Microsoft to launch cloud-based 'Office 365' on June 28

by Steven Mostyn - Jun 6 2011, 09:34

Looking to expand the appeal of its already hugely popular Office software suite yet further—while combating the threat of Google Docs—Microsoft is apparently planning to release the cloud-based version of its productivity platform before the end of this month.

That’s according to pleasingly loose-lipped chief executive officer Steve Ballmer, who last week revealed to an industry group in Delhi, India, that Office 365’s long awaited arrival is indeed imminent.

“We’re pushing hard in the productivity space,” commented Ballmer, who recently whipped the covers off Windows 8 ahead of Microsoft’s official preview during Computex 2011 in Taipei.

“We’ll launch our Office 365 cloud service, which gives you Lync and Exchange and SharePoint and Office [Word, Excel, PowerPoint] and more as a subscribable service that comes from the cloud,” he added. “That launches in the month of June.”

Ballmer’s comments are bolstered somewhat by Jon Roskill, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s worldwide partners group, who last week tweeted that Office 365 will indeed shift from beta to full release on June 28.

Office users looking to leap onto the cloud will receive a 25GB mailbox, connectivity support for Outlook 2010 and Outlook 2007, and security protection through Forefront. They’ll also receive access to the storage and sharing of conventional Office documents and those crafted via Office Web Apps.

Microsoft will hold a media event at New York’s Skylight Soho on June 28, during which it will likely showcase and launch the Office 365 suite.

Basic subscriber access to Office 365 will come tethered to an annual cost of $72 USD. Microsoft is also expected to offer a premium business-centric package—however, pricing for that particular level of access has not yet been confirmed.

Around the Web