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Microsoft Releases 'Reinvented' Cloud-Based Office Suite By Barry Levine January 29, 2013 10:49AM     Analyst Charles King said Microsoft was "being extremely aggressive in its pricing" for the Office 365 version, which can then be shared across five devices. He added that the adoption of Microsoft's new cloud-centric business model for Office is having "a pretty big impact" on how Microsoft does business, such as updating Office 365 every three months.   Related Topics Microsoft Office 365 Cloud Latest News Reality TV's New Stars: Small Biz Soundbars Up the Ante on TV Sound Google Glass Raises Privacy Concerns Pentagon Gives iOS 6 Security OK Should Enterprises Skip Windows 8? Reinvention has become Microsoft 's new slogan. On Tuesday, the software giant released its newest reinvention, the updated Office suite for consumers. The cloud -based Office 365 Home Premium, under a new pricing model of $99.99 for an annual subscription, offers the latest version of the suite's productivity applications -- Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher and Access -- and can be installed on as many as five devices by a licensed household. In addition to Windows-based PCs, the new release supports Windows tablets and Macs, and integrates with the company's SkyDrive online storage and Skype's Net-based calling. Twenty gigabytes of storage on SkyDrive are available to Office 365 subscribers, as well as 60 free Skype calling minutes to any mobile or landline phone, or to a PC . 'Next Big Step' CEO Steve Ballmer said in a statement that the launch of the newest incarnation of Office "marks the next big step in Microsoft's transformation to a devices and services business." He added that the new release is "so much more than just another release of Office," because it is Office reinvented "as a consumer cloud service with all the full-featured Office applications people know and love." For consumers, one of the benefits of the cloud is the delivery of many new features and services for Office to the cloud first, instead of home users having to wait for upgrades. Alongside the unveiling of Home Premium, the company is releasing Office 365 University for college students and faculty, at $79.99 annually. The company is also launching a new, crowd-sourced Web site, Time to 365 at www.office.com/timeto365, where users and experts can share tips about the suite. The company said some of the tips on the site include ways to use Office applications for planning a child's birthday party or how to organize a grocery list with OneNote on a smartphone. Office brings in more than half of Microsoft's overall profit, and the company has said that there are about a billion users worldwide in all markets. The Home Edition is one of a variety of efforts by Microsoft to counter the cloud-based apps being offered by Google and others, while supporting the growing trend of access to documents and, in many cases, apps from anywhere and from a variety of devices. Google Apps, by contrast, is free to home users and is available to businesses for $50 per user annually. (continued...) 1  |  2  |  Next Page >   Tell Us What You Think Comment: Name: Neerja Bylsma: Posted: 2013-02-02 @ 4:12pm PT Yes they are doing and we use it, however there are many issues: 1) creating .pdf files is very problematic 2) MS will not help you set up security such that the clouds apps work 3) Cloud apps and security are currently clashing and this is causing users much heartache. Mark: Posted: 2013-02-01 @ 4:32am PT This is definitely a unique assortment of apps in this Reinvented cloud-based Office suite but I would call it too high a cost. Being a GroupDocs user, I prefer my to view my docs in the browser and annotate my files on the go. And since I can access my Dropbox, Amazon and Windows Azure accounts through it, I find it to be a good deal. Also Visit: iPad Info Center Billions of Bytes Mobile Device Now Apple Info Center TopTechWire.com

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Network Security Spotlight

Syrian Electronic Army Hacks Financial Times The Financial Times is the latest victim of the Syrian Electronic Army, a group that supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The U.K.-based newspaper said a blog and its Twitter accounts were hacked.   Patch Tuesday Hyper Focuses on IE 8 Microsoft on Tuesday issued 10 security bulletins that fix 33 vulnerabilities. These updates include MS13-038, which will address the Internet Explorer 8 issue described in Security Advisory 2847140.   Surge of Venture Capital Buoys Tech Security Sector With companies and governments spending billions to repel cyberthreats, a surge of venture capital is pouring into companies developing cybersecurity technologies, the front line of the conflict.

Enterprise Hardware Spotlight

U.S. Defense Department Gives iOS 6 Security OK In a vote of confidence for Apple's iOS devices, the Defense Department has given the all-clear for employees to use iPads and iPhones for work. But only those running iOS 6, and only if issued by the government.   Cisco Surges After Profit Exceeds Analysts' Estimates Networking equipment giant Cisco's net income jumped 14 percent in the latest quarter as revenue at all four of its divisions rose for the first time in a year and a half, as tech spending increases.   HP and SAP Team To Advance HANA Database Technology The two tech leaders are working on a system that SAP says could fundamentally change the database market. HANA is SAP's technology that keeps data in-memory, for super fast processing.

Mobile Enterprise Spotlight

Google Glass Raises Congressional Privacy Concerns The buzz around Google Glass continues, but it's not all good. Some in Congress have questions. "We are curious whether this new technology could infringe on the privacy of average Americans," their letter to Google says.   Windows Phone Now No. 3 in Market, BlackBerry No. 4 Has Microsoft Phone moved into a coveted though distant third place for smartphone platforms behind Google's Android and Apple's iOS? A new report says yes, while BlackBerry has slipped to No. 4.   Intel Going Mobile with Its New CEO In his first speech as Intel's CEO, Brian Krzanich said he plans to focus on beefing up Intel's presence in mobility. The next step: a world tour showing mobile devices based on Intel chips, from PCs to phones and tablets.

Enterprise Technology Spotlight

HP and SAP Team To Advance HANA Database Technology The two tech leaders are working on a system that SAP says could fundamentally change the database market. HANA is SAP's technology that keeps data in-memory, for super fast processing.   Cloud Computing Gains Another Competitor with Google Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure now have a full-on rival in Google, with its I/O announcement that it is opening its hosted Compute Engine environment for virtual machines to all comers.   Hackers' New Tool of Choice: Smartphones Smartphones are increasingly popular not only with consumers, but with thieves who see the devices as another way to tap into bank accounts and other sensitive information, experts say.

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