“Through a pilot program, providers of e-business services for
small and medium-sized companies will offer Office 2000 as an
application service beginning in 2000. The leasing program will
allow customers to use Microsoft’s Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and
other Office applications via the Internet, instead of having the
Microsoft software installed on their PCs.”
“Microsoft did not announce pricing for the hosted applications.
The standard edition of Office costs $499 for new users and $249
for existing Office users upgrading to the product. Bob Muglia,
senior vice president in charge of Microsoft’s
business-productivity group, told the Wall Street Journal
that online services might charge anywhere from $50 to $500 per
user, per month for Office.”
“Participating companies in the pilot program, called Microsoft
Office Online, include Micron, Concentric Network, Verio, Digex,
Equant, FutureLink, Interland, Interliant, MTT Mpowered (a division
of Aliant), Qwest Communications, TeleComputing, Usinternetworking,
and Winstar Communications.”