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Microsoft (News - Alert) Corporation introduced its Office 365, a Web-based platform that uses the “cloud-based” version of Office and has replaced the company’s Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS), which is Microsoft's first cloud-based office platform. The product was presented on June 11, 2011 with the intent to drive more companies to cloud-based computing: it provides the benefit of moving IT operations to the cloud with centralized document and information sharing among customers and colleagues.

Microsoft Office 365 is ideal for businesses of all sizes everywhere in the world to be able to use the Microsoft Office desktop suite online. Office 365 also allows the use of cloud-based Exchange 2010, SharePoint 2010 and Lync 2010 Servers. There is nothing like having all these programs in the cloud to build a unified communications system to communicate, collaborate, share resources, software, and information.

Cloud computing makes sense for those businesses that want to save time (on software installation and equipment maintenance) and money: the system, in fact, eliminates having to buy software for each computer in the office and eliminates the need for a physical server. Besides, the cloud offers outstanding service delivery, scalability, speed, flexibility and support; a pay-as-you-go compute service, which provides cost-savings for small-and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). More and more businesses are going to the cloud to enhance their performance and potential, as well as to reduce capital expenditure costs; this is why Microsoft has rolled out Office 365, its own on-demand software with cloud version of its Office suite.

Office 365 is designed to fit most, if not all, organizations’ unique needs. It has met computing requirements while improving the quality of service for business at multinational enterprises. In fact, there are several companies and public agencies who have adopted Office 365.

Among those organizations that Microsoft Corp. has recognized lately as users of its Office 365 suite are Italian businesses and entities: Artsana Group (an international provider in health, childcare and beauty) chose it to simplify its infrastructure and cut IT costs; a public service center, Provice of Lecco CST (Centro Servizi Territoriale), chose it for its standardize communication and collaboration technologies; the Local Health Service (Azienda Sanitaria Locale, ASL) in Naples chose it to permit information sharing; Italy's public insurer, CONSAP SpA, chose it for a cloud-based messaging solution to share information among users, and the Group Transportation Services (GTS) Logistics chose it to improve its customer service by making use of Exchange Online.

The Leroy Merlin branch in Italy, instead, chose Office 365 for managing communications among employees, customers and suppliers; whereas the Lombardini Holding SpA chose it for file sharing and integration to reduce costs and drive efficiency; and lastly, Metropolitana Milanese SpA chose it to improve its interoffice collaboration. What shows here is that Office 365 has helped several types of industries throughout Italy, in all sectors of business and public life: the online suite, in fact, has been commonly used for communications and collaboration solutions as well as to increase one’s Return on Investment (ROI) and Net Present Value (NPV).

Many cloud-computing environments with a customer-focused and solutions-oriented standard have learned to appreciate the benefits of Microsoft’s Office 365, especially Italian businesses (as mentioned on the Microsoft Customer Spotlight Newsroom and reinstated by MarketWatch, Inc.) to improve information-sharing and productivity, and reduce IT costs. With Office 365, Microsoft has presented businesses with an alternative to expensive on-premise equipment and software.