MICROSOFT OFFICE 365 MOVES TO PUBLIC BETA FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND ENTERPRISE

Back in October 2010, Microsoft announced Office 365, the company’s first cloud-based productivity software product and, some would say, a direct response to Google Apps. On Sunday, Microsoft announced that Office 365 would now be offered as a public beta to both small businesses and enterprises.

The small business beta is open for companies with up to 25 employees who need a solution that doesn’t require an IT staff, but still offers essential email, calendar, and website services. There is also an enterprise version for any size organization looking for more features and control, Office Professional Plus, Active Directory, and high-end archiving. Once an account is activated, which may take 2-4 weeks as part of the beta, users will have 30 days (from activation) to decide whether they would like to purchase the service or not.

Small business owners are billed month-to-month starting at $6/user while those enrolling in the enterprise program have four plans to choose from starting at $10/user/month for the E1 plan. Currently, only the E3 plan, which begins at $24/user/month, is available in the public beta. All four (E1-E4) are described below.