Office in the Sky
Google Docs is a low-end set of productivity apps that run on the Web. So what's
Microsoft's response? Turn Office into a low-end set of productivity apps that
run on the Web!
At PDC, Microsoft announced that Office
would run in the cloud, bereft of a few hundred features or so, and be accessible
by PCs and even mobile devices such as cell phones.
This might not take all that long to arrive, as Office Live Workspace is already
in beta. Pricing isn't set, but it seems that it will run through existing volume
licensing programs.
While I like the idea, I want to make sure I can still retrieve all my data,
even if my license happens to expire. What would it take for you to put your
files in a cloud somewhere? Answers can be blown into [email protected].
Windows Server 2008 R2 Readied
I hear a lot of complaints about various forms of Microsoft software. But I
can't remember any complaints about Windows Server 2008 (if I'm wrong, e-mail
your grievances to [email protected]).
Windows Server 2008 Release 2 is now
in limited beta, the company announced to some 6,000 developers at PDC last
week. The new server is 64-bit only, and will include live migration of VMs,
an advantage VMware brags about at every opportunity.
SQL's Future Is Cloudy
There was so much news last week at PDC that I'll probably spend the bulk of
this week bringing it all to you. We've already talked about Azure,
Microsoft's cloud operating system/platform. Besides being a development platform,
Azure is also a set of services that will run in the cloud. In this case, Microsoft
defines the cloud as one of its own rather massive datacenters.
Running in this Microsoft-seeded cloud will be database services driven by
a revamped
version of good old SQL Server. Interested folks can get a sneak peak at
these services by looking at Microsoft projects hosted on the SQL Services Lab
Portal.
Mailbag: Recession Security
Last week, Doug wondered whether tough economic times mean companies
should be extra careful to protect their data against inside threats. Barb
thinks it's a good idea -- but companies should tread lightly:
It doesn't hurt to walk through security practices and settings. It may
be a wake-up call to many of us. But I hope it doesn't create unfounded suspicions
against fellow employees -- witch hunts, of sorts -- timely though it may
be. We have enough bad feelings about our economic quagmire; we don't need
to manufacture more.
-Barb
Tell us what you think! Leave a comment below or send an e-mail to [email protected].
About the Author
Doug Barney is editor in chief of Redmond magazine and the VP, editorial director of Redmond Media Group.