TORONTO (djc) – When Microsoft throws a party, you can guarantee it will draw a good crowd.
This was the case on Oct. 21 when Microsoft Canada celebrated the launch of its latest productivity suite, Office System 2003, at Toronto’s York Theatre. Dozens of reporters, businesspeople and onlookers were present to enjoy the festivities, perhaps Microsoft’s biggest launch since the inauguration of Tablet PC.
Based on the sheer magnitude of the event — simultaneously mirrored in cities across the globe — Microsoft clearly has a lot riding on its latest portfolio of office tools. Reportedly, the company spent the last two years fine-tuning Office to better serve its clients, and laid out $500 million (US) for marketing; this year, we’ll see the first television ads in a decade.
But what exactly is Microsoft selling and why will people buy it? Considering that the professional edition costs $759 (CDN), while the standard edition goes for $609 (CDN), it’s a big investment for an upgrade most users didn’t realize they need. Older, but perfectly workable versions of Office, already enjoy an impressive adoption rate of about 94 per cent; so whom is Microsoft targeting with this launch?
The answer: Big business. So far, it might be working — Virgin Entertainment, Lockheed Martin and Honeywell International are a few of the more prominent companies that have already adopted Office System 2003 into their workplaces.
“In today’s increasingly complex, competitive business environment, customers are looking for software innovations that can help reduce information overload and impart new, competitive advantages,” said Frank Clegg, president of Microsoft Canada. “Through a system of familiar and easy-to-use programs, servers and services, users can connect people and organizations to information, business processes and each other, helping ensure that they derive the most value out of information.”
Collaborative computing is the key here. Although Microsoft has issued hundreds of requisite tweaks to its stalwart standalones like Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint, the real draw for enterprise users is the ability to easily disseminate and collaborate on data in real time. Most networked businesses have some sort of project management methods in place, but Office System offers an integrated and updateable solution with universal compatibility.
However, to fully incorporate Office’s file-sharing technologies requires SharePoint, Microsoft’s server software. Fans of open source may shy away from such an obligation. Also, the newest release of Office was doubtless optimized for Windows XP, which most businesses have yet to adopt.
That notwithstanding, Office System 2003, in its stripped-down form, has enough goodies to satisfy both business and consumer markets — particularly in its improvements to Outlook. The email client has been reworked to use screen space more efficiently; automatically protects against embedded HTML bugs; allows you to associate pictures with contacts; and features an intelligent, powerful new spam filter. It also includes the much-discussed “digital shredder,” which can give a shelf life to emails and protect documents from copying, printing or forwarding.
While some journalists, lawyers and academics have expressed trepidation towards that particular upgrade, they’ve got to love the new Research Task Pane: A built-in XML application that lets you highlight phrases within a document and research it against various online services including encyclopedias, dictionaries, translators, news sources and even LexisNexis’ legal reference library.
Sounds pretty useful; but only time will tell whether the business world agrees.
New Features:
- Word 2003: Save documents across shared workspaces; access third-party research tools within program; built-in instant messaging capabilities; control access rights of saved documents; two-page layout with font smoothing for easier reading; document recovery
- Excel 2003: Similar researching, messaging and access features as in Word; improved statistical functions; XML visual mapping tool
- Outlook 2003: New layout allows for more space, ability to read longer email messages; spam filter learns to delete unsolicited messages; protection against HTML bugs; sort by topic threads; document expiration dates
- PowerPoint 2003: Improved graphical interface; enhanced multimedia support; smart tag support; ability to save files onto compact disk
- Access 2003: Greater import/export capabilities; automatically flags database errors; smart tag support
- OneNote 2003: New note-taking application for desktop, laptop and Tablet PCs; take notes and draw sketches with digital ink anywhere on page; record audio and synchronize with written notes; quickly search and share notes
- InfoPath 2003: Create electronic forms for employees and customers to fill out; compile information; can include data validation; integrates with other Microsoft software
- Live Meeting: Meet and collaborate remotely; watch multiple meeting environments; record and save presentations
Microsoft Office System is available now in various editions and upgrades, at various prices. Visit: www.microsoft.com/canada/ office for further details.
