While Izenda is predominantly a Microsoft shop, I must admit we use Google docs quite a bit. Office 365 finally brings Microsoft’s “other’ flagship product and revenue source into the web era.
Here are some things that I’m excited about:
- Collaborative editing. One of the main reasons that we use Google docs is that you don’t have email people your updates. You just update the document and the next time someone opens it, the updates are magically there. Even more amazing is the fact that the updates show up in seconds and you can modify the documents together without the headaches of merging and syncing.
- Fully hosted on Microsoft’s data centers. So it’s not that we don’t enjoy playing with powerful servers here at Izenda, it’s that spending that time on customers is far more important. Office 365 lets us keep our eye on the ball.
- Lync – It’s like an enterprise version of Skype. While we mistakenly invested in uber-expensive high-definition polycom VOIP phones, most of us use Skype to communicate with people both inside and outside the office. We use it for everything from getting quick feedback on feature prototypes and mockups to asking what someone wants for lunch. While it works, it still feels like a toy (although a fun one) while Lync seems like it will be far more substantial. I can’t wait to try it.