The people connection

Microsoft Office 2007 promises to reach out to the end user.

Not so long ago, Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer had spoken of the need to arm information workers with the right software to help their businesses. Taking that approach forward, Microsoft has outlined its "people-ready" software vision in India.

Jeff Raikes, president, Microsoft Business Division, has offered Microsoft Office 2007, to be released by December in India, for preview, along with 18 new business solutions.

The software company is keen on role-specific versions of its new Office suite for users ranging from sales reps to the whole string of CXOs.

"Businesses must be people-ready to accommodate pressures from competition, from technology changes and from issues such as compliance," says Raikes, who along with Ballmer, and Microsoft's chief architect Bill Gates, is believed to have devised this "initiative to reach out to end users, who are the real customers of any business".

Essentially, with this new release, Microsoft is introducing a full range of new and improved server software that will integrate solutions across various scenarios "" collaboration, enterprise content management, business intelligence and enterprise project management.

To prove its point, Microsoft has also announced that more than 640,000 Microsoft enterprise and mid-market partners will be mobilised to help customers assess their status and determine the steps needed to become a "people-ready" business.

While Microsoft executives are tight-lipped about the pricing of the Office 2007 suite, they promise that its tag won't go drastically higher than that of Office 2003.

Meanwhile, heavy sales investments are in the pipeline for India. In fact, Microsoft's commitment to Indian customers can be seen from the large share of attention they'll soon get from a new $500-million global marketing campaign.

"The new business solutions essentially increase individual impact, simplify collaboration, streamline business processes and content management, and thus enhance the business' insight," "" is how Ravish Gupta, Microsoft India's senior product manager (localisation), sells the new offerings.

Noticeable new features include a nice user-friendly interface and customised applications for volume license and retail customers.

So, as Microsoft Office 2003 gives way to Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007, which will integrate operations with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Communicator, the focus stays on the end user.

Microsoft also has software lined up for the home user, even as keen observers wonder how it intends deploying its multibillion dollar investment war-chest to integrate the "people-ready" ploy with its wider market gameplan.