Have you ever had to tranfer your files from one computer to another? Have you ever been sent files that don?t run on your PC because you don?t have the right software installed? Or have you ever had multiple people working on a single document, and had to manage reconciling all of their inputs into a single file?
Many of these issues exist because the documents that you store your information in are run by software that is attached to a particular device, like your laptop, and whether the file loads or not depends on the capability of your computer and the state of the software, which can often be corrupted by a virus. Many of these issues will be resolved as some of the office applications you use move to what is termed as ?The Cloud?. This refers to a remote computer (server) on which software is loaded, which is used to run and store the files that you?re using on your computer. Significant investments have been made in companies that offer Software As A Service (referred to as SAAS), but the biggest announcement yet was made a few weeks ago, with Microsoft saying it will provide Microsoft Office on the Internet, as a part of its Azure platform.
Google had acquired Writely, an online word processor (much like Microsoft Word) in 2006, and subsequently launched Google Docs, an online service which allows you to create and view documents, spreadsheets and presentations; what?s more, you can share the documents online with multiple users, individually allowing some to edit, and others only to view them. A recent update incorporates several pre-prepared templates for invoices, business plans and labels. While I was initially not comfortable with preparing documents on the Internet, the fact that I can access them from my PC, laptop or even my mobile offers unmistakable value. But I wish Google had included an offline component, because I?m still more comfortable with creating documents offline, and given the poor Internet connectivity in India, I?m often afraid that my changes may not have been saved.
Which is where Microsoft?s Azure comes in?while details are sketchy, it appears there?s going to be a mix of online and offline components. Some elements will reside in the device, while others will be on the Web. The applications will be released along with the next version of MS Office. Google is Microsoft?s biggest competitor, and Google?s acquisition of Writely was seen as a move to take on Microsoft where it would hurt them most, so Microsoft?s entry into this space was inevitable. With Azure, lightweight versions of Microsoft?s popular Office software like Word and Powerpoint will run in browsers, as well as Windows Mobile devices.
At the same time, one should not forget an online service being provided by Chennai based AdventNet Labs, which saw the opportunity in providing office software on the web much before many others. Its Zoho Suite of applications is far more comprehensive than Google?s, and includes a word processor, spreadsheets, presentation tools, database applications and much more. Many of these applications are free, and have been emulated by Google. Other applications allow limited usage for free. Also, Zoho enables the offline component via a plugin that can be used with MS Office, and is also integrated with Google Gears.
Where Microsoft has an advantage is that it is still the most pervasive operating system in the world, giving it what a friend of mine calls ?The Power of Default?. The fact that some softwares come pre-loaded with MS Windows allows its browser Internet Explorer to be the most widely used in the world, despite competition from the likes of Firefox, Opera and Google?s Chrome. But whether Microsoft tries to destroy competition by pre-loading Office Web with Windows 7 remains to be seen.
While all of these initiatives have seen substantial backing, one critical element will remain on top of a business priority list?the security of their valuable data in the cloud.
?The author is the editor of digital media analysis site MediaNama.com. He can be reached at: nikhil@medianama.com