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the Free CMSWire NewsletterThere’s been a lot of Microsoft action this week. MS finally released Lync, Verizon’s IP mobility and networking components now integrate with MS online services and AvePoint migrates your content into SharePoint online.
Microsoft Releases Lync
You may recall the rebranding of BPOS as Office365 last month and the announcement that it would be released next year. For SMBs the advantages of the new product will be enormous, with new pricing scales that put SharePoint firmly within their grasp.At that time however, MS Lync, which is to be part of Office365, still hadn’t been released.
This week, all has been remedied with the announcement that Lync is now available in a downloadable trial version, with full availability being released on December 1st.
Microsoft Lync is the new family brand of products formerly known as Microsoft Communications Server, Microsoft Office Communications Online and Microsoft Office Communicator. The brand now includes Microsoft Lync Web App and Microsoft Lync Online as well.
As a single platform, it integrates instant messaging, presence, audio, video and web-conferencing with a single interface that can be linked with Microsoft Office, Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Exchange.
Kurt DelBene, president of the Microsoft Business division, indicated that MS is hoping that this will be a billion dollar business in much the same way that SharePoint has been. "It feels to me like another SharePoint business," DelBene said.
Even Bill Gates made an appearance by video link. He reckoned that it will be the biggest release to office workers since the invention of the PC.
We’ll reserve judgement on that one, but whatever anyone says, it will make communication a lot easier. For the SMB market, it will add to the already considerable firepower they get with Office365.
AvePoint Supports Office365
Meanwhile AvePoint (news, site) has also been working around the Office365 release. Last week, it announced that the DocAve Software Platform now provides beta support for Microsoft Office 365.
DocAve enables seamless migration to online SharePoint environments, accommodating content from 14 different legacy sources, as well as hybrid management of on-premise and cloud SharePoint environments through a single software platform.
SMB users who decide to go down the Office365 route to access SharePoint online will be able to use DocAve to migrate SharePoint content into Office365 beta and will be able to take part in a trial that will run in parallel with Office365 beta into next year.
DocAve already enables users to take content from 14 different legacy systems and enter it into SharePoint and allows those who wish to run an on-premise SharePoint deployment in tandem with an online SharePoint deployment to do so with ease.
With the beta release of Office365, many organizations that could not afford SharePoint will now have access. AvePoint has been quick to see the potential. For those of you who want to take part in the beta, you can contact AvePoint.
Verizon Integrates with MS Online Service
Verizon (news, site) has also been working with Microsoft. This week, it announced that it is now offering SMBs an all-in-one offering that takes Verizon's IP networking and mobility components and integrates them with Microsoft’s online services. The bundle is designed to let users connect, communicate and collaborate from the cloud.
The result — Verizon users will be able to access Microsoft's cloud collaboration tools anytime, anywhere and from any device.
This is only the latest in Verizon’s moves on the SMB market. In September it launched a cloud computing service for SMBs to supplement a cloud service for large companies that it launched last year.
SM Marketing Spend to Rise
In the social media space, research predicts that social media marketing budgets are set to rise. Key factors prompting marketing budget growth in 2011 are increased expectation of the role and impact of social media and the realized return on investment in email marketing.
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