New online Software plus Services model makes “Big IT” affordable to Irish businesses

Microsoft Ireland has launched the latest wave of their Online Services - the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite is a set of messaging and collaboration solutions hosted by Microsoft and designed to give businesses streamlined communication with high availability, comprehensive security and simplified IT management. Irish businesses of all sizes, particularly SMEs benefit from always up-to-date technologies that can be rolled out rapidly, maximising valuable IT resources and reducing the need for infrastructure investments. Delivered as a subscription service BPOS is now available from just €12.73 per user per month.

“In the current economic climate, BPOSwill provide crucial business solutions which provide cost-effective technology that helps improve team working and communication, reduces travel costs, IT overheads, and increases productivity,” commented Richard Moore, Business Manager, Information Worker, Microsoft Ireland.

One of the first customers to see the benefits of Microsoft’s Online Services is Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children’s Project International (CPPI). They were thrilled to be able to get Microsoft enterprise-caliber communications and collaboration solutions for a low monthly subscription fee, without the need to purchase, deploy, and manage servers. ”As a charity, we just don’t have the resources to invest in needed technology, so we were very excited to learn about Microsoft Online Services,” says Miriam Forde, Fundraising and Communications Manager for Chernobyl Children’s Project International.

Microsoft’s Online Services were recommended to The Chernobyl Children’s Project International by Microsoft Certified Partner, Inspired Software and Services, as a way for them to keep costs low, while at the same time making leading technologies available to them.

“Microsoft Online Services is the obvious choice for the Chernobyl Children’s Project. It is easy to implement so users are up and running quickly. The monthly subscription model means customers can spread the cost of their solution eliminating the upfront hardware and software licensing costs that can make IT projects prohibitive. And it improves customer productivity saving them time and money” commented Eamon Breen, director of Inspire Software & Services.

out Microsoft Ireland'Microsoft'tner explains, reland will give you Director of Product Management for M“With the launch of Microsoft’s Online Services we can deliver our business productivity solutions based on SharePoint to our customers more quickly and easier, saving them money and time. We estimate that initial capital expenditure on deployment costs (including hardware, software and services) will be reduced by 80%,” added Breen.

Cost per User:

These services will open up new possibilities for businesses to control costs while continuing to enhance the productivity of their employees. The Business Productivity Online Suite is currently listed at 12.78 Euros per month per user.

Speaking at the launch, Richard Moore, Business Manager, Information Worker, Microsoft Ireland said, “Microsoft’s Business Productivity Online Suite delivers enterprise class solutions for an affordable price and through a monthly subscription making it the ideal solution for today’s challenging times. It makes key technologies accessible to small and start-up businesses so they are better able to compete and enables larger businesses to better utilise existing resources by focusing on more strategic aspects of IT while delivering savings in time and money”

Software plus Services holds great opportunity for Microsoft’s Partners. “It’s a great opportunity to expand your services and create new revenue opportunities for their business while enabling their customers to get the most out of their IT expenditures during these difficult times. The fact that the service is provided by Microsoft’s gives security and reliability in service delivery to partners and their customers” added Moore.

Products and Features

The Microsoft Online Services family includes:

· Microsoft Exchange Online (with Exchange Hosted Filtering) is a hosted enterprise messaging and calendaring solution based on Microsoft Exchange Server 2007. Customer benefits include improved e-mail security, remote and mobile access to e-mail and enhanced operational efficiency for IT staff.

· Microsoft SharePoint Online provides businesses with a protected, central location where employees can collaborate, find organizational resources, monitor content, manage workflow and quickly access information. Employees can create project-focused intranet sites to facilitate teamwork and document sharing.

· Microsoft Office Communications Online allows customers to take advantage of industry-leading instant messaging and presence capabilities without hiring support staff to manage an infrastructure or server hardware. The solution helps employees stay productive by enabling them to seamlessly communicate with others in different locations or time zones.

· Microsoft Office Live Meeting is an enterprise-class hosted Web conferencing service that engages audiences in online meetings, training sessions and events.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is an on-demand customer relationship management (CRM) solution that offers a complete suite of powerful marketing, sales and service capabilities, all within a familiar Microsoft Office Outlook interface.

Solutions for Occasional Users

The Deskless Worker Suite, including Exchange Online Deskless Worker and SharePoint Online Deskless Worker. The Deskless Worker Suite is a low-cost solution designed for users who don’t have access to messaging and collaboration capabilities today.

The Deskless Worker Suite will offer customers an affordable e-mail and collaboration solution for occasional users. By providing a cost-effective subscription rate (currently listed at 2.56 euros per month per user), the Deskless Worker Suite will make it possible for organizations to give all employees access to the same messaging and collaboration systems. Today, in organizations that have deployed e-mail, more than 40 percent of employees do not have e-mail.*

The Deskless Worker Suite will be available for trial and for purchase on April 24th.

Microsoft Online Services will deliver enterprise class Business Solutions to all businesses without the need for up front capital expenditure.

Additional information on Microsoft Online Services is available at http://www.microsoft.com/online.

*According to Ipsos MediaCT. Information collected from Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.