Wednesday 18 February 2009

This changes everything: Office Live Workspaces


Office Live Workspaces could change the entire field of the Cloud. Office Live now brings SharePoint functions to everyone everywhere, allow every Windows / Office based user to collaborate and manage content in the Cloud. It allow rapid network formation globally to harvest the benefits of the Web and Cloud.

Microsoft has hit a real home run here, using the most popular SharePoint features to make a usable Cloud application, something Google Docs very failed at.



The cost of using a Office Live over Google Docs cloud is that you are stuck in a Microsoft world. I can't use Windows Live on my Linux machines and this alone is keeping me on Google Docs. My little Umbuntu Laptop is just too nice to give up and too slow to run Vista or even XP.

Generally the Cloud has paved my movement off of Microsoft platforms. For the past 4 years since I have been moving to Cloud based information management I have used Google, Yahoo and firms other than Microsoft. Suddenly with Office Live I have a reason to keep my XP machines around.

So IMHO Microsoft has hit a real home run here. Not only have they made a STRONG move to the Cloud that works, but they have also managed to use the Cloud to straighten their brand position. Lets see how it takes off, but I am now ready to put my money that Microsoft has a bright future in the Cloud.

I guess soon I will have to present myself as a SharePoint Office Live Consultant. Cool by me.
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