Office 365 Updates Services, Packaging

Wes Miller analyzes and writes about Microsoft’s security, identity management, and systems management technologies. Before joining Directions on Microsoft, Wes... more

Office 365 is an upcoming set of service plans that combines the next versions of the Microsoft Online Services (such as Exchange Online Standard) with subscription licenses to Office Professional Plus 2010.

Office 365 will include the next versions of the following Microsoft-hosted services:

Exchange Online Standard, powered by Exchange Server 2010
SharePoint Online Standard, powered by SharePoint Server 2010
Lync Online Standard (formerly Communications Online Standard), powered by Lync Server 2010.

Office 365 will introduce many new service plans that bundle various levels of the three services, substantially expanding the set of options over the previous version, referred to as the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). Two plans will include per-user, per-month subscription licenses for the Office 2010 Professional Plus desktop software. Organizations can already buy subscription licenses for Office in several volume licensing plans, so the Office 365 offer is not radically new. However, it could benefit organizations that want to put a single, predictable per-user, per-month price on their most important desktop applications and communications services for business users.

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