Microsoft Office Live Small Business is a set of Internet-based tools that help small business owners get online, attract customers, and manage their business. It has undergone many changes since it was disclosed in November 2005 and hit beta in February 2006. When it did finally launch in November 2006, it was released in three versions: Microsoft Office Live Basics (free), Office Live Essentials ($19.95/month), and Microsoft Office Live Premium ($39.95/month).
Four months ago, however, Microsoft decided to merge all three products into a free offering it dubbed Microsoft Office Live Small Business. The software giant also significantly improved the overall service by adding 14 new features. One of these was giving customers access to designers and developers that produce more specific and customized solutions tailored to their specific business and needs, which allows Microsoft to gain back much of the money it loses by offering the service for free. The service then had 600,000 customers, and it looks as if the change was a good one: Microsoft now claims over 1 million Office Live Small Business customers.
The service is only offered in five countries: the US, the UK, France, Germany, and Japan. As long as Microsoft continues to offer the service for free and keeps it simple to use, Office Live Small Business will likely continue to quickly grow its customer base. However, the company has yet to announce when it will expand the service to other countries, leaving the door open for competitors to get a head start in huge markets such as China.
Further reading:
- Microsoft: Press Release
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