By Saad Fazil

Microsoft is on a roll: Its newly launched Windows Phone 7 isgaining momentum, and Kinect, its motion controller response to the Wii, is rumored to have sold out (although whether that rumor is true is another matter). If there was ever a time for Microsoft to get back on its feet and stand shoulder to shoulder with Apple and Google, this would be it.

This positive buzz comes at a time when Microsoft sorely needs it. Microsoft’s major source of power and revenue –  the Windows operating system –  is under an unprecedented threat on several fronts. First, as mobile phones become smarter, the Windows franchise will lose its dominance unless Microsoft can find a way to compete with Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android. Second, as operating systems find their way into other connected devices such as Internet TV, Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS are getting all the buzz. Third, as the Internet becomes speedier and demand for cloud-based storage increases, web apps will become even more popular, making the Windows operating system even less relevant.

So what’s Microsoft doing to regain footing on these three fronts?

Mobile
Despite arriving late to the party, Windows Phone 7 has received strong reviews so far, and while there are a few glaring omissions (such as the missing copy/paste function), on the whole it is a great leap forward from the antiquated Windows Mobile platform.

It’s too early to tell whether Windows Phone 7 can catch up in a market dominated by iOS and Android, but it has some clear advantages. Tighter integration with Microsoft Office, still the most dominant productivity suite, is one of them. Gaming is another.

By: Michael Muchmore, PC Magazine

Google wants you to stop using Microsoft Office and move to its completely Web-based Docs service, and with each passing week the service gets richer and better performing. But just in case you're too devoted to the installed productivity suite leader, there's a next-best choice: Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office, formerly DocVerse.

Google Cloud Connect is basically an Office plug-in that syncs documents with your cloud-based Google Docs account; it was made available to Google "trusted testers" on Monday. The Google Docs blog post making the announcement has been updated to note that available slots for prospective testers filled up within a few hours of the announcement. PCMag got early access to the software for a look.

Though the Connect plug-in won't give Office users all of the live collaboration features available in the Web version of Docs, it will offer a Sync button that will back up the document being worked on, make it available from anywhere via Google Docs, and assign it a unique URL. The toolbar also offers a Share button that sends this URL or gives rights to the document to Google contacts.

I was hunting around recently looking for a good online training service for one of our members when I found the following gold mine.  Maybe many of you already knew about this, but I didn’t, and it is yet another amazing resource that Microsoft has provided, but is a bit buried and hard to find.

Microsoft has its weaknesses, but one of them is Not Customer and Partner support material (IMHO).  You could argue that there often is no global hierarchy for organizaing and finding all of the resources available (often times they are siloed by MSFT team or group), but not that there isn’t enough.  I’m in the business of knowing these, and I find new ones every day

For example, I ran across this Youtube video last week that showcases something called the Microsoft All-In-One Code Framework:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO5Li3APU58 I sent it to our developers and they were blown away by this free resource.

Anyway, I digress. ...

Microsoft Office 365 is coming….. as we have shouted almost daily lately.  For those of you who are curious, but have tons of questions, our good friends at Microsoft have provided a ton of resources.  One that is concise and to the point is the new Microsoft Office Transition Center. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Office 365?
A: Microsoft Office 365 delivers the power of cloud productivity to businesses of all sizes, helping to save time, money and free up valued resources. Office 365 combines the familiar Office desktop suite with online versions of Microsoft’s next generation communications and collaboration services: Exchange Online, SharePoint Online and Lync Online. With Office 365 we provide services that are easy to administer and simple to use – always backed up by robust security, reliability and control to run your business.

Q: When will Office 365 be available to customers?
A: Office 365 will be available for purchase in 2011. Please note that existing customers must be transitioned to Office 365 before it is available to them. Transition to Office 365 will be available to existing BPOS customers soon after availability of Office 365. Microsoft will work with all existing BPOS customers to determine the best time for the customer’s business to make the transition.

Q: What services and tools are included in Office 365?
A: Office 365 includes: Microsoft Exchange Online, Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Lync Online and the latest version of Microsoft Office Professional Plus desktop suite.

 

Cloud computing is to business what the pocket calculator was to education back in the 1980s.  I’ve already  told you how I was addicted to the Cloud , and your now probably hearing about it daily.  So why should you be interested in this new buzz word.  Well, there are a couple reasons your ears should perk up when you here news about The Cloud, especially when it involves the Microsoft products your company has become dependent upon over the years like Microsoft Office, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SharePoint, or Microsoft Dynamics.

1. Cost – costs usually include little to no up-front costs, and monthly per user costs moving forward.  This allows you to convert capital expenditure to operational expenditure which can lower the barrier to entry into new products and services.
2. Freedom – your team can more easily access systems remotely and from multiple devices such as Mobile devices
3. Reliability – cloud computing is ideal for business continuity and disaster recovery.
4. Scalability – you get “on-demand” provisioning of resources on a self-serve basis in realtime.
5. Maintenance - cloud computing application maintenance is done for you by the host, and changes and updates apply to all users independent of location.