Active Stocks
Thu Mar 28 2024 15:59:33
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 155.90 2.00%
  1. ICICI Bank share price
  2. 1,095.75 1.08%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,448.20 0.52%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 428.55 0.13%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 277.05 2.21%
Business News/ Industry / Infotech/  Apps that help you carry your office along
BackBack

Apps that help you carry your office along

Cloud-based productivity solutions allow people to work on the same project from different locations

Microsoft’s rival Google Inc. has its own followers in customers such as Nilkamal Ltd, Voltas Ltd, Punj Lloyd Ltd and State Bank of India. (Microsoft’s rival Google Inc. has its own followers in customers such as Nilkamal Ltd, Voltas Ltd, Punj Lloyd Ltd and State Bank of India.)Premium
Microsoft’s rival Google Inc. has its own followers in customers such as Nilkamal Ltd, Voltas Ltd, Punj Lloyd Ltd and State Bank of India.
(Microsoft’s rival Google Inc. has its own followers in customers such as Nilkamal Ltd, Voltas Ltd, Punj Lloyd Ltd and State Bank of India.)

Employees need not be glued to their desktops at work. They could be sitting in different countries, but working on the same project by creating presentations, sharing documents or even editing them in real time with the help of cloud-based or online office productivity solutions, which can be licensed for an annual fee at a fraction of the price of an off-the-shelf software product with similar functions.

For instance, the 400 employees of technology firm Unilog Content Solutions Pvt. Ltd, spread across Philadelphia in the US, Mysore and Bangalore, use Microsoft’s subscription-based Office 365 service and “experienced significant improvement in the reliability of our messaging system, document sharing, and communication capabilities while reducing IT (information technology) costs and administration", said Suchit Bachalli, executive vice-president.

Lobby group Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry also uses Office 365 for its 700 employees. According to Rajiv Mishra, additional director and head of IT, the non-profit industry organization wanted to reduce its capital expenditure and found Office 365 best suited to the task.

Pharmaceutical company Lupin Ltd’s 11,000 employees across four continents also use the same utility. “Office 365 creates a more productive mobile workforce by providing employees access to email, documents, contacts and calendars—using a variety of devices from virtually any location," said Mayur Danait, Lupin’s chief information officer (CIO), in a 13 May media release. By licensing hosted software instead of purchasing it, Lupin hopes to save “around 40% (cost) over a three-year period".

Microsoft’s rival Google Inc. has its own followers in customers such as Nilkamal Ltd, Voltas Ltd, Punj Lloyd Ltd and State Bank of India.

“The best part of switching to Google Apps is that when I’m travelling, I can easily communicate with my colleagues by going online," said Vishwajeet Singh, CIO with Epitome Travel Solutions (India) Pvt. Ltd. “That is not only saving on the costs of having to call overseas, but also provides great ease when you know that you’re able to connect with people when you’re out of the office."

Both Google Apps and Office 365 include word processing, presentation, and spreadsheet software under Google Docs and Office Web Apps, respectively. Both have online storage, Google Drive and Microsoft’s SkyDrive, to help users share data across multiple devices including tablets, personal computers and smartphones.

According to Ascentius Consulting, Office 365 has a 70% market share in the public cloud email and collaboration services market since most firms are existing users of Microsoft software such as Windows and Office. Besides, Microsoft users have the advantage of being able to sync their files when working on Office on their desktops in the offline mode.

Google Apps, nevertheless, has gained considerable traction that reflects in its market share of 29%, according to the research firm. Yahoo Business Email and Rediff Pro account for the balance 1%.

In a bid to increase market share, Google India reduced its prices for Google Apps for Business on 22 May. New and existing customers based in India now pay 150 per user per month if they’re on the flexible plan, and 1,500 per user per year on the annual plan, a 45% reduction on the previous price.

Microsoft’s pricing, on average, ranges from $72-180 ( 4,060-10,150) per user annually, depending on the size of the company.

“By extending the list price (of 1,500) to all partners, Google has brought a semblance of price parity between big partners and small ones," said Alok Shende, founder director and principal analyst at Ascentius Consulting.

The consulting firm estimates revenue from public cloud-based productivity suites, comprising email, documents and collaboration services, touched $10 million in 2012 and forecasts it to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 27% over the next three years to $20.5 million.

Office 365 was launched 18 months back, and one in five of Microsoft’s enterprise customers worldwide use the paid service, said Sukhwinder Ahuja, director (office and cloud) at Microsoft Corporation (India) Pvt. Ltd.

According to a Google spokesperson, over five million businesses around the world use Google Apps.

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Industry News, Banking News and Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less
Published: 06 Jun 2013, 12:02 AM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Infotech Stocks
₹1,547.25-0.26%
₹1,484.10.99%
₹4,928.750.15%
₹3,837.51.2%
₹472.21.66%
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App