14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s Office 365 is arriving in a wider range of markets around the world, and 22 new countries are currently enjoying trial availability of the service.
The Office 365 team has just announced the launch of the service in these countries, complemented by the commercial release in Brazil, Russia and South Korea.
The new markets that can benefit from the Office 365 trial include: Argentina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Egypt, Estonia, Iceland, Indonesia, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine and UAE.
Only five months after being officially launched, Office 365 enjoys increased interest from users around the world. Its adoption rate is eight times higher when compared to predecessors.
Microsoft also confirms that over 90 percent of all Office 365 customers are small businesses that have less than 50 employees. Moreover, the company notes that over 40 percent of the Top 100 Brands take advantage of the capabilities the service has to offer.
The availability of Office 365 in more markets is complemented by a new set of updates being included into the mix, most of which are based on the feedback the company received from users, Andrew Kisslo, group product manager, Office 365, explains.
Some of the main enhancements added to Office 365 now include:
- Support for SharePoint Business Connectivity Services - Businesses can now connect critical line-of-business applications, such as CRM or SAP software, in a familiar SharePoint interface.
- Windows Phone 7.5 Support - End users can access and update documents in SharePoint Online from anywhere using their Windows Phone.
- Self-Serve Password Reset - IT Admins gain easier security resets with our a Password Reset Tool.
- Lync for Mac - Mac users continue to gain features including full Lync client for instant messaging chats, and presence information in Office applications. They can now also host voice and video conferences with just like their PC based counterparts.
- Office Web App Preview in Outlook Web Access (OWA) – Users can now display Office document attachments in Outlook Web Access for easier on the go edit and review.
The full list of updates that Office 365 benefits from now can be found on Microsoft’s website here.