Microsoft preps pay-as-you-go Web apps for business

Microsoft detailed on Tuesday its road map and pricing for Web-based software suites built for big companies and growing businesses.

Enabling telecommuting, which many employers and workers increasingly favor, is likely to be a selling point for the productivity and "deskless worker" tools within the Microsoft Online Services lineup.

The move is part of Redmond's push to integrate online and desktop software, shifting much of the heavy lifting to the "cloud."

"Microsoft Online Services is a key component of the software plus services initiative, and we're seeing customers, partners and even competitors embrace this flexible approach to the cloud," Stephen Elop, president of the Microsoft Business Division, said in a statement.

Details were unveiled Tuesday in Houston at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference.

Microsoft's per-user monthly fees for its online business services.

(Credit: Microsoft)

For $15 per month per person, the business productivity suite offers an Outlook-integrated Exchange Online for e-mail and calendars, Office SharePoint Online collaboration, messaging via Office Communications Online, and Office Live Meeting video-enabled Web conferencing.

The software giant will charge another $3 per month per user for the Deskless Worker Suite, which combines flavors of SharePoint Online and Exchange Online. The SharePoint portal offers access to internal company sites and search. E-mail, calendars, security filters, and Outlook Web Access Light are included with Exchange Online Deskless Worker.

Microsoft aims to simplify otherwise complex corporate tasks managed by engineers or IT technicians. For instance, a WYSIWYG interface would enable an IT worker to give a new employee access to the company tools in a series of steps that could be shorter than setting up, say, a free Hotmail or Yahoo e-mail account.

One can sign up online to try the beta services.

Exchange Online and Office SharePoint Online remain in beta, with final availability set for sometime in the second half of 2008, when Office Communications Online beta is also due. Microsoft plans for international availability in 2009.

The company offers to pay resellers of its Online Services 12 percent of the price of each contract secured during the first year, and 6 percent per subscription year thereafter. Interested companies can learn more at Microsoft's QuickStart Web site.

Microsoft partners and resellers of Online Services include Accenture, CDW, and Unisys. Nokia is among the companies using the online tools for messaging and collaboration.

Microsoft Online Services includes these tools.

(Credit: Microsoft)

[Vegaman_Dan]

From a support viewpoint, this would be very helpful as every desktop/laptop/etc would simply be a terminal and reimaged without any worry about data loss or downtime.

Curious how we are coming back to client/server computer networks again. Wonder if we'll start seeing VT100 terminals too? Heh.

[AppleRocks1963]

Watch out, Microsoft not just content to crash your computer, now wants to crash the Internet.

[The_Decider]

What a wonderful idea, pay MS to hold your data hostage. Yet another failure for MS is in the works. Of course MS will twist and inflate numbers to hide the fact that it is a failure just like they do with Vista, XBOX, Zune, Hotmail(200+ million spam accounts and bogus email accounts to route spam away from a persons real email doesn't count as real usage), etc.The only real success MS has had this century(XP and Office) are both in decline. It is now hard to find a new machine with XP on it, and Office 2007 is a bloated mess that has no reason to exist.

[DeathsOverture]

I'll stick with OSS, thank you.

[Penguinisto]

Let's see... I can (easily) replace all of that with SuSE OpenExchange, Tikiwiki, any decent open-source IM server, and WebEx for a whole lot cheaper (as in, I'd only have to pay for the WebEx licensing and the $89 for OpenExchange). So why should I bother with paying $180/user-year again?

[Kev Orng]

Sounds great... and once our word docs and excel spreadsheets are up in Microsoft's cloud, how easy will it be to export them to Open Office or iWork or Google docs, in case I choose to take my business elsewhere?

Probably harder than it is now.

[FS1982!]

Hmmmm. Not sure how I feel about this one yet. Basically it is an exchange server backed by microsoft. There would be benefits to that. All the negatives are mostly mentioned already. I think it is really going to depend on cleanliness and simplicity. I find MS in need of keeping the adage: KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid...which Mac does extremely well.

[tekwiz4u]

Pay-as-you-go for Office = FAIL!

Now WHY would I want to do that unless I want my DATA held hostage if I miss 1 payment. "Sorry sir, cant let you use Outlook unless you bring your account active". Cmon.....give me a break!

PAY ONCE, IT"S MINE and I OWN IT. Stand alone apps is the way to go for Office communication. Buy Exchange Server, Outlook and Sharepoint. Expensive...yes...but it's more cost effective then subscribing EACH user.

[Gayle Edwards]

This is Microsofts, long-planned, "Software as a Service"... The only problems..?

-We would be returning to the "Mainframe-->Terminal" (High-Priest) computer architecture, which was intentionally replaced for a very large number of EXTREMELY GOOD reasons (greater speed, control, reliability, processing-power, etc.).

-Microsoft would be able to change ("update"), alter, or LIMIT, their software whenever THEY [Microsoft] wish... NOT when the -customer- felt it was actually necessary, or appropriate.

-Microsoft will, very effectively, be side-stepping the entire, recent, Supreme Court decision regarding -software ownership-. The purchaser would no longer have (or control) an actual "physical copy of the software". Why do you think that is..? And, what impact do you think that will have on consumer-rights..?

-Microsoft could do (as they have always done)... and change formats, and methodologies, (and, very effectively, lock-out competition) whenever Microsoft felt like it.

-Once Microsoft has the apps, you (or your business) depend-on, locked safely away in their servers... they can increase rates, charge "per user" (another, long-stated, Microsoft goal) at any time...and you [the customer] will simply NO SAY about it.

Basically, this would turn -computers- into little more than locked-down, locked-up, "Microsoft-services" delivery-devices (which are specifically designed to perpetually extract revenue, and impose absolute external-control, over ALL Computer-users).

And, you will, almost certainly, end-up... PAYING MORE.

In short, the entire Microsoft "cloud computing" push... fundamentally eliminates virtually ALL of the overwhelming advantages associated with the entire Personal-Computer industry (personal- power, convenience, control), and, would hand-over everything that Bill Gates/Microsoft... ever wanted... directly into the hands of a repeatedly-convicted illegal-monopoly (whose biggest problem has always been their complete failure to provide for, or even acknowledge, their customers actual needs/wants).

And, if you know anything about the history of Microsoft and the microcomputer industry, in general, then you would know just how destructive that will inevitably be to consumers (and any element of the industry that isnt directly controlled/owned/allowed... by Microsoft).

And, THAT, should scare the Hell out of anyone.

[mamaroaches]

Many people here at Thailand said Google apps is the business & IT future. Right now Gmail is already citizen ID for the world. I gonna try one.... and let see together what it will be in future.