Microsoft launch of the consumer preview of the next generation Office 2013 suite which media event took place in San Francisco on Monday has perhaps presented the most remarkable architectural departure, inline with the Windows 8 technologies, aimed at positioning the company in the cloud computing and enterprise collaboration space.

Microsoft Office had been criticized for lack of data portability and seamless experience as the case on the Google Docs service, leading to the need for the company to setup Office 365 to address the critical enterprise challenge.

Now, Microsoft intends pushing users of both Office services into its cloud-based offering, SkyDrive, which will enable users to store data in the cloud with the ability to sync files across different platforms. The company has lately set a keen eye on the mobile market, and thereby have effected the necessary changes to embracing mobile with the latest Office suites.

What that means is that Microsoft has taken desktop programs and its web-based office equivalent and unified them into a product that feels more simplified without altering the traditional Office motto.

However, MS Office 2013 and Office 365 update will not support older Windows versions like XP and Vista. It will only run on Windows 7 and Windows 8 PCs and Tablet devices. And the actual product launch date is yet to be fixed by Microsoft.

Google had earlier tried to woo MS Office users into joining the Google Docs train by offering Cloud Connect, which afforded Microsoft Office users the syncing option and accessibility of files on the go. But, with Microsoft full footing on the cloud-storage space and the revolutionary technology drivers put in place, definitely, the cloud computing battle-line has just been drawn.

MS Office 2013 Intensifies The Cloud Wars

Microsoft launch of the consumer preview of the next generation Office 2013 suite which media event took place in San Francisco on Monday has perhaps presented the most remarkable architectural departure, inline with the Windows 8 technologies, aimed at positioning the company in the cloud computing and enterprise collaboration space.

Microsoft Office had been criticized for lack of data portability and seamless experience as the case on the Google Docs service, leading to the need for the company to setup Office 365 to address the critical enterprise challenge.

Now, Microsoft intends pushing users of both Office services into its cloud-based offering, SkyDrive, which will enable users to store data in the cloud with the ability to sync files across different platforms. The company has lately set a keen eye on the mobile market, and thereby have effected the necessary changes to embracing mobile with the latest Office suites.

What that means is that Microsoft has taken desktop programs and its web-based office equivalent and unified them into a product that feels more simplified without altering the traditional Office motto.

However, MS Office 2013 and Office 365 update will not support older Windows versions like XP and Vista. It will only run on Windows 7 and Windows 8 PCs and Tablet devices. And the actual product launch date is yet to be fixed by Microsoft.

Google had earlier tried to woo MS Office users into joining the Google Docs train by offering Cloud Connect, which afforded Microsoft Office users the syncing option and accessibility of files on the go. But, with Microsoft full footing on the cloud-storage space and the revolutionary technology drivers put in place, definitely, the cloud computing battle-line has just been drawn.