Microsoft's Office 365 Goes Open Beta

Microsoft has finally opened the door to its cloud-based Office 365 and is now offering the service as a public beta for anybody and everybody to try out. The beta is available in 38 countries as well as 17 languages. The new beta also follows several months of limited testing with a few thousand businesses that were able to take the service out for an early test drive. After this public beta, Office 365 will officially launch later this year.

Office 365, which was unveiled last October, is Microsoft's attempt at offering businesses a cloud-based alternative to some of the company's more traditional desktop and server products. Office 365 combines Office Web Apps with hosted versions of Exchange and SharePoint as well as Microsoft's Lync product. The Lync product provides the online communication and collaboration element of Office 365.

With all of this, Office 365 is designed to offer a plethora of features including document creation, document sharing, e-mail, IM, online meetings and public Web sites. Microsoft has also included protection in the form of its enterprise ForeFront security client and is also promising a 99.9% uptime for the entire service.

Once Office 365 officially launches it will be offered as two separate plans depending on the size of your company. Small businesses with around 25 employees or less can pay $6 per person per month to receive Office Web Apps and the hosted versions of Exchange and SharePoint. Larger corporations will have to chose from one of four different plans geared toward faculty, staff and students.

In addition to Office 365 being offered as a beta, Office 365 Marketplace is in beta form as well. Office 365 Marketplace is designed to supplement Office 365 and tries to help businesses find apps and services offered by different Microsoft partners. Reports from users already experiencing the beta have noted that everything is working as Microsoft has advertised it to.

Source: CNET - Microsoft opens up Office 365 as public beta

File Server rentals are ideal if your company needs an extra storage unit for company information while you are testing various types of storage solutions.

Whether you need a short-term rental or a long-term lease, we have the right kind of server for your needs.

Comments

Precious Things My Kid Says and My Usually Unspoken Retorts

I never get to do anything I want except face painting and carnivals Kids say the darnedest things! Good thing they sleep for 12 hours a day or the cuteness would overwhelm me and I would have to shoot myself. Here are some tender words my preschooler serenades me with in her melodious little voice. 1- I'm not yours. I'm Daddy's! Answer: Then go ask him to wipe you. 2- Why are you wearing that? Answer: Because I lost my fashion sense when I pushed you out of my uterus. 3- Why did you do that with your face? Answer: Because I am exerting all my willpower not to throw you out of this moving car. 4- The other mothers tell the teachers what they did on the weekend. Why don't you? Answer: Preschool pickup sucks enough without trying to add meaningless small talk to the mix. 5- I am the only one who doesn't go to Disney. Answer: And I am the only mother with a brain. 6- Why can't we have a playdate with Madison? Answer: I hate Madison's mommy because she is too...

Annapolis Smokehouse, a Restaurant That Won't Kick Out My Kids and The Food is Great Too!

I am starting a new blog section called Restaurant Reviews: Places That Won't Kick Out My Kids. I do not get paid or get free food for my review, although there is always a first time. If you would like to be featured in this space, think long and hard first because this is who is coming: Keep in mind you can't hear the noise in this picture Anyway, Annapolis Smokehouse is located at 107 Hillsmere Drive in Annapolis which doesn't matter until I tell you it is across the street from Quiet Waters Park, aka the park with the awesome playground. Any restaurant located near a park is a good bet for families with small kids, because then you can threaten them with not going to the playground if they don't behave. Ambience: Annapolis Smokehouse gave my kids crayons and activity placemats and allowed us to sit outside as we requested, so as not to disturb any people who went to dinner thinking they would be able to converse like human beings. Remember those...

Life Before and After Kids, or Something Not to Read if You Were Having a Good Day

Oh those salad days (literally in that you had time to order and eat a salad) when you were married without children! As nobody says aloud, childlessness is wasted on the childless. Here are a few distinctions between those with kids and without, in various domains of daily life. Special Occasions: Before Kids: Prior to children, a three day surprise trip to a beach was a good anniversary present. Possibly add some thoughtful little gift into the mix like a treasured book, CD, or even a piece of jewelry. As you slowly ate a delicious dinner at an amazing restaurant you found through meticulous online research, you gazed into each other's eyes. Passionate love making followed. After Kids: You would like your husband, for once, to be the one to text the sitter so that you can go out for two hours, including the drive, to a restaurant you don't even like but is near to the house. Of course he doesn't have the sitter's number (despite your n...

Predol

Search This Blog