A lot of people have been buzzing about the future release of Microsoft Office 2010, and it’s not because it’s just another new version of Office. The fact is, this version offers something very powerful and unique that no other version of Office has. That feature is cloud computing, the future of cloud documents.
Why is Microsoft Office 2010 so unique?
In addition to improved aspects such as graphics, templates and streamlined processes, Office 2010 also promises collaboration features, called “co-authoring,” available on Word, Powerpoint and Excel in response to Google Docs. For businesses relying on PowerPoint and Excel files on a daily basis, the cloud documents may prove extremely helpful in eliminating wasted time with compatibility issues and version management.
Microsoft Office 2010 will save these co-authored documents to a cloud by directly uploading them to something called the Windows Live SkyDrive. Windows users who want to co-author documents using this cloud will have to create a SkyDrive account.
SkyDrive provides 25 GB of free online storage and allows for anyone with sufficient privileges to access these documents even if the user’s computer does not have Office installed.
Another cool feature about Microsoft Office 2010, in regards to cloud computing, is the ability to deliver live presentations over the web from within PowerPoint, allowing anyone in the world to view your presentation using a web browser.
Good job Microsoft, we can’t wait to start using it!
Tags: cloud computing, co-author, google docs, microsoft office 2010, shared documents