Microsoft Challenges Google with Office 365 for Education

Microsoft Launches Office 365 for Education.

This is a challenger for Google Doc which provides free usage of office application tightly integrated with other business applications such as gmail, calendar, sites and etc.

Office 365 is SaaS replicating the success of MS Office suite.

Yes. It is free for educational institution for the basic plan which is good enough.

Office 365 for education aspires to achieve the followings:
  • Improve teaching efficiency in the education sector
  • Improve communication between students and teachers as collaboration platform
  • Provides students with tools before they join workforce

For more information, refer to Malaysia Technology News.

The free package caters for:
  • Cloud-based email, calendar and contacts
  • Use your own domain name
  • Instant messaging, voice and video chat
  • Online conferencing with desktop sharing
  • Web-based viewing and editing of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote files

Premium packages include advanced features like:
  • Unlimited email storage
  • Archiving
  • eDiscovery tools to support your compliance needs
  • Hosted voicemail support
  • Enterprise voice capabilities

Adobe had introduced similar offering for its Creative Suite 4 in 2009 - Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium Student Edition (RM 399).

The software industry is getting increasingly free - as free as air.

It was reported that Microsoft alone employed 28,000 software engineers, wondering where does the money going to come from ??

Fyi, a workforce of 28,000 is equivalent to the size of the largest GLC in Malaysia from top to bottom.

During Oracle OpenWorld 2012, the Wall Street Journal, Oct 4 2012 in the article Hurd Re-emerges at Oracle by Ben Worthen reported that Oracle alone hires 60,000 sales persons and is lead by Mark Hurd, Oracle President.

Just imagine how powerful and rich these companies are.

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