10 December 2008

Microsoft prepare for the online debut of Office

Microsoft has confirmed that web versions of programs that make up the Microsoft Office suite, as well as Exchange and Sharepoint, are currently being prepared for a launch next year.

Instead of having to install the programs on a PC, users will be able to access the programs, including Excel and Word, via a web browser, with some versions of the programs being free to use so long as users are willing to view adverts alongside the software.

Stephen Elop, the head of Microsoft's business division, told Reuters newswire; "We expect fully that the full range of Office utilities, from the most advanced to simpler lightweight versions, will be available with a range of options: ad funded, subscriptions based, traditional licensing fees, and so forth."

Microsoft has only dabbled in web based versions of its programs previously, offering an ad supported version of its Works suite that was pre loaded on some new PCs. Microsoft also unveiled a cloud computing service at the company's Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles in October, further expanding the web presence of its software. Dubbed Windows Azure, the service allows users to store data and applications online rather than on personal computers.

The move to web based versions of software has been seen as a belated move by Microsoft by some in the industry, particularly when many other companies, including Google and Adobe, have been pushing web based versions of various applications for some time.

Microsoft is taking a different approach from some of its rivals, however, insisting that its customers still want to be able to choose to have their software offline, on their own computers, as well as online in the web "cloud".

Potential users of Microsoft's web based software were reassured that the online versions of the programs will still function when used via rival browsers, such as Firefox, and users would not have to install the software giant's Silverlight software.

Stephen Elop said that Microsoft had strong interest from many existing customers concerning web versions. The use of such software would mean many users would no longer have to spend time maintaining their own hardware and software to support versions of programs that have been locally installed.

Mr Elop also commented that the current economic downturn will help boost the attractiveness and demand for Microsoft's web based software.

"What we think is in five years, 50% of the use of Exchange and Sharepoint could be serviced from the cloud," he said.

There is no release date set for the Microsoft's new web based versions of its programs, although they are expected to be online in 2009.

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