down to only 40% of the market since Firefox's success) and now even Operating Systems with the recent launch of Google's Chrome OS. In response to this threat, as has been the case time after time over the years, Microsoft's reaction is to (try to) beat them at their own game. In this case with Office 2010 Web apps, a free Web-based version of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote. Customers will be able to get Microsoft Office Web apps in a number of ways. It will be free for anyone who wants to use the basic version, and business customers can have a paid version that they can run on their own Microsoft SharePoint Server back-end; or a hosted service from Microsoft. Clients that have Microsoft Software Assurance enterprise licensing will have self-hosted Office Web apps included in the license fee. The functionality in the programs will be limited, and will give you full browser-based viewing and 'lightweight' editing of any Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote files. For anything more advanced you will still have to turn to the traditional desktop version of Office. However, what we believe will be most relevant for Ballard Chalmers clients will be the combination of Microsoft Office Web Apps and Microsoft SharePoint. The vast majority of business users are likely to only really need the core functionality that will be found in the online version, and the apps will allow for multiple people to edit the same files concurrently. Integration with Microsoft SharePoint 2010 will give Office Web apps a full backend data store to organize and access documents, and an integrated experience via a SharePoint portal. Microsoft's strategy is to aim to provide the best of all worlds - rich installed apps as well as web versions, standalone Office as well as Office integrated into Microsoft SharePoint, a public Windows Live version or paid business version, Microsoft hosted offering or customer internally hosted option. Central to this for business users will be Microsoft SharePoint Server. Implementing or upgrading SharePoint in 2010 should be a key decision on your technology radar, and the release of Office Web apps is just another key reason for moving to what will become the de facto business collaboration system for business and enterprise, without doubt. For more information on our Microsoft SharePoint services please contact Andrew Chalmers on andrew.chalmers@ballardchalmers.com or call 01342 410223. Related links
|
