AT&T, Microsoft Launch Mobile Office

By David Delony
Contributing Writer

AT&T and Microsoft (News - Alert) have announced a joint solution, AT&T Mobile Office, which allows businesses to collaborate over mobile devices.

“Microsoft and AT&T are creating powerful opportunities for small and midsized businesses to leverage collaboration technology that was once out of their reach,” Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T (News - Alert) mobile and business solutions, said. “We’re bringing together our leading cloud, mobility and software assets to create an integrated solution that’s easy, affordable, highly-secure and backed by the nation’s most reliable 4G LTE network.”

Given Microsoft’s participation, AT&T Mobile Office relies heavily on the software giant’s products. Microsoft Lync is prominent. It has an expanded click-to-call function for both Lync and Skype (News - Alert).

Microsoft Office 365 is also included, giving access to all of the company’s familiar business tools, including Lync, Word, Exchange, Excel, PowerPoint and others.

In addition to Windows Phone devices, AT&T and Microsoft are also supporting iOS and Android (News - Alert) devices. Microsoft recently rolled out Android versions of its office products. While both companies are touting Windows phones like the Lumia 810, the support for the other major smartphone platforms seems to be a nod to the reality that iOS and Android are much more popular than Windows Phone (News - Alert) devices, even though Microsoft remains committed, with the upcoming Windows 10 a free upgrade from existing Windows Phone versions.

AT&T is offering plans that start at as little as $0 for new phones, as well as plans that the company says will fit any business needs.

The solution is indicative of the new direction for Microsoft, which is pursuing cloud computing while maintaining its familiar stable of products, including Windows and Office, as the company appeals to users with devices other than traditional PCs.

“No matter the size of our business, we all want to do more and achieve more,” said Stephen Elop, executive vice president of the Microsoft devices group. “I’m constantly hearing from small and midsize businesses how important productivity is to them in this mobile-first, cloud-first world. So, it’s especially exciting to introduce a solution that offers a mobility of experiences across devices.”