Microsoft Works To Challenge Google As more research comes out, it appears Microsoft is working as hard as ever to challenge Google in the cloud. Microsoft’s hybrid cloud solution, Office 365, has been pitted against Google’s cloud service, Google Apps, for the past year since Office 365’s inception. And ever since, Google has proved time and again that it is the authority in the cloud. Most recently, Gartner Inc., a research firm, was the one to confirm Google’s lead in the cloud competition. This May, the firm released new data showing that between one-third and one-half of businesses moving to
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Microsoft’s Biggest Client, or Just a PR Stunt? – Part II This is the concluding part of a two-part article. For the first part, please see Microsoft’s Biggest Client, or Just a PR Stunt? – Part I . There is another possibility at play here. If Microsoft manages to sell the viability of its cloud offerings to the Indian government, this freebie can actually result in paying contracts in other areas. And as we all know, governments are big spenders, even on information technology (See: How Much Can the US Government Save By Going to the Cloud?). Getting buy-in is important
Microsoft’s Biggest Client, or Just a PR Stunt? – Part I On April 13, Reuters ran a news item where “Microsoft announced its biggest-ever customer for cloud computing – software that it hosts on behalf of clients and delivers over the Internet – after winning a contract to provide free services to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)” (). Now, the first thing that struck me was the word “free” and left me thinking, “Does this truly make the AICTE Microsoft’s biggest client, or is this just a PR stunt full of fluff with no solidity?” I looked
The Cloud is Here (and Not Going Anywhere) Lately, there have appeared many articles on the Internet about how the cloud is now approaching maturity, and definitely here to stay, so I thought we should have a look at the evidence and what it actually means. This State of the Cloud 2011 Global Survey shows us some essential numbers: Three-fourths of organizations are at least discussing cloud adoption. In fact more than half are in trials, implementing or have already implemented the cloud. If we are looking at predictions for the future, the figures are overwhelming. This white paper from
Google Apps and 365: Cloud Face-Off If you’re looking to move to the cloud, you’ve probably wondered whether Google Apps or Office 365, two of the leading cloud computing service providers, is right for you. So how do you know which service to choose? Here is a side-by-side comparison of the services offered through each. Background While Google Apps has been around since 2006, Microsoft just released Office 365 in July 2011. Google Apps users gain access to Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google sites, Google Groups, Google Video, Google Cloud Connect, and more, through a unique domain. Google Apps
A Windows OS for the Clouds The software produced by Microsoft is usually largely adopted by enterprises, but personal users have lately started to look for more agile and light-weighted technologies, with the help of Apple and Google. Although Microsoft has been one of the first players to step on the cloud computing scene with Azure, it is generally regarded as being relatively late to develop efficient cloud technologies for personal use. Since Microsoft Office is already shifting towards the clouds, Microsoft takes a new step forward and it is trying to meets these needs by attempting to develop its
Microsoft’s Latest Shot at the Clouds: Office 365 Apple launches iCloud, and now Microsoft is pushing their latest offering, Office 365. The long awaited Microsoft response to Google Apps is based on the hugely popular Microsoft Office. Now you can have it on the cloud as well. Microsoft has finally released its Office 365 product, after unsuccessful attempts with Business Productivity Suite and Office Live, aiming to meet the collaboration requirements of companies in a Cloud environment. Before deciding to move to Office 365, here is some of its main features: Access: For personal users, it only requires a Microsoft
