Software giant Microsoft seems to have finally taken a step towards making the highly anticipated cloud computing service Office 365 available to its users for a flat annual fee of $72. This excellent service is definitely going to help small and medium-sized businesses integrate almost all Microsoft digital products such as e-mail, instant messaging, Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel etc. into one common platform and it used any and all information in real-time without having to worry about data loss. This service is aimed at helping people access all kinds of Microsoft office web applications at the click of a single button and that too by using their existing hardware.
Microsoft already has a variety of online office web applications and business productivity online suites and this new product is not only going to increase revenue for Microsoft, but also immensely benefit users by allowing them to access, share and retrieve any and all personal information through the convenience of a single and familiar user platform. Until very recently, the major names in the cloud computing segment where Amazon and Google and now that Microsoft has decided to test the waters, it seems that the more upon the market of Amazon and Google is going to vaporize gradually and give to move Microsoft and several other new cloud computing services.
It is also being speculated that if Microsoft is able to taste success through Office 365, it is going to launch more comprehensive cloud computing services in the near future because cloud computing is something where the future is exactly headed for. If you are not yet aware of what exactly is cloud computing and how it can help you, it is high time you knew about it because cloud computing is going to transform the way people compute and interact with each other immensely in the near foreseeable future.
Cloud computing, as the name suggests basically allows users to integrate all personal data into one platform so that any and all data can be accessed, retrieved, updated and shared with specific people in real-time by just remaining connected with the Internet and not worry about data loss. Two very good examples would be gmail and Google docs. Cloud computing would integrate all your personal phone numbers (from your cell phone directory), all your e-mail contacts, your favorite movies, your favorite music and everything else that makes up your life into one single platform (that is connected to the Internet) and allow you to access all and any information in real-time without having to worry about storage and data loss associated with such mass storage. The information is actually stored in virtual servers and the servers are highly protected by high-tech security systems (leagues ahead of what you get to see on Facebook), so there is no data loss and data infection. This is far more cost-effective compared to storing information on your computer and mobile devices, because you need to pay only for the total amount of that is used by your information and nothing more.
photo credit: niallkennedy
