Office Live Workspace: Microsoft’s (Late) Answer To Google Apps

Google Apps has been far more successful than Microsoft could have imagined, which I am sure is why their reaction to Google's enterprise agenda was less than impressive.

Now, Microsoft seems to have realized the benefits of the web, finally bringing its Office Suite online with Office Live Workspace, which is currently running in beta to a limited number of people.

With Google Apps, Zimbra (recently purchased by Yahoo!), and Zoho having already built an online following, is it too late for Microsoft to become the king of online office suites?

The thing that still confuses me the most is the fact that Microsoft is just now launching this service. It has been apparent for a few years now that the internet has its benefits, especially when it comes to collaborating with others on a project. Office has long been “the” desktop office solution to have, which should have given Microsoft a head start as far as development is concerned.

Office Live Workspace is a free service that Microsoft has stated, “may eventually include advertising, but we?re still testing different designs.” In the future, there may also be various upgraded plans available for a fee, but it is unlikely that any of these will compare to Google Apps Enterprise Edition as Microsoft business offerings will carry the “Online” name rather than “Live.”

In its press release, Microsoft emphasized that its ?Live? services are designed primarily for individuals, business end-users and virtual work groups and will focus on ease of use, simplicity of access and flexibility.

Office Live Workspace boasts the ability to store 1000+ Office documents in one place, access them from almost any computer with a web browser, and invite people into your workspace to collaborate with. Surprisingly, Microsoft acknowledges that the service will work on both Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers.

The fact that so many people are already using Microsoft Office and Office file types on their PCs should help Microsoft build its online user base, but with other office suites also offering compatibility with Office formats, those who are already using another online solution are most likely better off sticking with what they are using.

It will be very interesting to see how the king on desktop office suites fares in the online world. Are you interesting in using Office Live Workspace over Google Apps?