14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft will launch its Cloud productivity suite “later” today at a New York event which users worldwide will be able to watch live. According to information supplied by the Redmond company, Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer will be the one to announce the release to web milestone of Office 365.
Microsoft’s CEO is scheduled to take the stage on June 28, starting at 10 a.m. EDT / 7 a.m. PDT. Microsoft has pointed users to this site where they can watch the webcast live.
“On October 19, 2010, Kurt DelBene, president, Microsoft Office Division, and Chris Capossela, vice president, Microsoft Office Division, announced Office 365, Microsoft's next generation productivity service,” the software giant said.
“Office 365 is the culmination of more than 20 years of experience delivering world class productivity solutions to people and businesses of all sizes. It brings together Office, SharePoint, Exchange, and Lync in an always-up-to-date cloud service.”
Office 365 is not a Cloud replacement for the desktop version of the Office productivity suite. Instead, the new hosted offering from Microsoft has been designed as a comprehensive collection of services, some of which customers might have already been using, other launched more recently.
The most complete Office 365 offering packs such services as Exchange Online, Lync Online, SharePoint Online, and Office Web Apps. Customers that opt for the enterprise package also get the added benefit of using Office Professional Plus on their desktops at no extra cost.
Office 365 comes in no less than three flavors, one for professionals and small businesses, another for midsize businesses and enterprises and the last for organizations in the education field.
Office 365 for professionals and small businesses comes with a price tag of just $6 per user per month. Enterprise customers benefiting from a more complete Office 365 package will also have higher costs, but no more than $27 per user per month, although the price will depend on the deal they negotiate with Microsoft.