In our weeklong test, we ran a desktop setup script, and connected without problem to the Office 365 service. No matter where or how Starbucks employees access information, the experience is essentially identical. Yet 17,000 employees at 8,000 retail locations depend on Exchange Online for e-mail access and a SharePoint Online intranet to access human resources and other information. Headquarters employees still rely on internally-hosted e-mail and other applications. Starbucks took a hybrid approach in working with Microsoft. Energizer Holdings, Microsoft's first customer to go completely to the cloud, says that its technologists were freed up to work with internal business groups, consulting with them on how technology can best be applied.
Perhaps the biggest advantage is the potential to transform IT groups - from being hidden away managing server rooms to becoming a true business partner with internal clients. This also holds true for large enterprises that are spending lots of capital on redundant data centers or scaling up for specific projects - funds that could be invested in their core business. The economics makes sense, especially for mid-size organizations, which often forgo security and reliability because of hardware and support costs. Office 365 offers predictable costs ($2 to $24 per user, per month), which can be lower than maintaining an in-house data center. Our focus in this review was whether Office 365 provides a solid case for moving critical business functions to the cloud - along with its integrated communication and collaboration capabilities, mobile options, and IT administration functionsįirst, let's tackle the strategic argument. The final product will officially ship later this year. We tested Office 365 for Enterprise beta, which comes out today. Variations of the service - Enterprise, Small Business, and Education - will have different prices and features tailored to each audience.
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