Microsoft has announced a major update to its Office 365 for business services. The update brings enhanced social enterprise capabilities through the integration of SharePoint and Yammer.
Office 365 was first launched in mid-2011, and Microsoft says it has become one of its fastest growing businesses in the company's history. Microsoft says Office 365 has grown by 150% in the last year.
Speaking of the latest update, Microsoft says: "The release has new collaboration features and offerings specifically tailored to the needs and budgets of small, medium and large organisations. In addition to updated e-mail, video conferencing, instant messaging (IM) and calendaring services, business users can now get the Office applications they are familiar with on up to five devices, delivered as an always up-to-date cloud service."
Microsoft says it will also include Lync-Skype connectivity for presence, IM and voice, by mid-year.
The company acquired business social network Yammer (which had over five million corporate users at the time) in June 2012 for $1.2 billion in cash. At the time, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the acquisition would add enterprise social networking to the company's portfolio of cloud services. Microsoft also said it intended integrating Yammer and its other services, including Office 365, SharePoint and Skype.
"Yammer's expertise in empowering employees, driving voluntary adoption, and delivering rapid innovation in the cloud will not only continue to power our standalone service, but also help shape the communication and collaboration experiences in Office 365," said Microsoft.
Office lead at Microsoft SA, Uriel Rootshtain, says the new Office 365 release allows both large enterprises and small businesses to benefit from the connectivity of the cloud. "This release unlocks new scenarios and delivers capabilities that far surpass anything available in browser-only solutions."
According to Rootshtain, the Office 365 Small Business Premium offering (aimed at businesses with one to 10 employees) has great potential for local businesses.
"In addition to the complete set of Office applications, this service includes business-grade e-mail, shared calendars, Web site tools and HD video conferencing in an easy-to-manage service that doesn't require IT expertise," says Rootshtain.
The estimated retail price is R1 600 per user for an annual subscription, which is R133.33 per user per month.
Also released today is Office 365 Midsize Business, which offers Active Directory integration, a Web-based administration console and business hours phone support. Pricing is R1 750 per user for an annual subscription (R145.83 per user per month).
Microsoft says: "The new Office 365 Small Business Premium and Office 365 Midsize Business will be available alongside the already available Office 365 Enterprise and Office 365 for Education offerings, with the new functionality added in this service update."
Office 365 is available from Microsoft and authorised retail outlets. Further information can be found at http://www.office.com, where users can also sign up for a free trial.
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