Microsoft has launched a public beta version of Office Live Workspace (OLW), an online extension to Office.David Berlind, writing on ZDNet, stated that the move is indicative of Microsoft's preparedness to deal with "the onslaught of web competitors" such as Google, which offers users a range of web-based applications through its Google Apps suite.
According to a company statement, the new service, which is initially being rolled out to people in the US who pre-registered for it, provides 500MB of free web storage, as well as collaboration capabilities.
It offers users an online workspace to which they can post Word, PowerPoint, PDF and Excel files directly from Office applications to work from most internet-connected PCs.
Commenting on the new offering, Kirk Gregersen, Office director of consumer and small business product management at Microsoft, stated: "We think that OLW will be important for our 500 million Office customers because it's one of the first tightly integrated web-based sharing and collaboration services designed to give a seamless experience for Office users."
The service also provides a "seamless connection" with Office on the desktop, he added, stating that the firm has received positive feedback about the product during the testing and planning stages.
Microsoft intends to support OLW with advertising and has currently has no plan to offer an ad-free version for a fee. However, according to Mr Gregersen, the company would consider such a move if consumers requested it, ZDNet reports.
