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As tempting as it might be to simply pay a flat rate for your Office suites and be done with it, Microsoft’s (News - Alert) subscription-based Office365 for small businesses seems to be the best deal. Now that the pricing is out, let’s take a look at what the $149.99 yearly subscription will get you.

According to a recent report, the online subscriptions give consumers “more bang for their buck.” The alternative solutions which are locally-installed Office 2013 Home and Business and Office 2013 Professional, costs a flat rate of $219.99 and $399.99. And although customers who go this route need not stress over monthly or annual fees, the services of these suites are limited to the device on which they are installed.

With Office 365, subscribers can use the suites on up to five different devices. The $149.99 annual fee configures to about $12.50 per user per month. However, since Microsoft has formed these partnerships with large network providers like Verizon (News - Alert), customers can have their Office 365 hosted for even less. Some reports reveal that with Verizon’s small business packages, consumers spend as little as $6 per user per month.

Additionally, the online subscription affords consumers certain perks that are not available for consumers who opted for the one-time installation fee. People have already been raving about Office 365’s cloud-based Web appsthat were created to be available for subscribers regardless of what device they are operating or where they are.

Office 365 has already taken the small business markets in Asia and Australia by storm, so many predict that the service will be received with equal enthusiasm in the SMB vertical in the U.S. Since more and more businesses are operated remotely as opposed to the tradition of operating from a stationary environment, the online subscription service is ideal for mobile functionality.

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