14 DAY TRIAL // Companies looking to leverage a piece of the Microsoft Cloud would be able to do so at a cheaper price as of November 2nd, the Redmond giant explained. Customers seeking to take advantage of the flexibility and Total Cost of Ownership cutback that the move from on-premise solutions to hosted services provides, will be able to profit from lower prices for Exchange Server in the Cloud and additional Microsoft Online Services. According to Microsoft, customers will be able to get refunds in case they paid higher prices for its Cloud offerings so far.
Following the price cuts, Exchange Online will be made available for just $5 per user per month, down from $10. At the same time, the Business Productivity Online Suite will come with a price tag of just $10 per user per month. The company explained that the price reductions were driven by fast adoption, increased global scale, and boosted efficiencies. BPOS includes Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Office Live Meeting, and Microsoft Office Communications Online.
Microsoft was a little shy in applauding some new companies, out of what it says to be hundreds of customers, that adopted BPOS over the past few months. The company mentioned the following customers: Aon Corporation, Aviva PLC, Barry-Wehmiller, Hofstra University, Lions Gate Entertainment, McDonald’s Corporation, Rexel Group, Swedish Red Cross, SkyTeam Alliance, Tyco Flow Control, University System of Ohio, Westcon Group Inc.
“Global organizations such as McDonald’s, Rexel Group and Tyco are choosing Microsoft Online Services for the rich capabilities, flexibility and value they deliver,” said Stephen Elop, president of Microsoft Business Division. “In just a year, we’ve grown to 36 countries and more than a million paying users, and we’re not slowing down. We’ll continue to bring new innovations and deliver the software and services businesses need to succeed.”
Come November 7, the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) will be offered in no less than 15 additional countries and regions. By the end of 2009, BPOS will be available in exactly 36 markets worldwide. BPOS commercial availability in Singapore will debut this week, while Indian customers will be able to access Microsoft Online Services by the end of this year. Customers in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, and Taiwan will be able to start BPOS trials later this week.