Microsoft has announced a new initiative designed to cut the piracy levels associated with the Office 2007 System. And in this context, the price tag of the Ultimate edition of Office 2007 got slashed from over $600 to just $59.95. The offer is accessible exclusively to students from Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States starting on September 12, but will also be introduced in France, Italy and Spain, and is scheduled to debut on September 20. Microsoft has set up The Ultimate Steal website as an accessory to the promotion.

"We're listening to students who have told us they need Microsoft Office for their studies and want more flexible ways to get the latest version," said Alan Yates, general manager of Worldwide Education at Microsoft. "We're committed to providing accessible and affordable technology to students so they can meet their academic goals. The Ultimate Steal is the latest in a long history of providing compelling academic offers for students."

Slashing the costs of the Office 2007 Ultimate SKU is essentially a Microsoft strategy to provide a viable alternative to free but pirated versions of its productivity suite. And the fact of the matter is that Office 2007 Ultimate at $59.95 is indeed a steal, when considering that users will get Access 2007, Accounting Express 2007, Excel 2007, InfoPath 2007, Groove 2007, OneNote 2007, Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager, PowerPoint 2007, Publisher 2007 and Word 2007 at a 90% discount.

"Using pirated software may seem like a great deal initially, but it's best to know and understand the true risk associated with using pirated software, as well as the benefit of running genuine software. In a recent study, Microsoft found that over 43 percent of pirated software had spyware, malware or other added binaries that could attack the operating system. Running genuine software protects customers from these dangers and provides additional benefits, including support and regular updates to ensure system security. Pirated software commonly causes negative user experiences, so we recommend using genuine software, which will provide peace of mind and a good experience," Yates added.