Microsoft Expands Online Business Services
In September 2007 Microsoft announced the worldwide availability of Microsoft Online Services for businesses with more than 5000 users. The Redmond monolith has now announced that it is offering these same services to businesses of all sizes.
Big wigs at the company said the combination of software plus services gives customers advanced choice and flexibility in how they access and manage software. With Microsoft Online Services businesses can deploy software as a subscription service, from servers they manage on-site, or a combination of the two, depending on their specific needs. In the future, customers and partners should expect to see this kind of choice and flexibility for all of Microsoft’s software and server products.
Based on the software available in Exchange Server 2007 and Office SharePoint Server 2007, the new services enable businesses to access e-mail, calendaring, contacts, shared workspaces, and webconferencing and videoconferencing over the Web. The new services are managed through a single Web-based interface. IT professionals can monitor the performance of the services, add and configure users, submit and track support requests, and manage users and licenses.
Microsoft introduced a new licensing model with options. New customers and customers without Microsoft Software Assurance can purchase Microsoft Online Services as a per-user subscription. Existing customers with Software Assurance on their Microsoft Client Access Licenses can purchase a user subscription at a discount. Customers with a subscription have rights to both Microsoft Online Services and to access on-premises server software.
Microsoft will offer Exchange Online and SharePoint Online together with Office Communications Online and Office Live Meeting as a suite of services or as individual service offerings.
