Microsoft Office Live
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 The main menu of Office Live. |
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| Developer(s) | Microsoft |
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| Stable release | Microsoft Office Live Basics (U.S./UK) Microsoft Office Live Essentials (U.S./UK) [+/−] |
| Preview release | Microsoft Office Live Collaboration [+/−] |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
| Type | Web application, Web development |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | officelive.microsoft.com officelive.com |
Microsoft Office Live is a set of Internet-based services designed for consumers and small businesses. The functions of the product are to facilitate 1) creation of a website and 2) storing and sharing documents online. As of 2009, it consists of two services, Office Live Workspace and Office Live Small Business.
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[edit] Office Live Workspace
Office Live Workspace is a free service for storing and sharing documents online. The company claims it is most commonly used for work, school, and home projects because documents may be managed from remote locations without a flash drive. Available in over 25 languages, Office Live Workspace requires web access and a compatible browser. Use of a workspace can be enhanced by installing Silverlight, a plug-in that makes it easier to upload multiple documents and collaborate with others on a workspace. In order for workspaces to be accessed directly from Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint users install an Office Live Update.[1] Files can't be edited from within workspace, but clicking on "edit" will open them up in Microsoft Office.[2] The workspace doesn't offer offline collaboration — instead documents are "checked out" and "checked in," but the service does integrate with SharedView for real-time screen sharing.
[edit] Features
Online storage. Office Live permits users to save up to 5 gigabytes (GB) of information in many file formats.[3] The company claims this replaces the need for flash drives or CDs as a storage solution, and provides capabilities for updating project schedules, organizing events, and delegating assignments without scheduling a meeting or relying on email.
Information sharing. Office Live Workspace is designed so that computer users can share multiple documents and collaborate online as a group. Workspaces are password-protected and users can control who views and edits information. Files or workspaces can be shared with up to 100 people.[2]
Software compatibility. While Office Live Workspace works with Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, it also allows users to store documents of other file types. If the Office Live update is installed, files and documents may be opened and saved directly from Microsoft Office XP, 2003, or 2007. Users may also synchronize,[4] contact, task, and event lists with Outlook 2003 and 2007, and workspace lists can be exported to Excel.[5]
Resources and support. Microsoft established a Community Support website,[6] which includes a blog, wiki, how-to videos, and the ability for customers to ask and answer questions about using Office Live Workspace.
[edit] System requirements
Office Live Workspace requires an Internet-connected computer running Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, or Mac OS X 10.2.x and later. It works with the following browsers:
- Internet Explorer 6.0 or later
- Firefox 2.0 or later
[edit] Office Live Small Business
Microsoft Office Live Small Business is an Internet-based service designed so that non-technical web users can create a professional-looking website.
[edit] Features
Web site design tools and hosting. Office Live Small Business provides access to free online web design tools and templates for website development. Site Designer is a product feature for page layouts, colors, navigation, and other site elements. Users can also add modules such as PayPal buttons, blogs, and calendars to pages. Advanced web users can upload HTML code to customize their web pages. Microsoft provides free website hosting and 5 gigabytes (GB) of storage space for site files. Additional storage space can be purchased if a user's site exceeds this storage limit.
Domain name registration and business e-mail. Within Office Live Small Business, domain names may be selected and registered. Customers who already have a domain name with another provider can redirect it to Office Live Small Business. Up to 100 domain-based e-mail accounts are allowed at no charge. After that, additional email accounts can be purchased. Through June 10th, 2009, the custom domain was free for the first 12 months through. After that promotional period, the domain registration price was $14.95 a year and included private registration. As of June 10th, 2009, this promotional offer is no longer available, and custom domains are currently priced at $14.95 a year.[7]
Contact Manager. The Contact Manager is designed to organize customer information, contact histories, and sales information in one place. This data is accessible via the web to entire organizations.
Document Manager. This application is used as an online repository for documents. Its function is to make documents easily accessible to employees to improve collaboration.
Team Workspace. The Team Workspace application creates a project website for posting information to share with customers, employees, or business partners. It is meant to streamline the editing process, give users remote access to company data, and "pull" large files as needed.
Resources and support. Microsoft offers 24-hour technical phone support at no charge for 30 days. Online, the Community site includes a blog, wiki, articles, how-to videos, and a customer question and answer space.
[edit] Security
Office Live Small Business user data is stored on the Microsoft network. The company claims all customer business data is backed up daily. Built-in password-protection features are included for Business Applications such as Team Workspace and Document Manager.
[edit] System requirements
Many of the features of Office Live (including sign-up) require Internet-connected computer running Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, or Mac OS X 10.2.x and later with one of the following Web browsers installed:
- Internet Explorer 6.0 or later
- Firefox 2.0 or later
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Office Live Update from Microsoft
- ^ a b "Office Live Workspace vs Google Docs: Feature-by-Feature Comparison" from ReadWriteWeb.com
- ^ [1] from Microsoft
- ^ Connect your list to Outlook from Microsoft
- ^ Export list content to an Excel spreadsheet from Microsoft
- ^ Office Live Workspace Community hosted by Microsoft
- ^ [2] from Microsoft
[edit] External links
- Microsoft Office Live Official Website
- Muchmore, Michael PC Magazine February 2008
- Microsoft Office Live Screenshots Gallery
- Microsoft Office Live Developer Portal
- Microsoft Across America
- Work for Office Live
- New York Times Review of Office Live Small Business
- Computerworld Article "Review: Office Live Small Business goes a la carte"
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