Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/50188
"Microsoft needs to provide better integration for the iPad." hosted Exchange might be considered cost-effective by a large firm, and a small firm lacking economies of scale now has a realistic means to implement Lync or SharePoint. The suite of applications that we know as Microsoft Office in the traditional sense is offered in a couple of permutations. The implementation of the Microsoft Office suite is known as Microsoft Office Web Apps (MOWA). MOWA includes the browser-delivered versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Under the circumstance that MOWA are not as fully functional as the traditional fat-client versions of the same apps, Microsoft makes the desktop applications available as add-ons to the Office Web Apps as Microsoft Office Professional Plus (MOPP). MOPP provides the same fat version of Microsoft Office that we know and love, and the only real difference is that, under the Office 365 program, it is effectively rented on a 30-day cycle instead of purchased outright. Microsoft SharePoint Online is a collaboration, sharing and document-editing solution. With the simplicity of point-and-click, users can easily create internal, external and public-facing websites. Under Office 365, the combination of SharePoint and Microsoft Word offers users the ability to co-author documents. (Can I get a collective "woo hoo!"?) 8 Tech Potpourri ILTA White Paper Microsoft Exchange Online is Microsoft Exchange. It provides 25GB of storage per user and 99.9 percent reliability with secure backup. Microsoft includes added value with spam filtering, antivirus protection and ActiveSync for wireless devices. Microsoft Lync Online is a unified communications architecture that includes presence information, instant messaging, audio- and videoconferencing, as well as application-sharing and collaboration. What aspects of the product could use further development? Microsoft Office 365 is relatively new, and we still have a lot to learn. In this mobile world, Microsoft needs to provide better integration for the iPad. Some voice communication features reportedly suffer from the effects of latency. The Web-based management console could use some improvement, and it should integrate with an existing enterprise's instance of Active Directory. MOWA need to close the gap with the fat-client version of Microsoft Office in terms of functionality. The fact that the fat client is still needed not only reintroduces a management burden that we might like to get rid of, but it also drives costs back up. ILTA hosted W eb-based