Switchfast Blog: The Future of IT
While Office 2010 Gets a Launch Date, Google has its Sights on Enterprise with Chrome OS
Monday, March 08, 2010 by Bryan Anderson
In May, Microsoft will officially launch Office 2010 to businesses, extending
the opportunity to consumers a month later as is tradition. As
expected, Microsoft today also unveiled a program that provides a
free upgrade to Office 2010 for customers who purchase the older
Office 2007 between now and Sept. 30. Having cut the number of
retail editions to three with Office 2010 (as opposed to Office
2007's five-piece line up), here is a summary of the free upgrade
situations and qualifications:
Buyers of Office Home and Student 2007 will receive a free copy
of Office Home and Student 2010, while buyers of Office Standard
2007 and Office Basic 2007 will be eligible for a free copy of
Office Home and Business 2010, a new addition to the Office lineup.
Purchases of Office Small Business 2007, Office Professional 2007
or Office Ultimate 2007 will be eligible for a free copy of Office
Professional 2010.
While Microsoft readies their next upgrade in software, Google
readies their own Operating System for consumer and, now,
enterprise use. With Chrome OS set to launch later this year, the
company has all but confirmed that they will release a "business" version of the software in
2011.
This business edition, however, similar to the OS launching this
year, will be available only on netbooks first.
What will Chrome OS Business edition offer that varies from its
consumer version and Microsoft's software? An increased
attention to built-in security technologies specifically made for
protection from malware and other online threats.
According to an article over at Networkworld.com, the
auto-updating features of Chrome OS will reduce exposure to malware
and assist you in a "safe-browsing" experience. There also will be
a "developer mode" which may sacrifice a bit of specialized
security functions for a better developer experience.
With the recent success of Google's Chrome Browser
along with its emphasis on "speed and security," will Google make a
powerful push into the Enterprise industry or focus mainly on their
heavy consumer market? With a loyal consumer base, there have
already been signs that companies like Apple and Google have
infiltrated the small business setting in a big way. It's only a
matter of time before companies will become more familiar with
Google's intentions in Enterprise and the affect it could, or will,
have on their internal operations.
Until next time -
Matthew Hymel
Switchfast Technologies
Chicago IT Support &
Consulting
Rochester
IT Support & Consulting
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