InfoWorld published an Interview with Microsoft Business Division president Stephen Elop on Office2010, Office Web Applications and Microsoft Online Services. Although the title of the article may trigger other perceptions it’s clear that Microsoft is executing on a strategy, software + services, which is much broader than bringing Office to the web …
… Microsoft’s Business Division oversees one of its most successful products, the Office productivity suite, as well as the company’s lucrative server and enterprise software businesses. However, like the rest of the company, the division has not been immune to the pressure of the recession, and revenue fell 13 percent in the quarter ending in June.
Business Division president Stephen Elop, however, said in an interview with the IDG News Service that he’s confident the unit can overcome the pressures that face the business. These include not only the economy but also competition in the productivity and collaboration software market from Web-based applications from Google and others. To answer this challenge, Microsoft is set to offer Web-based versions of its Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote software as part of the Office 2010 launch early next year.
Those applications are part of Microsoft’s general transition to "software plus services" with its Business Productivity Online Suite — which includes Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Office Live Meeting, and Office Communications Online — a product and transition Elop’s division also oversees. …
Continue at Source: Why Microsoft isn’t afraid of Google or cloud computing
