MS Office Enters the Clouds

At the Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC09) on Monday, Microsoft announced that it was taking MS Office into the clouds. This announcement was well-anticpated last week and it was so big that it prompted Google to pre-announce their Chrome OS very early – long before there is really anything to unveil…just to get their announcement in first. Let’s look further at Microsoft’s announcement and what it means to the businesses – especially smaller organizations and cloud computing.

Microsoft announced that it will be offering a free, lightweight version of Office that is accessed via the web rather than as resident software. This move is seen as a direct hit on Google and their Google Docs offering. Google Docs is a web-based office suite that offers superior sharing and collaboration options to the conventional MS Office suite of software.

Microsoft’s Slow Progression

Eleven years ago, Microsoft began letting people access their Outlook e-mail over the Internet, though it was a few more years before it allowed customers to “rent” space on an e-mail server instead of buying the machine themselves. In November 2008, Microsoft moved its Excel spreadsheet program and a worker-collaboration product called SharePoint to the Web. Microsoft offers access to the programs for a subscription fee, so you don’t have to buy the software up-front.

Fast Forward to Now

Now Microsoft realizes that it must move much faster. On Monday at the WPC09, it publicly showed off portions of its upcoming Office 2010 suite for the first time and announced its “Office in the clouds” intentions.

What does this mean for the small business in this current economy? At a time when all business big and small are looking at ways to cut back, it means a lot. It means easier file sharing, real-time collaboration, and a nice savings to the bottom-line. Companies want full-featured products. However, lightweight versions of the Office suite of products that nearly every company has come to rely on daily is likely going to be ‘good enough’ for quite some time. Most organizations only regularly utilize 25-40% of the true functionality of the feature-ladened Office suite anyway, so switching to a cloud-based lightweight FREE (did I mention FREE?) version will – for most small businesses especially – be a no-brainer.

I’m told that the Office web applications included will be Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and OneNote and they will run inside the browser. They will be accessed using Windows Live (not Office Live…which is being discontinued). More good news is that Microsoft guarantees that they will work equally well in IE, Firefox, and Safari.

Project Management in Abu Dhabi and a Non-profit story

Nonprofit, company aim to boost green energy on tribal lands
California Indian Manpower Consortium Inc. — a nonprofit organization working to advance the social welfare, education and economic viability of California tribes — on Monday announced a statewide alliance with U.S. Science and Technology, a renewable energy project development company in Sacramento.

The two Sacramento organizations intend to develop renewable energy projects on tribal lands, creating jobs and helping improve the environment.

In May, the consortium announced a green jobs initiative. The alliance is the first partnership that aims to fulfill the economic development and environmental goals of the initiative.

The consortium will use USST’s engineering and project management expertise to examine the feasibility of renewable energy projects on tribal lands. Possible technologies that projects could tap into include waste-to-energy, solar and wind power technologies. Once a project is authorized by a tribe, USST will manage the engineering, development and operation of the project, and coordinate job training.

Al Maabar Awards ‘Program Management’ Contract to KEO International Consultants

KEO International Consultants has announced that it has won a six month Program Management contract from Al Maabar, the Abu Dhabi based International real estate development investment company, to work on Aqaba’s $10 billion Marsa Zayed development. Al Maabar’s landmark project, which is the largest development to take place in the history of the region, stretches over a 3.2 km² of prime real estate in the port’s city of Aqaba, Jordan’s sole maritime gateway. Groundbreaking for this historic project is scheduled in early 2010 and with over 6 million sqm of built-up area, it is the largest tourism project in Jordan’s history. Named in memory of the Late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, the iconic development will include high-rise residential towers, retail, recreational, entertainment, business and financial districts and several branded hotels. Several marinas will significantly add to the current berthing capacity and will help transform Aqaba into a premier yachting destination. There are also plans for a state-of-the-art cruise ship terminal, which will be designed as a contemporary tourist landmark and a welcoming gateway to Aqaba.

Commenting on the contract award, Al Maabar’s CEO, Mr Abdallah Hageali, said: “Our Marsa Zayed project is one of the most significant projects under development in the region. A project of this scale will act as a major economic stimulus and its impact will not only be felt in Aqaba but also throughout Jordan and the wider region. “We have awarded this contract to KEO International Consultants because their vast experience and professionalism will help guarantee the success of this iconic development,” he added.