Online Services Add IM, Markets

Instant messaging services lead the latest additions to the Microsoft Online Standard hosted services for businesses. The services have also expanded beyond the United States and gained new resellers and other partners. The services could interest smaller businesses that don’t have the money and expertise to run their own Microsoft-based e-mail, document sharing, and communications systems. The services could also generate business for Microsoft and partners by prompting migration of data from on-premises systems, and upgrades to PC software supported by the services. However, international expansion brings new legal and information protection considerations for Microsoft and customers.

Instant Messaging and Presence Added to Services

The Microsoft Online Standard services include hosted installations of Exchange Server, SharePoint Server, and (now) Communications Server, as well as Exchange Hosted Services (for e-mail filtering, policy enforcement, and archiving) and the Live Meeting Web conferencing service. Customers can purchase the services separately, but often buy them together in the Business Productivity Online Services (BPOS) Standard suite at a substantial discount from the individual service prices. Online Standard services run on shared (multitenant) hardware and software installations and are available to organizations of up to about 20,000 seats. This contrasts with the Online Dedicated services, which offer installations dedicated to a single customer, designed for customers who need more customized configurations and who typically have 5,000 seats or more.