Sprint announced that it will deliver Microsoft Office 365 to small and midsize businesses this year. The latest service addition from Sprint marks the expansion of the company’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) portfolio which also includes support, office and field-productivity services. Microsoft will host the Office 365 platform, and Sprint will provide customer service and network access.
Office 365 brings together cloud versions of productivity and collaboration products with the latest version of Microsoft’s client software and companion Web applications, supporting secure access to email, calendars, Office Web Apps, instant messaging, conferencing and file sharing. Sprint’s offer also includes built-in antivirus and spam-fighting technology and a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
BACKGROUND: Microsoft tries to sweeten Office 365 deal for partners
Although Sprint has not announced a release date, when it does make Office 365 available, it plans to bundle it with other value-added services designed increase productivity for an increasingly mobile workforce.
John Dupree, senior VP for business sales at Sprint, commented in a statement, “Sprint’s open approach to cloud includes teaming with trusted industry leaders, like Microsoft, with proven solutions with which businesses are very familiar, to enable them to achieve greater agility to compete in today’s economy. Our focus on seamless integration of mobility with cloud services allows companies to extend our reliable and secure networks to their mobile workforces, so they can confidently use hosted services anytime, virtually anywhere and from any device.”
Kirk Gregersen, general manager, Microsoft Office division, added, “Combining Sprint’s wireless data plans, access through its 3G and 4G networks and scalable services with Office 365 will provide businesses with the tools needed to grow. We’re delighted to join with Sprint in offering this compelling set of cloud solutions to small and mid-sized businesses.”
