Microsoft Office 365 Beta now open to the public! Information and resources for you.

Today, Microsoft announced the public availability of the Office 365 beta in a total of 38 markets and 17 languages in all! You may recall the October 19th announcement of Office 365 and all that Office 365 is bringing into reach for businesses of all sizes around the world.

Microsoft Office 365, which replaces Business Online Productivity Suite (BPOS), Office Live Small Business, and Live@edu, enables customers and partners to bring together Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Lync, and Microsoft Office in an always-up-to-date cloud service offering, 24 hours per day, 365 days per week. This symbolizes our commitment to deliver the industry’s most complete cloud service for customers of all sizes and Microsoft Office 365 is tailored to meet our customers’ unique needs, including offerings for professionals and small businesses, enterprises and educational institutions. In addition, Microsoft Office 365 also provides a new way to get Microsoft Office Professional Plus desktop software, on a pay-as-you-go basis.

With today’s announcement, the Office 365 beta becomes available publicly, which means that you too can sign up today to try Office 365 and all that it offers for yourself. Plus, for everyone who joins the Office 365 beta program, when Office 365 is commercially released, beta accounts will be activated to trial versions, and you can easily continue using Office 365 beyond the 30-day trial period if you choose to purchase.

Here are some links and resources for you to utilize for your Office 365 experience:

• Sign up today for the public Office 365 beta
  • Info from the beta site:
    • What’s included?
    • Is the Office 365 (Plan P1) Beta right for your organization?
    • Does your business need the Office 365 Beta for enterprises?
    • Get started with the Office 365 (Plan P1) Beta
    • System requirements
• Office 365 Frequently Asked Questions
• Office 365 Home Page
• Office 365 Public Beta Press Release
• Office 365 Marketplace Beta - Built specifically to showcase applications and professional services offered by Office 365 partners to help customers easily find your applications and professional services that extend the value of Office 365.
• Office 365 Blog
• Microsoft Partner Office 365 Readiness & Training
  • Office 365 Training Package
  • Core Training:

    • The Microsoft Office 365 Business Opportunity for Systems Integrators (SIs)

    • Selling Enterprise Solutions Based on Microsoft Office 365

    • How to Sell Microsoft Office 365 to Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs) for Sales Representatives

    • Selling Microsoft Office 365 to Small and Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs) for Executives

    • Volume Licensing - Microsoft Office 365 Pricing and Licensing Overview

    • How to have a Business Productivity Discussion and Win Business

    • Microsoft Office 365 Partner Overview

    • Microsoft Office 365 US Partner Roadmap (BOS66PAL)

    • Getting to Microsoft Office 365

    • Microsoft Office 365 Pricing and Licensing and updated EA

    • Overview of Online and On-Premise Functional Comparison for Microsoft Office 365

  • Elective Training:

    • Selling Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 for Microsoft Office 365 Partners

    • Economics of the Cloud (OFF152PSW)

  • Additional Training Resources:

    • Download: Office 365 TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) Tool

    • Download: CRM OL and Office 365: The Value Proposition

• Microsoft Office 365 on Microsoft Partner Portal
• Follow Microsoft Office 365 on Twitter: (@Office365) to see the latest Microsoft Office 365 information coming from the team
• Join the Office365 conversations on Twitter by including the #Office365 hashtag in your tweets
• Watch the conversations on Twitter by tracking the #Office365 hashtag
• Become a fan of Office 365 on Facebook
  • Check out the $50,000 for your small business contest on their Facebook page!
• Office 365 on LinkedIn
• Office 365 Beta Service Descriptions
• Office 365 Videos on Microsoft Showcase

Once you give the Office 365 beta a try, I’d love to hear your input and feedback on it. I believe Office 365 is going to positively change the landscape of business computing for so many companies out there and open up huge markets and opportunities for our partners around the world!

Did you find this information helpful? If so, you may want to make sure you are utilizing all of the areas I share information online, such as: my Facebook page, my Twitter account, my LinkedIn account, and my blog.

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman – Follow me on TWITTER, LinkedIn, and RSS and see “What I’m thinking”
Director, Worldwide Partner Experience
Microsoft Corporation
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

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