‘Introduction of Office 365 to fuel businesses across regions’

[MrVan]

By Emeka Aginam

Following the introduction of Microsoft Office 365 to the global markets including Nigeria, the Information Worker Business Group Lead, Microsoft Africa, Marc Israel has said with optimism that the solution has potential to fuel business and economic transformation across the region by delivering cost-effective, flexible access to enterprise-class IT.

Israel, who stated this in Lagos last week when the software giant gave its partners a closer look at Microsoft Office 365, the company's next-generation cloud productivity service for businesses of all sizes in Nigeria said that the solution provides the productivity backbone for modern businesses in Africa.

He explained that Office 365 brings together Microsoft Office, Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Exchange Online and Microsoft Lync Online in an always-up-to-date service, at a predictable monthly cost.

It would be recalled that Office 365 was made commercially available in Nigeria last June business organizations could try it for free for 30 days by signing up at www.office365.com or from Microsoft's 31 leading local Nigerian service providers, which will integrate Office 365 with other offerings and market the service to the hundreds of thousands of small and midsize business customers in Nigeria.

"We are evolving from the information age to the collaboration age, where the ability to take action on information will set successful businesses apart from the rest," Emmanuel Onyeje, General Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, said, adding that, "The launch of Office 365 in Nigeria will accelerate that evolution by delivering enterprise-grade collaboration for all businesses – large and small."

A game-changer for businesses:

Moving to the cloud with Office 365 doesn't require a business to change the way it works, because the service is based on familiar productivity tools people know and trust, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Access and more.

Employees get new ways to work together with ease, on virtually any device or mobile phone, and businesses get the reliability, security and IT controls they need in the cloud, even without a dedicated IT staff.

Reacting to the new development, Abiodun Atobatele, Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer, ATB TechSoft Solutions, said, "We thoroughly evaluated other cloud productivity offerings in the market before choosing Microsoft. Office 365 is the right choice to help our company support the way people work today and encourage a more mobile work environment. With the service, we have the added benefit of working together with familiar tools on almost any device and can make quicker decisions when needed."

Office 365 Partners:

Already, Microsoft is building a massive partner ecosystem around Office 365, which includes new ways of partnering with service providers such as telecommunications and hosting firms.

Combined, the partners will integrate Office 365 with their existing services – from Web hosting and internet connections to finance solutions and mobile phone services. These partners will then be able to deliver integrated packages to their customers, creating a one-stop-shop for small and midsize businesses seeking business services.

"When AlliedSoft learned about Office 365, we knew this was the way businesses would work in the future," Chuma Chukwujama, Chief Executive Officer, AlliedSoft, said, adding that, "Not only can businesses save money, but our Nigerian customers are going to be able to work together better — no matter where they are."

About Office 365

With Office 365 for small businesses, professionals and small businesses can be up and running with Office Web Apps, Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Lync Online and an external website in just 15 minutes, for $6 USD per user, per month. These tools put email, voicemail, enterprise social networking, instant messaging, Web portals, extranets, video conferencing, web conferencing and more at everyone's fingertips.

Office 365 for enterprises has an array of choices for midsize and large businesses, as well as government organizations, starting for as little as $4 USD per user, per month for basic email. Office 365 for enterprises also includes Microsoft Office Professional Plus desktop software on a pay-as-you-go basis, for the first time ever, for $20 USD per user, per month.

For one thing, the event gave partners the opportunity to learn more about the potential business impact of Office 365 and explore its power and functionality during a hands-on demo by Marc Israel, Information Worker Business Group Lead for Microsoft Africa.

Vanguard Nigeria