Vodacom to offer Office365

As part of the agreement, Office365 will be bundled with Vodacom's broadband connectivity products aimed at small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

Vodacom says it will offer Microsoft Office 365 as part of its business solutions.

The operator says that as part of the agreement, the service will be bundled with its existing broadband connectivity products aimed at small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

Office 365 brings together Microsoft Office, Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Exchange Online and Microsoft Lync Online. The service, which launched on a trial basis last year, saw more than 10 000 organisations globally, many of which were SMEs, sign up and begin testing Office 365, creating one of Microsoft’s largest global beta programmes for businesses.

The operator says the strategic relationship will give businesses access to enterprise-class productivity and telecoms services on a more affordable, rental basis.

“SMEs are the future of our economy. It is imperative that we provide them with the tools to compete with big business in a challenging marketplace where customers expect fast responses 24/7. The combination of our offerings with Office 365 helps deliver the benefits of agility, productivity and flexibility. Furthermore through Vodacom, customers will receive localised support from a provider they already know and trust,” says Chris Lazarus, managing executive, for Vodacom Business Services.

Vodacom will be offering exclusive bundled deals at discounted pricing and customers will have access to Office 365 free until 30 November, 2012.

“Office 365 is our next generation cloud productivity service, combining the best productivity solutions in the market. Vodacom is an experienced partner in offering integrated communications and IT services to businesses, helping firms to do more with less. By extending their portfolio to include Office 365, Vodacom is set to give businesses a further boost in today’s challenging economic climate,” says  Anthony Doherty, operator channels lead at Microsoft South Africa.