Microsoft Office Online, a new offering from Microsoft and the companies listed at right, allows users to access their favorite Office applications over the Internet. Office Online provides another choice for organizations interested in centrally managed software, and is a part of Microsoft's commitment to delivering the latest Office technology anywhere, any time, and on any device.

Designed for Small and Medium-sized Organizations
Office Online provides a centrally managed solution for a variety of customers, including users at branch offices who lack IT support, small or medium-sized businesses aiming to reduce costs by outsourcing the administration of software applications, and companies with changing or seasonal desktop productivity application needs.

The various Office Online offerings from Microsoft and participating companies are tailored primarily for small and medium-sized businesses, and build on existing service offerings such as Internet access, Web site hosting, data storage, and customer support.

Builds on Existing Office Technology
Office Online will be provided to customers via Windows® Terminal Services, which delivers the Windows experience and application functionality to a range of devices through terminal emulation. Since the release of Office 97, organizations have been able to host Office over an intranet or other network connection using Microsoft Windows NT® Server Terminal Server. Office Online builds on this technology, enabling customers to access Office applications over an Internet connection. Read Running Office 2000 with Windows Terminal Server to learn how to run Office 2000 on computer terminals, cross-platform hardware, and legacy systems in a large corporate environment.

New Opportunities for Customers and Partners
In providing access to Office 2000 over the Internet, Office Online offers a broad range of services for users, including the ability to save their changes to Office settings and then access their customized version of Office from a range of devices, including Windows CE-based devices, laptop computers, and thin client terminals.

Office Online users will enjoy the same applications as the retail versions, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint®, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft FrontPage® Web site creation and management tool, and Microsoft Outlook®.

Office Online enables service providers to deliver highly customized Office-based solutions along with instant updates and service releases, and to allow customers to pay for the services on a monthly basis.

For More Information
To read the announcement unveiling Microsoft Office Online, view the Microsoft press release on the PressPass Web site.