Microsoft announced an expansion of its online services for businesses of all sizes. The announcement marks a significant step for Microsoft toward expanding its software plus services strategy.
Based on Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 and Microsoft 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. A limited beta trial of the new services is now open for U.S.-based companies. The new services are scheduled to be generally available in the second half of the year.
“The combination of software plus services gives customers advanced choice and flexibility in how they access and manage software,” Gates said. “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.”http://www.mosbeta.com/htt://www.microsoft.com
